Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Basilblack catscat photographsdaily photo

Daily Photo: Clever Camouflage

Basil in a bag.
Basil in a bag.

Basil is very clever and spends part of each day inspecting and finding a use for every container, even ones not intended as containers like small boxes in the recycling bin that he can’t fit into but can get his head stuck in, but that’s another story and now all the boxes are broken down right away. And if there aren’t any containers to inspect, he tries cabinet doors but doesn’t really understand how they work so he rarely gets one open, but he will work very hard at it nonetheless. If all else fails he goes to my shopping bag tree and tries to pull down a bag, which was also not successful until I placed a few too many bags on the bottom hooks. This bag is actually still hooked on the tree with one handle, the other hanging down, and Basil finds himself particularly clever for this, especially right by the door where he can crouch in it while he watches the squirrels and birds right through the front door. And I don’t want anyone to get stuck in the handle of any bag, so this will be the only time he does this too. He has no idea how cute he is, but that still doesn’t help him to get away with causing a potential disaster.

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What other photos have I shared on or around this date?

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Let’s Get Moving With That Breakfast, Lady, 2016
Hey lady!
Hey lady!

I posted these two photos on Facebook this morning. I was actually mixing a new batch of their raw food, and it took a little longer than I thought, but the light reflecting off the snow illuminated them so nicely! I did get breakfast done, in time. All enjoyed it, albeit later than expected.

Impatient.
Impatient.

. . . . . . .

What other photos have I shared on or around this date?

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Snow Light, 2010
Snow Light
Snow Light

This is one of my favorite photos ever. Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine are simply so gracefully composed, and that grace and pose are completely natural. The cool light from the winter morning washes the background in cool colors, so the amber of their eyes and the art glass sparkles.

Nothing special, just brother and sister quietly sitting together looking out into the backyard from the second floor window. It’s one of the best vantage points in the house; from the top of the little armoire at the top of the stairs they can see into the two bedrooms, down the stairs and out the back window and, to a limited extent, out the front windows in the bedrooms.

I have many photos of my cats atop this pine wardrobe, but this is one of my favorite photos of that scene, and of my cats in general.

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Keeping An Eye on Cookie, 2012
Everyone keeps an eye on Cookie.
Everyone keeps an eye on Cookie.

Cookie got herself up on the cabinet by stepping up onto a footstool under the table, up onto one of the chairs, then to another that has a box of linens on the seat, then up on to the table, then to the cabinet. She’s been doing that for years, not just since she’s been a little weaker with renal failure. She eats there, as we know, and it’s her preferred water bowl, and if she’s not at my desk with me she also likes to nap there in case I come into the kitchen to do something interesting.

But her big little brothers and sister are concerned because she’s been a little unsteady lately and she might lose her balance and fall off. The Fantastic Four have all surrounded her, keeping her safely in place, Jelly Bean to the west, Mr. Sunshine north, Giuseppe holding the east and Mewsette guarding south.

Big soft, sturdy black kitties make great bumper pads for little older tortoiseshell kitties, while preserving their dignity.

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We’ll Have Some of What You’re Having, 2014
three black cats
“And by the way, where are the treats for us?”

“We’ll have some of what you’re having because we deserve it. We work hard around here, raising these kittens you’ve forced on us. Raising kittens is a lot of work, and as you can see, we are even losing weight. So hand over the lunch, lady.

“And you can also start giving us treats on a regular basis. We know you are giving them by the bag to those two derelicts in the bathroom. And yet you choose to neglect the cats who spend their lives with you. You are a disappointment as a human.”

Should I feel a little threatened with all those glowing eyes on me? And three black cats? I’m not sure, but I do know I calmly finished eating my lunch. I haven’t yet seen anyone complain about raising kittens, in fact they all look like they are having a great time. And they were all carrying around an extra pound, possibly even a little more, and all this running and playing—oops, ninja training—has really trimmed them nicely since last September. Yes, I have been using treats with Bert and Ernie—it’s amazing how a food bribe can change a reluctant kitty’s attitude about the value of humans in feline society.

Giuseppe, especially, looks awesome.

. . . . . . .

Vintage Photo: Fawn and Nikka, 1997
torbie and dilute tortoiseshell cats
Fawn and Nikka, actually touching!

Fawn and Nikka were mentioned in today’s story as two cats who shared the house with me at the time I’d rescued Sasha. This photo of the two was in the folder of photos of Sasha, and I thought I’d introduce a few new colors to The Creative Cat.

These two were sisters, born in My First Litter, and Fawn, at the top, is the subject of “my first painting”, “the portrait that started it all”, “Waiting for Mom”.

Fawn, a “torbie” or tortoiseshell tabby stayed with me when all the rest of the litter had been adopted, including their mom. She had very clear stripes all over, but some were orange and some were black. Her paws were marbled, and she had two orange stripes at the end of her tail that were always signaling something, waving for happiness or twitching like a rattlesnake for tortitude. You can also read more about her in “The Balloon”. Fawn did have some tortitude, but she was all talk. She was the little sister of everyone and loved it until I moved here and Sophie and Cookie came along.

Below, her dilute tortoiseshell sister Nikka was not to be taken for less than her sister Fawn. Nikka was adopted, then I took her back at age 7 when her person could no longer take care of her. Nikka was friendly and playful and silly, but she was also a bully; the cat who she’d lived with suffered from urinary issues and was constantly ill and underweight until the two moved apart and he was like a totally, totally new cat. Unfortunately, Nikka chose Fawn as her target and literally stalked her and terrorized her often enough to keep Fawn worried. Then at other times they slept near each other like this, actually touching! This is the only photo I have of this event.

Both of them were absolutely beautiful, and no doubt gave me my lifelong love of tri-color cats, especially those diluted kitties in gray and peach. But I can still hear Fawn’s little voice, which always sounded disappointed and disapproving.

. . . . . . .

Long Shadows, 2013
two black cats in sunlight black and white
Long shadows.

Light spills down between the cabinets from the back door and all those legs cast long shadows in an interesting composition as Giuseppe and Mr. Sunshine, enjoying his namesake, settle into the spot they’ve claimed.

. . . . . . .

Mimi’s Long Shadow, 2013
black cat with long shadow
Mimi casts a long shadow.

From this morning when we had a little bit of sun and Mimi was giving me the business for letting it get cold outside. I told her I was impressed that such a little cat could cast such a long shadow. She was unimpressed and went back inside, leaving me unsupervised.

. . . . . . .

Wordless Wednesday: Honeycrisp
two black cats in honeycrisp box
Mr. Sunshine and Jelly Bean are sweet as honey for sure.

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"Did I miss the Easter Bunny? I wanted to play with him!" Basil is very disappointed! Can't pass up an opportunity for a good cat-in-a-yellow-basket photo.

Basil must have thought the yellow basket was a gift for him because he owned it from the day it came into the house, which was the day I was running errands and saw it…atop someone’s trash pile. I sprayed it down and rinsed it in the basement and let it air dry, then brought it up to the magic basket spot, and Basil was immediately IN THE BASKET, looking totally cute, big, long, white whisker and all. Read more and purchase.



Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


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Weekly schedule of features:

Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life

Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters

Tuesday: Rescue Stories

Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork

Thursday: New Merchandise

Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy

Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats

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Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

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