VAN CAT

I remember my great aunt petting a beautiful white cat with silky hair on her lap for hours. The purring was endless. Obviously the joy was mutual. But I felt sorry that this cat had two different colored eyes. Auntie told me that the beauty of this cat was her eyes. There was nothing wrong with her.

She was a special breed called VAN cat. They come from the city of Van in the eastern part of Turkey. Van cats have mostly long white silky hair. They are energetic and playful. They are born with grayish eyes but within a month their eye color starts changing and after forty days the color of their eyes becomes permanent. The colors of the eyes can be both blue/turquoise or both amber or one eye blue/turquoise and the other eye amber.

Aside from being so docile, they love being in a family. The more they are loved the more they retun love.

They are very fond of water. It has been said that this is the only breed of cat who can swim and play with water. Van cats can be easily trained. One other trait they have is to test their food with their paw to see if it is the right temperature.

Van cats are a protected breed. There is a special house built for them in Van University.

Although I am a dog person and will always remain loyal to my Ginger's memory I wouldn't mind owning a beautiful Van cat if I could get one. They are fun, clean and intelligent. I will always remember the rolling purr my aunt's cat made when she was with her.

ALEX THE CAT

My next door neighbor's cat Alex
doesn't go out much. He is thirteen years old but he looks much younger. He is a beautiful tabby cat (but I still remain faithful to my GINGER's memory). Tonight when Alex graced us with his presence I was able to take some nice pictures of him. I caught him in between his "meows" he looks like he is telling me that he had just about enough of this picture taking !!

GINGER

My beloved dog GINGER died eight years ago in my arms. She was fourteen years old. I had her since she was six weeks old. I nurtured her to health when she came to us with a kennel cough (which is a terrible health condition she contracted at the kennel). Then I found out that she had a heart murmur. I was advised by the vet to return her to the place I got her from. I didn't. Instead I kept her and she became part of our family, as happy and healthy as she could be. She gave us many happy days with her smart ways but we also experienced many down days. In addition to her ailments, she had two cruciate ligaments repaired on her hind legs. Each time she bounced back to be herself again. In her last illness, her vet told us that she should be put to sleep. She was not in pain but just old the vet said. I asked him if he would put his loved ones to sleep if they were old. Then, I changed her vet. Her new vet gave us medicine that required weekly, sometimes daily visits to her office but Ginger was happy. She lived for two more months. The night before her demise my husband and I took turns by her bedside. In the morning she was breathing heavy I took her in my arms and whispered to her that she should let go and I would meet her again one day. She pulled herself away from me for a moment looked into my eyes, she almost had a smile on her face and gently rested her head on my chest. I then heard the last sigh out of her lips. She was gone. A friend who knew how much my Ginger meant to me gave me this tale which I've printed below. I have it in a frame on my desk. I read it almost daily and it warms my heart every time.
RAINBOW BRIDGE
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor, those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who they left behind. They all run and play together but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carry him faster and faster. You have been spotted and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together....... Author Unknown.