A Year in the Life of Ginger

It was one year ago today that we picked Ginger up from her previous home and welcomed her into our lives, and she welcomed us into hers.

Well, honestly, she didn't exactly welcome us.  We had to prove ourselves first.  I don't blame her for that at all.  It seems prudent.  But, now a year on I can quite safely say that we have, indeed, passed the test.  She loves us.  And we love her.  I nearly cannot imagine how we got along without her.  Her playful delight enriches our lives and our adoration enriches hers.

Ginger is Matt's first kitty companion and he is quite taken with her.  Oh, how they play....  Its wonderful.  He's always coming up with new variations on the things she likes to keep her engaged, happy, and curious.

I grew up with cats, but even still she is such a unique creature, a personality all her own.  She has taught me that there is a lot I still don't know about cats.  But, she is a patient instructor.  Gosh, I love her.

She trots along beside me in the morning as I make my way around the house getting ready for work.  She gets so excited when its dinner time.  Or breakfast time.  Or snack time.  Or well, anytime we're in the kitchen, really.

She greets us at the front door when we get home.  She greets us in the hall each morning when we wake up.

She is my kitchen helper and craft room buddy.

She thinks the indoor clothes drying racks we use in the winter months are forts crafted for her enjoyment and security.  She thinks the vacuum is a horrible beast which should be avoided at all costs.

She is a fan of empty boxes and round objects that can be batted around like a ball.  She's not picky as long as it rolls or slides--bottle caps, balls of aluminum foil or cardboard, a chunk of quartz, dice, bouncy balls, etc.

Her favorite toy is paper though.  Shredding it, nesting in it, chasing it, rolling in it, stalking it,  finding toys hidden in it, napping in it, and diving through it.  Matt calls the latter "snow plowing."  It cracks us up.  She will do it over and over and over.

She loves writhing around on a big pile of catnip and grazing on the spider plants.

She is a fan of sunbeams and heat vents.  If the sunbeam happens to reach the area beneath the heat vent it is like Cat Nirvana.

She must thoroughly smell and approve of any new object brought into the house.  And maybe rub her head on it or gingerly poke it with a paw, too.  She notices when things are different--even slightly, doors closed that are usually open, new boxes near the recycling, unfamiliar shoes by the door, etc.  It must be examined with caution, curiosity, and great thoroughness.

She must take at least a handful of naps each day.  She still won't sleep in bed with me at night, but she's a fan of napping on my stomach while I nap on the sofa.  Matt and I sure both take more naps now that Ginger is around...

She goes crazy at night when we're in bed.  I'm not sure what she is up to, but from what I can hear it must be something akin to kitty NASCAR.  She sounds as if she is racing around like a lunatic.

Considering the roundabout way that she became our roomie it is just remarkable to me how much we were all made for each other.

So, today she will get a new batch of old sewing pattern paper--shredding tissue paper being her favorite hobby at the moment.  She'll get a special dinner of wet cat food with gravy that she loves and I find horrid.  Plus, I'm pretty positive there will be some extra play time and snuggles.  I'm making it her birthday.  Since she was adopted we don't really know when her birthday would be.  So we've made an executive decision.  March 26th will be Ginger's birthday from here on out.  Its the day we brought her into our lives, so it seems to fit.

Earlier in the month we thought we would throw her a birthday party, but since she is so shy around most people we decided that Matt and I were all the party she would possibly want.  Otherwise, she'd just ditch us all and hang out by herself in the basement anyways.  That doesn't seem like much of a party.  Our friends and family have still yet to pass the Ginger test, apparently. She is not sure they can be trusted, even though we assure her we won't let any cat killers in the door.  But, give her time and I think she'll come around to some of them.

One year already with this sweet kitty, with many more, I hope, to grow on.