Another anniversary - Ruby's this time

Ruby at 8 weeks

 Remember this?

This was one of the first photos I shared with you when Ruby the kitten came home to us from the Cats Protection rescue shelter  in December last year.

Exactly a year ago, to be precise.  We had seen her on the Sunday  and fallen in love - and Ruby had flung herself into my arms and  made it clear that she thought I was hers and that was that!

Ruby and Charlie when she first arrived

We had to wait a few days for the formalities and checks to be completed, but it was quite obvious that the rescue organiser  agreed with Ruby, and knew that we had been chosen.  No one really had any choice - apart from one little black and white cat who knew exactly where she wanted to be.

So a year ago today, we went back to the shelter to collect her. She was yelling her head off as we approached but that stopped as soon as I picked her up and she was where she wanted to be.  She came back home with us and settled in straight away, no hesitation, no doubt. She  soon had  Charlie wrapped round her  little paws  - where he's stayed ever since. Though they do occasionally have mad chases all around the house  - it sounds like a major storm  as the result of Charlie's size. And if he catches her and jumps on her, from the hissing and spitting and yelling she puts out, you'd think she was being murdered when the truth is that all he wants to do is to lick her face.

She likes to be up high and in the garden she climbs as high as she can in the apple trees and then stays there. looking down on Charlie who is not a climber, being such a big boy.

Ruby one year on

She's still not a very big cat - but then any normal cat would look small compared with Charlie and his Maine Coon build.  She is affectionately known as 'Keg' by my son and his fiancee  because she  has a little rounded barrel-shaped tummy that comes from being able to persuade the Babe Magnet ( someone else she has wrapped round her paws) that she really is wasting away and needs treats - now.  The only problem with that is that he feeds her some tasty sticks of fish or meat flavours and instead of eating them she has to hunt them  and 'kill' them before they get eaten.  Quite often they get away from her and we have found stashes of  uneaten sticks under chairs of the settee when we move it to clean.

Ruby today

She as real 'lap cat' and spends long happy hours curled up on my lap, or across my knees on a blanket when I'm watching TV or reading.  And then when bedtime arrives, she knows that we go upstairs for 'snuggles' and curls up on my feet for most of the night.  In fact she has quite a good vocabulary  for a cat - knowing  just what outside. teatime, blankie (for the blanket),  treats  and snuggles.

We're so glad she came to live here, helping to fill the large empty hole where poor beautiful Flora had been, and even Charlie is quite  happy to have his adopted 'sister' in his life.  But then, Ruby would say that of course  that's how it was always meant to be - and it's why she chose me to give her her forever home.

Happy anniversary Ruby!