By Elisa-Black-Taylor
Introduction from Michael: Gizzy is a calico cat – tortoiseshell-and-white. You might say she is a “black tortoiseshell-and-white”. Elisa calls her “torti-tabby” which is fine. She is bit special though because her coat pattern is striking and catches the attention. In fact the coat is a bit like the famous Venus cat coat in some ways with the sharp edges to the pattern around her face. Elisa rescued her. Gizzy is a thinking cat with a special character and face.
Every home should have a Gizzy. I say this to our torti-tabby Gizzy at least once a day. It’s obvious why I call her a torti-tabby. She has the markings of a tortoiseshell with a lot of orange tabby thrown in for good measure. Her face is a giant orange tabby heart, making her the most unusual cat most people have ever seen.
Gizzy was rescued from death row in December of 2010. Her family was going through a divorce and neither wanted to keep her. I found out later she was turned in with her housemate cat, who was euthanized for being “uncontrollable.” Judging Gizzy’s behavior those first few weeks with us, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn her mate had bitten a shelter worker.
Gizzy was listed as two years old at the shelter. Her vet believes she’s closer to eight.
Gizzy was a very multi-talented cat when she arrived at our home. She could growl, slap, hiss and spit at the same time. She hated all other cats and didn’t mind vocalizing that fact. Our other cats just looked at her like she’d lost her mind.
Gizzy escaped our house within a week. She’s very sneaky and still looks for the opportunity to steal a few hours of outdoor time. My daughter Laura was in tears after her first escape. She thought Gizzy ran away because she hated it here. We put food and water and her litter box at the bottom of our front deck. Within three days Gizzy came home. She walked right up to Laura as though nothing had happened.
The change in her was remarkable after that first escape. Gizzy became very loving and now showed us on a daily basis that she was happy with her new home. Gizzy has escaped a few times since. She wears a collar with a bell so we can hear her after dark. She also has her 24PetWatch micro-chip tag. Gizzy has been a responsible cat and has always come home. After her last escape she waited in the back seat of my car until morning.
Gizzy has gone from a cat who hated other cats to one who helps wash behind the ears of her new cat friends. She’s our miracle kitty because we never imagined she’d become so accepting of other cats.
She often sits on the arm of the couch to watch me eat. Gizzy loves squash. She’ll look at the food and then back at me as if to say “ooh….that looks so good! May I please have a bite?” She isn’t a food swiper who will steal whatever she takes an interest in. Furby and Mandy see food, grab it and run. Gizzy is patient and waits for a bite to be handed to her.
Gizzy is with us for life. In the past year and a half, she’s changed from the only cat we were afraid would never fit in to one of the most loving cats we have. She’s not a lap cat and I doubt she ever will be. That’s okay. It took a lot of work to win her over. Her eyes say she’s seen a lot of bad things in her life. She has an old soul. She’s a special cat. That’s why I tell her every day that every home should have a Gizzy.
First time in my life am seeing a cat of such unique face colour pattern.Lucky to have excaped euthanasia at the shelter.Wonder how some people can give up their pets that easily knowing very well that they might be euthanized.
I think Gizzy is very unusual looking. She’s beautiful and unique, and a very lucky girl to have found such a wonderful forever home.
She really is special looking and beautiful. I never saw a cat like her before.
Gizzy is very odd in that she also has the orange stripes on her back legs. This leads me to believe her daddy was a tabby. She has very expressive eyes. Everyone who’s seen her photo has remarked she’s the most unusual cat they’ve ever seen.
Gizzy learned to love again after being through what seems to have been a hostile sort of environment that made her defensive and wanting to get out.
The “earth mother” (Elisa) fixed that problem with homely good food and lashings of love.
Well done Elisa. Gizzy is almost as good as Venus on the face front. One last thing, she has very slopping eyes. I have never seen cat eyes that slope so much.