Just Ginger

Fred and Ginger are the two little kittens that were abandoned by their mother and lived behind a flowerpot at the back of the house opposite our door. A little more about them here and here . Fred disappeared quite suddenly at Christmas. Since he was so close to me and knew he could come here for food, I think he was either run over or hurt in a fight. I just hoped he had moved away and found his own territory but I don't really think that's what happened.

After they were with us in the garden for a while, they were chased off by a tom and lived across the road in the garden, watching us from the wall opposite our gate. I fed them often but not enough that they had to rely on me. I noticed as Fred grew, Ginger hardly changed . I realised that, as he ate, she only licked the food and had a couple of mouthfuls. I tried cat food - she loved it and started to grow. Then just before Christmas she hurt her leg quite badly. I thought after Christmas Day, I'd try to find a vet and have her put down. I didn't see her for about a week and then she suddenly appeared and had an appetite. Fred disappeared then. He was the cheeky frontman, she would follow behind. So she got a little braver and came on her own. The little shy cat, turned out to be a little star.

She had a heart of gold, never showing any aggression. It was obvious that she really wasn't seeing me for the food, she wanted love. She started jumping on her back and front feet as if she was jumping through a hoop - doing party tricks to persuade me to take her in. I sat with her in the afternoons trying to coax her into eating something, but lately she only wanted milk. I knew she wouldn't last long and thought about that vet again.

Two days ago, she was on the wall in the morning as usual with a couple of other cats (she was now one of the gang). She didn't come to see me in the afternoon when I came back from shopping. Yesterday, she wasn't on the wall and I knew something was wrong. I went out with Alex last night and called her. There is no sign of her this morning.

I used to have a cat. That was Ziggy in the Christmas message. She lived in pampered luxury and was quite possibly the most bad tempered cat on the planet. I didn't feel as bad as this when she died. I miss Ginger terribly. I keep looking over at the wall and hoping she will make a fool of me. But I know she would be too sweet to do that.