Gigi van Rasmussen
As a teenager, Ezra wanted a little kitten. Usually he talked about a little white kitten, but mostly he just seemed to want a ball of adorableness to care for and coddle.
While living in Washington, he got that little kitten. He picked out a black and white tuxedo cat from under someone’s deck in the Columbia River Gorge. He named her Giggle Gaggles¹. From the start, Giggle Gaggles (Gigi) was a fierce, wild kitten.
One of the first stories he told about her was when she parkoured around the room and his body while he slept—ending with her claw scratching his eyelid. She wasn’t the docile white kitten he talked about, but her fancy tuxedo and feral edge fit him.
Left: Gigi in Portland feeling extra formal; Right: Gigi on the prowl in Martinez, California
Gigi van Rasmussen is now over 16 years old. She is back in Washington after living most of her life with Zuriel and Jonathan as they moved from San Diego to the Bay Area to Portland.
Left: Gigi in her catio at Kezia and Alec's house; Right: Gigi on her shelf in Milwaukie, Oregon
Gigi will tell you that the van Belle’s made the fateful mistake of getting a usurping terrier a few years ago and she is grateful to her other aunts and uncles for providing her with more luxurious accommodations in her golden years.
Gigi in her current home in Washington with Aaron
1. The name "Giggle Gaggles" comes from a time when Ezra and Zuriel were at a gathering in Portland, Oregon. They didn't really know anyone at the house that well, and someone, while rocking back and forth on a child's rocking horse (or perhaps ram), pointed to the resident kitten and confidently said, "Giggle Gaggles." That was not the kitten's name. What exactly was going on there remains a mystery, but the name stuck.