I'm Shanda. But more importantly, below you will see pictured Ginger and Banan, my "babies".
I adopted my calico, Ginger at about 7 weeks old. The "rescue" group was very shortly after shut down after pneumonia wiped out almost the entire cat population in this woman's home. Ginger herself nearly died of pneumonia, three days after I brought her home. She is now a healthy (and hefty!) 8 years old! I call her my "old hag" as she has always had an old soul. But not so much in that charming and wise way. She's more like a grumpy old woman. Though her sweetness comes out just for me in private moments. She hates guests, she hates kids, and hates men (is there ANYTHING this cat loves?!?!). Actually yes, she loves to curl up in the bathroom sink to drink water straight from the faucet, loves to curl up on my lap while I cross stitch, and I'm usually jolted awake each morning as I step out of the shower and she's immediately there, trying to lick the water off my legs with her rough tongue! She is an indoor cat, having some issues with depth perception which make getting around in any agile sort of way pretty difficult for her, as well as being fairly pigeon toed in her back end. But she loves to sit in the window and smell the sweet breezes blowing in. . . .
And then we come to Banan. Between working full time and also taking time to be out with friends and family, Ginger was alone a lot and became depressed. I had originally planned on her being my only kitty but I figured she could use a friend to while away the hours while I worked. So I adopted Banan, who was 5 months old when I brought him home. His name was originally Comet but I HATED that name. So I found Banan in a baby name book, which is a Gaelic name meaning "white".. . . . Which he very much is! He and Ginger became instant best friends and have been inseparable ever since. He will be 5 years old on May 18. What can I say about Banan besides he has the BIGGEST heart of any cat (or any person for that matter) that I have ever known. I have never met another creature capable of so much love. And boy does he love! He's sensitive and cuddly and loves being held like a baby, even at 12.5 pounds now! He's a large boy but so fit and sleek and thin. He is agile and graceful. He will jump up onto a shelf full of knick knacks and not disturb one single thing. He also definitely misses his "mommy" whenever I'm away. I remember one time packing my bags for a weekend out of town and he climbed into my duffle bag to stop me from putting anything else in it. He made me an hour late getting on the road because he sat there hanging his head, with TEARS pouring down his face! I had never seen a cat cry up to that point! He is also an indoor cat, having some pretty severe issues with anxiety, which I have treated the past couple of years with amitriptyline, with good results. It helps keep him calm and as long as he stays on his meds, he no longer has problems with pulling all of his fur out and self mutilating. I love my boy!
I adopted my calico, Ginger at about 7 weeks old. The "rescue" group was very shortly after shut down after pneumonia wiped out almost the entire cat population in this woman's home. Ginger herself nearly died of pneumonia, three days after I brought her home. She is now a healthy (and hefty!) 8 years old! I call her my "old hag" as she has always had an old soul. But not so much in that charming and wise way. She's more like a grumpy old woman. Though her sweetness comes out just for me in private moments. She hates guests, she hates kids, and hates men (is there ANYTHING this cat loves?!?!). Actually yes, she loves to curl up in the bathroom sink to drink water straight from the faucet, loves to curl up on my lap while I cross stitch, and I'm usually jolted awake each morning as I step out of the shower and she's immediately there, trying to lick the water off my legs with her rough tongue! She is an indoor cat, having some issues with depth perception which make getting around in any agile sort of way pretty difficult for her, as well as being fairly pigeon toed in her back end. But she loves to sit in the window and smell the sweet breezes blowing in. . . .
And then we come to Banan. Between working full time and also taking time to be out with friends and family, Ginger was alone a lot and became depressed. I had originally planned on her being my only kitty but I figured she could use a friend to while away the hours while I worked. So I adopted Banan, who was 5 months old when I brought him home. His name was originally Comet but I HATED that name. So I found Banan in a baby name book, which is a Gaelic name meaning "white".. . . . Which he very much is! He and Ginger became instant best friends and have been inseparable ever since. He will be 5 years old on May 18. What can I say about Banan besides he has the BIGGEST heart of any cat (or any person for that matter) that I have ever known. I have never met another creature capable of so much love. And boy does he love! He's sensitive and cuddly and loves being held like a baby, even at 12.5 pounds now! He's a large boy but so fit and sleek and thin. He is agile and graceful. He will jump up onto a shelf full of knick knacks and not disturb one single thing. He also definitely misses his "mommy" whenever I'm away. I remember one time packing my bags for a weekend out of town and he climbed into my duffle bag to stop me from putting anything else in it. He made me an hour late getting on the road because he sat there hanging his head, with TEARS pouring down his face! I had never seen a cat cry up to that point! He is also an indoor cat, having some pretty severe issues with anxiety, which I have treated the past couple of years with amitriptyline, with good results. It helps keep him calm and as long as he stays on his meds, he no longer has problems with pulling all of his fur out and self mutilating. I love my boy!
