Some Kays Hill ‘GINGERS’ – Past and Present

By Leanne and Ruth aka Kattaddorra

Just a selection of some beautiful ginger cats we have/have had in the sanctuary over the years. Enjoy!!

Leanne

Poster by Ruth aka Kattaddorra

Leanne thought PoC visitors may like to see some of the cats and kittens who pass through Kays Hill over the years and go on to happy new homes.

She has asked me to post this article for her with a poster made up of some of their photos she has sent me.

She has chosen ‘gingers’ first especially for Marc who so kindly donated to Kays Hill cattery via his dear cat Red’s memorium.

R.I.P Red and all other gingers who are no longer with us.

If everyone enjoys this article and photos we plan to do a page on black cats, black and white cats, tabby cats, etc, who are at Kays Hill, or have gone to their new homes, all very beautiful cats and each and every one much loved and happy now after the tragedy of being unwanted or abandoned.

Please comment here using either Facebook or WordPress (when available).

Comments

Some Kays Hill ‘GINGERS’ – Past and Present — 89 Comments

Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 23, 2013 at 2:33 pm said:
Just had to add this photo of 2 more gingers, Chester the kitten yobs tried to drown in oil, with his friend George
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 9, 2013 at 10:16 am said:
Sorry for the delay in the promised next article, Leanne hasn’t had time to sort out any photos yet, we hope to have the next colour here soon.
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Leah on August 5, 2013 at 6:28 pm said:
Good grief Ginger kitties everywhere!! Beautiful each and everyone of them! My first cat Timmy was Ginger and apart from Scruffy who we had from a rescue (sadly got savaged by a Greyhound) we have had no other Ginger cats because its just happened that way but I do love them!
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 5, 2013 at 4:15 pm said:
Leanne has asked me to post this photo
lol I LOVE it!
She says ‘It’s a close up, of a ginger kitten meowing directly into the camera. He was 1 we rehomed after our ‘kitten’ day a couple of years ago when we had about 50 kittens in! he was going off to his new home and Cath wanted to take a photo of him with his new mam and it came out so funny looking’
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- marc on August 5, 2013 at 5:00 pm said:
  Oh I love this photo I am downloading it for a desktop image if I ever manage to remove Red. This picture is wonderful. This little kitten knows exactly what he wants and doesn’t want which is alot better than most humans including myself at times 🙂
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  - leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 5, 2013 at 8:25 pm said:
    i thought i’d sent this one to ruth along with the others but must have overlooked it, i do get very confused at times!! just thought about it again and it had to go on. he was such a lovely, crazy little thing, his family fell for him as soon as they saw him.
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- Michael on August 5, 2013 at 6:15 pm said:
  Super, quality photo. A symphony in pink and orange.
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leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 5, 2013 at 3:54 pm said:
i think it has to be black cats next. got some lovely pics.
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 5, 2013 at 7:10 am said:
I vote for black cats next because they need some publicity to show that they are equally as beautiful as any other colour and not ‘witches cats’ or ‘unlucky cats’ at all.
But whichever colour you decide to send next Leanne I’ll love to set out for you and hope everyone joins in again and posts their own cats and cats they know of that colour too.
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- Caroline on August 5, 2013 at 7:20 am said:
  I want his name, Ruth, beauties, by the way. I want his name.
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- leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 5, 2013 at 11:45 am said:
  black cats and b/w cats are usually overlooked for ‘prettier’ ones, so, whenever either colour comes up it will be to show just how beautiful these cats are too.
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  - Michael on August 5, 2013 at 2:44 pm said:
    I am looking forward to showing the world how nice looking black cats are.
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Valley Girl on August 4, 2013 at 7:51 pm said:
This is Omar- I took care of him (and his house) for two weeks while the humans were off on some wild adventure. He was a rescue cat, though I don’t know his story. He kept his distance, alas.
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- Valley Girl on August 4, 2013 at 7:56 pm said:
  tried to link via flickr. fail.
  Omar the atomic cat surveys his domain
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  - Marc on August 5, 2013 at 7:38 am said:
    Great photo of Omar 🙂 – he has a big house by the looks of it.
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    - leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 5, 2013 at 11:42 am said:
      i’m jealous of Omar!! lol
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      - marc on August 5, 2013 at 12:56 pm said:
        Yeah me too – he has a huge spiral staircase in the hall, goodness only knows what the rooms are like. Very grand I imagine 🙂
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        leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 5, 2013 at 2:32 pm said:
        do you think Omar walks around everything saying ‘this is mine’ ‘thats mine’ ‘this is gonna be mine’ i do hope so, i like to think of a rescue cat living in all that luxury, staking his claim on everything in the house.
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        Michael on August 5, 2013 at 2:43 pm said:
        Yes, and Omar and VG had the whole place for 2 weeks.
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leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 4, 2013 at 7:08 pm said:
by the way, i love that everyone is joining in with their own pics, keep ’em coming
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- marc on August 5, 2013 at 1:09 pm said:
  This is a great idea Leanne – I’m sure when the next one comes we’ll be adding pictures again. Its nice to see the cats in each other’s lives. This article has been a perfect excuse to share 🙂
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  - leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 5, 2013 at 1:33 pm said:
    yes when i thought it might be a good idea for a page on poc i didnt think about people adding their own pics to it. i’m so glad they have, as you say, a great excuse for sharing. its lovely seeing all these beautiful cats. when it comes to b/w cats we may have to have extra pages!! i have been looking through b/w pics and there are dozens (possibly 100’s!!)prepare for the onslaught ruth, that is going to be a hell of an email. lol
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    - marc on August 5, 2013 at 4:58 pm said:
      I can’t wait – I love black and white cats (I love all cats but anyway…) – I find black and white cats looks are very strongly affected by their patterns because of the contrast between black and white. If you look and Jo and Walt they look like caped avengers or batman’s minions – if you look at my Gigi she looks like a little panda bear or something but where the colour lands affects the whole appearance and shape of the cat. Can’t wait til we do that one. Don’t take that as pressure or anything though, I’m sure you are busy 🙂
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  - Michael on August 5, 2013 at 2:29 pm said:
    This picture is almost abstract. Shapes, patterns and colour. Nice picture. Sweet, very sweet, ginger tabby kittens.
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leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 4, 2013 at 7:07 pm said:
we hoped everyone would like the idea and it seems to have gone down well. ruth you will be getting a consignment of photos fairly soon!! now, i need to ask, what colour is next? votes please
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- Barbara on August 5, 2013 at 6:18 am said:
  I vote for black cats next :-)followed by black and white cats after that
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Rose on August 4, 2013 at 2:22 pm said:
A gallery of gingers what a great idea and what absolutely beautiful cats they all are.
Great idea to go through all the colours,thanks Leanne and Ruth and everyone posting their own gingers too.
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Barbara on August 4, 2013 at 2:06 pm said:
Felix and Marvin are very much alike, gorgeous as is Yellowcat, here’s another one of Felix
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:53 pm said:
  Aw Felix has freckles on his nose and tiny tufts on his ears. I’m sure he was wonderful – you must miss him.
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  - Barbara on August 5, 2013 at 6:21 am said:
    He was wonderful Marc, thank you, you understand ginger cats I know, and each one is absolutely different and unique. Felix used to sleep in my arms and when he decided it was morning he used to insert a claw into my nose and prod at the lining of my nostril, abuse that didn’t show but by gum it worked he only had to do it the once and I was wide awake LOL.
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 2:03 pm said:
Lovely pics Dorothy, I could feast my eyes on them all day!
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Dorothy on August 4, 2013 at 2:00 pm said:
I know we want to call her a Ginger, but I still say Yellowcat is a true blond, except impersonality. Such a beauty!
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- Michael on August 4, 2013 at 2:20 pm said:
  Yellow cat is beautiful. How is she? She looks very well in this photo.
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  - Dorothy on August 4, 2013 at 2:36 pm said:
    I think this picture was last winter. She is wearing her summe coat right now which shows her age. But she is doing well. I love her. She still is in complete control of her range. Here is a more recent photo.
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    - Michael on August 4, 2013 at 5:49 pm said:
      dw – what is that line along her rump?
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      - Dorothy on August 4, 2013 at 10:22 pm said:
        It is really nothing Michael. Maybe a change of position, with the help of a shadow. She was in good shape here, tho a few weeks before, she had a bad limp and I was worried about how to help her. As usual. She bounced back.
        Stop worrying Michael! You do worry about every cat! Must be why we like you.
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        Michael on August 5, 2013 at 5:11 am said:
        Yellow has a beautiful dilute red coat. Very special looking cat.
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:52 pm said:
  She is beautiful – so many beautiful cats. She looks wonderful and healthy. She has a nice look in her eyes. Thanks for sharing Dorothy!
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Dorothy on August 4, 2013 at 1:56 pm said:
And here is my darling Marvin. Classic ginger.
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:51 pm said:
  yay – suave Marv is having a timeout from everything. When he wakes up he’ll be Starvin Marvin 🙂
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 5:02 pm said:
  I love Marvin 🙂 – give him a big cuddle from me 🙂 🙂
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  - Marc on August 4, 2013 at 5:03 pm said:
    …in both of these he is pretty young still
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    - Michael on August 4, 2013 at 5:48 pm said:
      Awesome colour and coat. Colour is so rich.
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  - Dorothy on August 4, 2013 at 10:24 pm said:
    He had such a smart face. I would recognize Red in a line up of fifty cats, I would.
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  - Leah on August 5, 2013 at 6:25 pm said:
    Marc is this Red? If so he’s beautiful an absolutely stunning kitten. He looks as though he has so much going on behind those beautiful eyes. I’m so sorry he’s now longer with you; he was clearly a very special boy I can totally see why you loved him so very much.
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    - marcinswitz on August 5, 2013 at 7:06 pm said:
      Thank you Leah – yes it is Red at around 3-4 months old. The ‘tall and lanky’ stage. We spent alot of time together, this photo was from one afternoon playing outside just after the summer when things were cooling down a bit. He’s realized indoors was warm and therefore interesting late at night when it was chilly 🙂 He was so used to always being outside, day and night because he grew up starting in a little basket outside. I miss him most when seasons change because I remember his adventures growing up and experience each season for the first time. It’s hard not to think of him with the first cool weather, or the snowfall, or warm summer night. The outdoors was so much of his world so it’s hard not to always think of him really. Thank you for your kind words. I’m just a beginner – I’ve never lost a loved one before… I will get better 🙂
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Barbara on August 4, 2013 at 1:40 pm said:
Oh I can’t resist it! Here’s my beautiful boy Felix 30/4/1982 to 1/6/1997, never forgotten.
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- Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 1:41 pm said:
  R.I.P Felix, a very special much loved boy xx
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  - Michael on August 4, 2013 at 1:49 pm said:
    They are all beautiful. I think I have realised that I really like ginger cats.
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  - Michael on August 4, 2013 at 1:53 pm said:
    Here is a ginger cat that I have always loved the look of — his name is Yeri Shaes’ Faolán Edan. He lives in Holland and he is a traditional Persian. He lives with Dani, who takes great cat photos.
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    - Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:56 pm said:
      Beautiful. I suppose I have to add one to the page at this point 🙂
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      - Michael on August 4, 2013 at 5:47 pm said:
        Equally beautiful. Great colour. The little tabby behind shouldn’t be left out either.
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- Dorothy on August 4, 2013 at 1:57 pm said:
  He is a spitting image of my boy Marvin. Take a look below.
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:49 pm said:
  RIP Felix – thanks for sharing him with us. He looks beautiful.
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 1:33 pm said:
And Thomas who lives not far away from us, he was a wanderer until he was neutered just last year at 10 years old
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:48 pm said:
  Oh good – he is probably alot better off now especially at that age. What a handsome boy.
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  - Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 5, 2013 at 7:22 am said:
    He went missing for a few days and we helped his mother find him and advised her to have him neutered but her husband wasn’t too keen, however thankfully he agreed and it’s stopped him wandering so far away. I saw him a few weeks back contentedly sitting safe in his own garden, poor boy was probably relieved his dangerous looking for a mate far and wide, days were over.
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    - Caroline on August 5, 2013 at 7:38 am said:
      Isn’t this what we do.. And then, if you are like me, you just want to put a collar on him, with a very special message. a little kitty massage, that says, “I am cared for, if you want to mistreat me? go ahead! I’d like to see you try it, bully. prrrrr…..
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Barbara on August 4, 2013 at 1:33 pm said:
What a lovely page, all those gorgeous ginger cats, I have a soft spot for gingers because of my first love, Felix (who also had orange eyes Marc) and I’ve known some splendid ginger boys as friends as well. I’m looking forward to the next poster with black cats. Thank you Leanne and Ruth for this. I love Dorothy’s picture too.
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- Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 1:38 pm said:
  Felix was a really handsome boy, I remember you rescuing him when the people were going to drown the whole litter, we couldn’t keep them all, but they all got good homes.
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 1:31 pm said:
And here is Ronnie, another of the 15, he is called Kevin now
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- Barbara on August 4, 2013 at 1:42 pm said:
  Ronnie/Kevin is a lovely cat, I bet he’s happy now in his new life
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:47 pm said:
  Aw – lovely. So glad these cats have homes now.
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 1:30 pm said:
I’m so glad everyone likes Leanne’s idea, yes we will post the other colours in turn too.
Meanwhile here is Murphy to add to the gingers, he was one of the abandoned cats next door to us, he is a very happy cat in his new home nowadays.
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- Michael on August 4, 2013 at 1:32 pm said:
  Gingers tend to look slightly alpha (leadership type cats) to me. Perhaps I am imagining it and anthropomorphizing it.
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- Barbara on August 4, 2013 at 1:43 pm said:
  Gentleman Murphy, if what we were told was true he almost died as a kitten in a hot pet shop window. He’s had a sad life, so glad he now has a happy forever home.
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:47 pm said:
  Murphy is beautiful. Im glad he’s ok. Stunning cat isn’t he.
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  - Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 5, 2013 at 9:06 am said:
    He was a very shy cat but we know now that being one amongst fifteen, the quieter ones didn’t get much attention.
    We used to look after them all at one time and he was a really loving cat, he looked into our faces with such honest big eyes. We were so glad to hear he has a good home with only one more cat and is much loved now.
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    - Michael on August 5, 2013 at 6:18 pm said:
      He looks like a very honest, good boy. He looks wise too. I think I am anthropomorphising again. Mind you, I believe you can write about cats like this. I do think cats have these characteristics.
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Dorothy on August 4, 2013 at 12:57 pm said:
Beautiful page Ruth. These red cats come in such a fabulous variety don’t they. I found this cute picture yesterday that tells as good story too. Marc will enjoy it. It looks like two Marvin’s to me!
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- Michael on August 4, 2013 at 1:30 pm said:
  This is a great photo. I have to say it reminds me of me! Charlie sleeps right next to me just like this most nights. I have got used to it! Meow.
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  - Dorothy on August 4, 2013 at 1:58 pm said:
    Indeed! You are practically twins! Ha!
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- Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 2:00 pm said:
  What lovely photos! Those two look like they’ve just had a stretch and then settled down again in another position lol
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- Marc on August 4, 2013 at 4:46 pm said:
  Love it! Those sleepy big boys lying around on a hot summer afternoon no doubt 🙂
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- Everycat on August 5, 2013 at 11:40 am said:
  That’s so funny, turning around must have exhausted them 😀
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Caroline on August 4, 2013 at 11:20 am said:
My Ollie, my Oliver was eighteen when she passed. what exacatally do YOU know.
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leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 4, 2013 at 10:21 am said:
yes, all but ollie, who lives on site and does her own thing. everyone else was rehomed michael.
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- Caroline on August 4, 2013 at 12:10 pm said:
  Leannie, We love you! >..< 😉
  1
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- Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 1:42 pm said:
  Ollie is gorgeous, we love seeing her when we come up
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Michael on August 4, 2013 at 10:16 am said:
If everyone enjoys this article and photos we plan to do a page on black cats…..
Please do, Ruth. I like these a lot because they are real cats, rescued and loved. This is very important. They are good stories (at the end of the day). I presume they all found homes.
They are very attractive cats who look in good shape thanks to Kays Hill.
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- marc on August 4, 2013 at 12:33 pm said:
  Yes they all look very healthy and happy, these are the ones who found luck in their lives no matter where they started. If I lived nearby I’d offer to volunteer at Kay’s hill whenever I had the chance.
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leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 4, 2013 at 10:12 am said:
its our beloved Ollie sat on Barbaras shoulders, Ollie truly is a shoulder lover!! thank you Ruth for putting the poster together for me. as you know i am a complete idiot with computers so this would not have been at all possible without your kind help. i hope it brings a gingery glow to everyones day.
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- marc on August 4, 2013 at 12:30 pm said:
  It does they are all beautiful cats I love red/orange cats. One day when I move to a place thats much nicer and more free for my cats I will find another orange boy cat. Where I am now I can’t let them beyond the balcony and for a young boy cat who is growing up this could be very frustrating. The lady cats are having a bit of trouble and I know boys need to go out more. Red used to go out for hours and Lilly for only half an hour at a time. So for now I just have girls – but I miss Red’s male energy. I can’t wait to live with an orange tabby again. They are such beautiful cats all of the ones in the poster above. Thank you for sharing, it’s so nice. I love them all, short hair, long hair, mixed with white. There is one little kitten on the laft side second picture down who has a perfect little white paw – so beautiful. My Red was all orange including his eyes. Some parts were very light but as a kitten he looked most like the kitten in the second pic down on the right side.
  I love Ollie on Barbara’s shoulders, what a sweet and fun cat he must be. I’d love to have a cat on my shoulder. Those orange tabbys are quite confident and yet laid back and relaxed at the same time. My Red used to spread himself out when he slept like a giant puffy thing, sprawled across the floor – so happy and relaxed.
  This is a great idea, I can’t wait to see the next one with black cats or whichever one is next – they will all be great. I think it’s a nice theme and way to organize the cats. You could print out the posters for your cattery wall for decoration. They are all so beautiful.
  Thank you Ruth for the kind thoughts for Red. I love this Gallery of Gingers – thank you Kay’s Hill and Ruth 🙂
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- Ruth aka Kattaddorra on August 4, 2013 at 1:45 pm said:
  It was a pleasure to make the poster Leanne, I love designing them and it’s a change to make one of real cats instead of graphics.
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Everycat on August 4, 2013 at 10:10 am said:
Ginger people, chestnut horses all have a kind of urban myth thing going on about their temperaments, though I’ve never seen anything like that about ginger cats.
Lucy Rees in her book The Horse’s Mind talks about the myths around chestnut horses having tempestuous and “difficult” characters. She mentions research into the actual numbers of hairs per square centimetre in chestnut horses and that each hair has it’s own follicle and set of nerve endings Chestnut horses have a much greater numbers of hair per sq cm and that this fact might make a chestnut horse more sensitive to its environment. I think that humans with ginger hair may have more hairs per square centimetre too. I wonder if this applies to ginger cats?
The ginger cats I have known have all been very laid back characters. Maybe different genes are at work in felines?
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- leanne (kays hill animal sanctuary) on August 4, 2013 at 10:19 am said:
  most of our ginger cats, if not all, have been pretty laid back characters once they have settled down. the only chestnut horse we have had is Freno who 2 weeks ago broke my finger with his shenanigans and a couple of years ago i ended up with a fractured skull. the only reason Freno is the way he is is because of ill treatment from so many people through his life. i dont know if he would have been any different if he had been a different colour, i’ve never actually thought about it.
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  - Everycat on August 4, 2013 at 10:28 am said:
    Ouch Leanne. Poor Freno (and poor you too) I’ve never met a horse with a behavioural issue that hadn’t been caused by people. Some people will write off or decide an animal is a certain way just because of colour/breed/size It seems that it’s a prejudice that transcends things like level of education too. It’s shameful and it leads to many animals having an awful time. Maybe Freno was a victim of this attitude? He’s lucky to be with you, safe with people who understand why he is the way he is.
    I hope the finger heals up well.
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Michael on August 4, 2013 at 9:42 am said:
Lovely poster. There are various names for ginger cats – orange cats, yellow cats, red cats! Red tabbies and so on. They are all classy cats. Red tabbies are popular I think and they may be more likely to have a nice character but that is anecdotal.
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Everycat on August 4, 2013 at 8:54 am said:
What a wonderful poster of orangey goodness. I love gingers, they are glorious and these ones are very lucky to have been at Kays Hill getting such dedicated love and care.
I love the one on the person’s shoulder, supervising a food delivery perhaps?
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