BananaMan

Garfield has a favourite toy that isn’t actually a cat toy. It was originally a present from my grandson to me and is a banana shaped and coloured ‘thing’ with its arms interlinked, which held a bottle of bubble bath.

It was put in the toy box and someone, probably Ollie, hooked it out and Garfield has claimed it. I should, perhaps, explain, that it is made of yellow towelling in the shape of a banana, with little dangly legs, and features sewn on for a face.  I’ve called it ‘BananaMan’ and if I ask Garfield if he wants ‘BananaMan’ he automatically looks for it.

BananaMan accompanies us to the vets and stayed with Garfield when he had to go into the hospital while his blood glucose was being monitored. He also kept Garfield company when he had surgery in June for the removal of the tumour and the six bad teeth. At night, when Garfield goes to bed, BananaMan also lies under Garfield’s front paws. I suppose it’s Garfield’s ‘Linus blanket’!

While washing the various cats’ beds a few weeks ago, I decided that BananaMan was rather grubby and could probably do with a wash and brush up. So I plopped him into the wash with Garfield’s bed and when the cycle was finished I was horrified at the sight that greeted me. BananaMan was half the man he originally was! There must have been a tiny hole somewhere and all his insides leaked out into the washing machine. Tiny little foam pieces were everywhere – everywhere that is, except for where they should have been – inside BananaMan!!!

I hung him out to dry in the sun and when he was dry I carefully sewed up the little hole. Later when I gave him to Garfield at bed time, Garfield put his paws over his friend and looked up at me with surprise as if to say ‘what’s happened to BananaMan? He’s lost weight!’ As I now feel guilty, I’m going to see if I can buy some of those little foam pieces to put back into BananaMan to fill him back up again to restore him to his former rotund self!

A week later when I was doing some more washing, I was astonished to see more of BananaMan’s entrails over the washing! And I confess, that I still haven’t replaced his stuffing!!!

Ed's Note:

When Garfield was put to sleep on 12th June 2006, BananaMan and Flump - (a night time teddy) went with him on his final journey. 

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