Ginger

Ginger is our shelter cat. From what we infer, she spent years lying next to a bedridden woman, followed by an extended period alone in the premises after the women passed and before being dropped off at a shelter with little background information. She then spent three months isolated in a small cage in the storage room of the shelter. While Ginger likes having us around (especially my wife), she mostly keeps to herself and a defined distance (especially from me), except during the night when she wakes up one or both of us wanting to be scratched and petted.

Ginger is mainly a gentle soul, but she has a dark side probably related to past mistreatment. If my wife leaves the house, or even goes into another room and closes the door, Ginger vocalizes her concern. And if Ginger thinks you are going to take her out of the house (e.g., get out the carrier for a trip to the vet) or do her harm (e.g., clip her nails), she can fight like a "wildcat." Her favorite spot during fall and winter evenings is in front of the fire, and on the sunny sill of an open window on a warm spring or summer afternoon.