* Ginger found her forever home with a lovely person! *

Ginger was surrendered to Hamilton Animal Services when her elderly owner was no longer able to care for her. She was very scared and shy at the shelter, but still okay to be handled. Ginger had some matting in her fur, so HAS staff gave her a shave down to make her more comfortable.
We got Ginger the vet care she needed and she’s been doing great in her foster home.

At 16 years old, this sweet girl certainly doesn’t look her age. We know she’ll be a lovely companion for the right home..
Senior cats rule!

Here’s what Ginger’s foster mom has to say about her:

“Grand ole’ Ginger….Dame of her Domain – seeking companionship in her twilight years
Ginger has been given a clean bill of health and dental cleaning and is now ready to go home, all 7.11 lbs of her. She’s such a petite little senior but has oodles of cuddles, kisses, and love to give. Understandably she was very frightened and overwhelmed at first by the situation she found herself in, alone in a cage at animal control, away from her home and human, but it didn’t take long in foster care to come out of her shell. She is low maintenance, just requiring someone that is willing to go at her speed, accept her as she is, provide her the food that she likes (more about that in a moment) and all the pets and snuggles that she mmmrrrows for…….. when she mmmrrrrows for them. And make no mistake about it, she does mmmrrrowwwwwwwww, which sounds pretty funny, this deep sound omitting from such a little frame but she is insistent when she wants you to pay her attention, which normally includes a snack or snuggles. Getting to know Ginger is all about following her cues and letting her decide to get to know you at her pace. For instance, when first in her foster home, she hid under the bed in the far corner where no human could reach her. Her foster human (me) then put a cozy pillow under the bed (away from the wall) and in no time (about 1 hour) Ginger decided that sitting on the pillow was a whole lot more comfortable than on the laminate in the corner, so for the first day (I) let her be in peace, just popping in to give food and water and check on her. At bed time, I said good night to Ginger and then off to bed. The next day I laid down on the floor and spoke to Ginger. The following day the same routine but this time extended a hand and gently pet Ginger while she lay on the pillow, Ginger accepted. The next day it was two handed petting and speaking and offering treats (yes the Whiskas treats, the ones in the commercial that the cats dig and yes, she digs them). This was followed by sitting on the floor and allowing Ginger to come out from under the bed to receive her pets. This then progressed to showing Ginger how to use the cat stairs to get onto the bed and so began on the bed pets and cuddles and now it’s full on burrowing under the covers at bedtime, constant mewing for pets and head scratches and snugglers. Not sure if Ginger was an under the covers kitty in her previous life but she sure is now and that’s where you’ll find her, she makes her own little cover cave and in she burrows and snoozes.

Things to know about Ginger –
Likes:
– Whiskas treats – any flavour – cause let’s face it – it’s all just crack for cats regardless of what flavour is listed on the package
– Friskies wet food – fish flavour only & any tuna based canned food – b.f.f. brand seems to be acceptable to her – and of course canned tuna
– Top of head to tip of tail petting
– Full body massages
– Purring and cooing up a storm
– Crawling in next to you under the covers and snuggling in close for pets and snooze time
– Burrowing under the covers anytime of the day and night and curling up in a ball and drifting off to sleep
– Vocalizing to get your attention and if you ignore her, turning up the volume

Dislikes:
– Fancy canned wet food – and we’ve tried a lot. When she first arrived we tried almost every expensive brand and flavour and she just wasn’t interested. No turkey, beef, chicken, venison, quail…pate, stew, bisque, fricassee… would tempt her….she ate Whiskas treats and canned tuna and salmon but as they are high in sodium, we have found a brand that she likes and that is b.f.f. which is pretty much human grade salmon and tuna made for cats. Then on a whim, I gave her some Friskies seafood pate and of course she liked it so I figure as she is probably set in her ways due to her age, I’m going to feed her what she will eat so she gets nutrients she needs. She will also eat Whiskas kibble.

– If you don’t pet her quick enough or long enough she will voice her displeasure and at times, give you a little chomp to let you know she is not pleased. She normally chomps on my finger when I move her around the bed and she isn’t in the mood to be manhandled. Of course these chomps don’t hurt but it is part and parcel of who she is and any potential adopter should be aware of this. I never get angry with her for this, I just redirect her.

– Manhandling – as mentioned before, you can pick her up (if you have to) but she really doesn’t enjoy it and honestly, as she is very bony, I don’t like it much either

What she would like most in the world (and deserves) is a quiet home with a person/persons that is/are:
– Patient
– Accepting
– Loving
– Kind
– Relaxed
– Chill
– Who would like a feline companion being close to you often and more than likely always
– Okay with having her sleep in your bed and under the covers as I don’t think she would thrive in an environment where she wasn’t close to you at night, i.e. kept out of the bedroom by way of a closed door – she needs an open door policy person/persons

She would do best in a home where her person/people are home more often and can give her the attention that she so rightly deserves. She asks for so little and in return gives back so much.
She’d also do best in an environment that is not rambunctious and people pay attention to what is going on around them and where Ginger is. For instance, you can’t be jumping into bed as she might be that small lump under the covers and you wouldn’t want to land on her and I can only imagine the same would go for not flopping down on the couch just in case she might be curled up in the throw blanket. So this means that a household with older adults and no small children that could accidentally hurt her if they weren’t paying attention. This would also mean that she’s probably best with someone who will be aware of her and if she is around your feet and legs as I suspect that once she gets out of her confined space and into her new home, she will be happy to follow you around where you go and therefore you would need to be steady on your feet.
I know this seems like a lot but honestly, compared to what she is going to give in return, it’s nothing. She really is very low maintenance, she just needs her food, water, litter, love, burrowing, cuddly blankets and comforters to snuggle under, and she will shower you with more purrs, head bonks, kisses, and love then you can imagine.”