Siamese brings joy to senior citizen's life

I have had many blessings during my 90 years, but the appearance of Ziggy as a part of our family has been special.

He was a few weeks old when abandoned and rescued. Our friend and neighbor, Laura, was his foster mother and looking for a family to adopt him.

He was adorable; a Siamese with white body, buff ears and a ringed tail and blue, blue eyes. After the e-mail with pictures and video of Ziggy came around a second time, we asked Laura to arrange a visit.

She brought Ziggy over and we were smitten with him right away. We asked if we could take him for a few days to see if we all fit. We did and he has been a joy.

It has been more than 50 years since a cat has been a part of my life. I had forgotten how it felt to have someone on your chest, licking your chin and purring away at 5:30 a.m., or earlier, saying it's breakfast time and let's start the day. I just have to laugh.

Each day has seen changes in my room: plants moved outside, counters cleared, and wires hidden. Litter box handy and plenty of toys. The trial time was not necessary. We signed adoption papers right away.

I have just the right lap to stretch on after fun time.

The purring I feel and hear has a very therapeutic effect and is soothing and relaxing for us.

Eleanor Fink

North Charleston

Tyler

We reluctantly adopted Tyler 15 years ago after he took up residence in our Maryland backyard.

He was scrawny and unattractive and we knew his chances would not be good at the animal shelter.

Life with him has not been easy as he has something called "misdirected aggression." That translates into him utterly despising everyone except me and my husband and snarling and hissing at friends, family members, and pet sitters.

He is, however, most affectionate to us and loves nothing more than cuddling in our laps or stretching out full length over our prone bodies.

When we decided we wanted to relocate to Charleston, our most difficult logistical problem was how to move Tyler. We just couldn't imagine listening to him yowl for nine hours in the car.

By the time we put our house on the market, every aspect of our move was planned except for moving Tyler.

After meeting Tyler, our Realtor decided that leaving him in the house with prospective buyers was not a good idea. In order to take Tyler by surprise, we didn't put him in the dreaded carrier; we just got in the car with him. It was a miracle! After a few unhappy meows he settled down.

Fortunately, our house sold very quickly.

We all had an uneventful move. Tyler loves Charleston's warmth and sun. His special spot is now a chair right beside a window with plantation shutters where he basks. We're looking for a palmetto cat collar.

Anne Compton

Charleston

Compiled by Brenda Rindge. Got a pet? Tell us about it. We want to tell your stories and run your pictures of Rover and Boots on our Pets page. If it's furry, feathered or slithery, and you love it, tell us why. If it's a hero, tell us. If it's a 'character,' share the antics. Send pictures (in .jpg format via e-mail) or a hard copy by snail mail that you don't need returned). We'll publish the most interesting, the cutest and the weirdest, but please no poetry and no letters from your dog or cat! Submit by e-mail to pets@postandcourier.com or mail to Pets, The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston S.C. 29403-4800. Always include your name, address and a daytime phone number.

---

---