~ Linda and Gina ~

Two years ago, Linda first met Georgina ‘Gina’ Ginger Knickers, a beautiful calico kitten. In the time since then, they have formed a special bond and have impacted each other hugely. As well as this, Gina has also had a book written about her journey. 

In 2021, Linda received a call from Laura Cook of Found-a-Feline cat rescue. Someone had found a small fluffy calico kitten living alone on the streets and contacted the rescue. Before trapping the kitten, Laura called Linda to ask if she could be a potential foster when and if she caught her. 

Initially, Linda was unsure as a week before this she, sadly, lost her beloved cat, George. She didn’t know if she was ready to bond with another cat so soon after George’s passing. However, when she received the call about the kitten being caught and meeting her an hour later, Linda couldn’t say no. It was love at first sight and there was no doubt in her mind that this kitten, whom she named Georgina in honour of George, was about to become a foster fail.

George’s passing was heartbreaking for everyone, Linda, her husband and their eight other cats – Callie, Judi, Candy, Vlad, Moppy, Poddy, Quaddy, Phoenix. Linda felt that she’d never be happy again. As well as this, Callie was also heartbroken. They had a close bond and had their own unique routine together. George would spend most of the day outside and return at 4 pm, where Callie would meet him to hear about his day. After he passed away, Callie would wait at the same door at the same time, waiting for him. With Gina there, she quickly formed a bond with Callie and was able to cheer her up by playing with their favourite toys, doing zoomies or just snuggling up together. 

Having Gina helped to mend their hearts. Her kitten energy and curiosity – and ongoing quest for bacon – brought a newfound joy to Linda’s home. Helping Gina to adjust to her new life and showing her that humans weren’t all bad was a welcome distraction to Linda. Everyone fell in love with Gina and she fell in love with her new family. Gina has also been a great sisfur to her kitty siblings and has helped to welcome a new foster fail, Purrdy, with open paws. 

Not long after adopting Gina did Linda start sharing posts about her on social media. Through this, Linda shared posts about the daily life of Gina through Gina’s perspective. This has often entailed her search for bacon, as well as her day-to-day life and challenges, such as late breakfasts, negotiating who gets to sleep on the bed, and much more. Their social media pages have become a source of positivity and joy for people – and their cats – all over the world. 

This has also inspired Linda and Gina to share their story as a book, ‘The Journal of Agent Gina Ginger Knickers.’ The book details Gina’s adoption story and how she found her way into Linda’s life. It has been sold all over the world and has been quite a success! If you would like your own copy, you can contact Linda at cats@deanes.co.nz or on Amazon. I highly recommend you read it!!

The impact that Gina has had on Linda has been huge. Every day has been made a bit brighter, simply because they have one another. They have changed each other’s lives immeasurably and will continue to bring love and joy into their lives as well as the lives of others through Gina’s adventures.