BLOGWORDS – Friday 16 January 2026– SPECIAL EDITION – GAR GAR GILLIGAN BINKS

BLOGWORDS – Friday 16 January 2026– SPECIAL EDITION – GAR GAR GILLIGAN BINKS

SPECIAL EDITION – GAR GAR GILLIGAN BINKS

  

 

Three weeks ago when my precious Juniper took her last breath I was crushed. I wasn’t anywhere near ready to even begin to think about getting another cat.

 

But….

 

A) Jasper was really missing her. The two of them were always snuggle buddies, and his (not-so-little) kitty heart is breaking, too.

 

 

and

 

B) My darling niece, who is studying to be a vet tech, regularly fosters dogs. So she’s well acquainted with the process and the folks at Greenville County Animal Care. When I told her Juniper was no longer with me, she immediately hopped on their web site to look for a kitty for me. Can I just say how much I adore her for that.

 

 

She sent me 3 or 4 possibilities, and they all tugged at my heartstrings. Of course I had to take a look for myself, and as soon as I saw Gar, his sweet face just melted my heart, and I kept going back just to look at his pics.

 

 

I texted a handful of my peeps, including Grace. She responded by asking if I really wanted him (I said yes, of course) and offered to pick him up and bring him to me.

 

And Thursday was The Day, Gar’s Gotcha Day. (Because I’m using a walker and because I don’t have a car—and because the Shelter is on the other side of town—getting there was an issue for me.)

 

 

Jasper will be 14 in May. That’s like 75 in people years. He and Juniper were litter mates so losing her was traumatic enough for him. Then this other cat shows up and everybody’s going gaga over him. And his feeling were hurt.

But as cats are wont to do, he was sniffing around the kennel. Hissed a couple of times, too. But in the end, I know they’ll be great pals.

 

I’ve got to give a shout out to GCAC for helping make this happen, and for providing a kennel for Gar’s R&R after his neuter surgery. #poorguy

 

Not only has he just had his surgery, but I’ve noticed he does favor his back left leg. He’s ready to be out of the crate and explore his new home. But he’s being so patient having to stay cooped up. Then again, he’s been at the shelter for nearly a month so I guess he’s used to it.

 

Earlier today, I managed to get him out and lift him so I could cuddle with him; I can’t get low enough to reach in to lift him (I have to sit in a chair to reach anything low) but when he was standing, I was able to lift him up and hold him for several minutes. He curled right up, and purred and purred.

 

Gar is only the third kitty I’ve had in nearly 40 years that isn’t black and white or all black. He’s such a sweet (I keep saying that) and docile little guy. And even though he’s significantly smaller than Jasper, he’s sturdy, not frail or delicate at all.

 

He was a stray when he was brought into GCAC, and they evidently gave him the name Gar. I played with a couple of variations—Gareth and Garry—but actually ended up calling him ‘Gar Gar,’ which made me think of Jar Jar Binks. 

 

 

Gilligan, because I was saying to Jasper that he’d have a new ‘little buddy,’ which, of course made me think of Gilligan’s Island. A friend has suggested that I now need six more cats to make up the rest of the show’s characters. That’s a hard NO!

 

 

#Blogwords, Special Edition, Gar Gar Gilligan Binks, Little Buddy, #bigcatlittlecat, #companionkitty, #newkitty, Grace, Christi, Greenville County Animal Care,