PandaPig, our very first rescue, became totally best friends with Chai, our Bengal Cat...they snuggled, played, and grew so close that one summer when Chai became near-deathly ill (which he always did whenever anyone got a bonus at work or some "spare change") Panda became so worried he would often approach Chai to cheer him up and make him better, gazing into his eyes, taking his widdle nose and snuggling Chai...of course it took all of our "spare change" and ginormous vet bills to "medically" fix him, but we know Panda and his love were always the REAL cure! Chai was a rescue because he was too wild for his first owner. He was bred too closely to a wild Asian leopard cat..."pet-quality" Bengals need to be bred at least four generations (Hence the "C4" designation) from the Asian leopard cat, but somebuddy decided Pretty bested the animals' best interests...
THUS:
A stunning litter of C2's were bred and sold...and we unwittingly became the lucky recipients of, basically, a wild animal capable of killing us in our sleep (hence the daily medication!) but who has devotedly rescued all kinds of animals, nurturing each as if it was his own. Panda was not his first guinea pig rescue, but Chai also had dog friends and even wild fawn and deer friends we used to visit at dusk back when we still lived at the wildlife sanctuary. Spindly-legged, spotted, spring fawns approached him with such wide-eyed curiosity Chai actually rolled over on his back and wiggled, a sign of submission so they would feel safe enough to approach: every late spring and summer afternoon, Chai donned his black leather harness & leash before walking out to wait for the doe and her fawns. Then he would return home, resplendent in his Fragrance of Wildness, telling PandaPig what it's like to be Chai: an unlikely friendship, indeed!
P.S. Chai was not named after tea. In one of the far eastern Asian countries, Chai means
Tiger. Just can't remember what language. His face and long legs bore wild tiger stripes
while the rest of his unusually soft "pelt" glittered gold, copper, and glowed like diamonds
in the sun. Bengals with these characteristics are considered to have "glitter coats" aptly named!
He now lives in Seattle with his girlfriend, a spunky tortie rescue Dominatrix named Sami.
