Daily Photo: The Wanderer

It’s hard to believe it’s been this long, but Kennedy has been here a little over a month. He hasn’t shown signs of carrying in any contagious viral illnesses and passed his FeLV/FIV test when he was rescued; if he’d encountered these in the days before he came here his health is compromised enough that we might be seeing the effects in new symptoms. He recovered surprisingly quickly from the seizures, rehydrating and regaining his appetite. He’ll be going to the vet again this coming week for a check up, and I’ve been a little concerned about his appetite, not quite as robust as it had been, but he is otherwise stable. Dr. Michelle stopped by to help that with a little acupuncture.

But today I had the bathroom door open with the baby gate in place, and Kennedy actually meowed for me to come upstairs, and then he looked so forlorn that I decided it was time he got a little exercise. I blocked off my bedroom, which is a maze of boxes around and under the bed, and the landing so he couldn’t get to the stairs, but he was free to come into my studio.

Which he immediately did. He had absolutely no hesitation at walking out the door of his room, trying to get into my bedroom, then turning to walk into the studio and give it a thorough inspection.

He is very stiff and Dr. Michelle and I had discussed some possible levels of badly-healed injuries. His spine is pretty inflexible, which is why he walks in so many circles in the bathroom—he really can’t even turn his head very easily, let alone bend his spine in any direction. Along with the cataracted eye, which can be the result of an injury, his front legs are pretty stiff and oddly placed. His left leg is clearly bent a bit, and sometimes it looks as if he is walking on just his toes and his claws stick out at odd angles. His hips have the most stiffness and his hind legs don’t seem to have much muscle. He really can’t do more than walk forward, though he can step into the litterbox. He can’t jump over a baby gate, though.

But he can poke into every corner of my studio and walk around behind everything. And he can face off with his fur brothers. He’s been dying to meet them face to face!

It’s hard enough to balance on all four legs, but he can balance on three for a few seconds so he can poke Giuseppe, as poking seems to be his favorite activity whether it’s through the baby gate or face to face. No matter that he’s blind in one eye, stiff, underweight and with an end-of-life condition, he was glad to accept my studio as part of his territory and defend it against all intruders. He even followed them around the room.

At the top, he sits near the door as Jelly Bean wants to come in and Giuseppe wants to go out. Neither of them had any interest until Kenendy was in there. They are transfixed by his stare. More pokes ensued.

Mr. Sunshine isn’t so easily intimidated, and he can be a little aggressive. I was concerned he might give Kennedy more of a shove than he was ready for, especially after a poke, which no one does to Mr. Sunshine unless they are ready to rumble, but he kept his cool. As he tried to walk around Kennedy to leave the two got into a little spiral, but everything turned out well, Kennedy poked everyone, but there wasn’t even a growl, and only one hiss, from Bean of all cats because the whole thing made him nervous.

“What are you doing in my room?!”

Though this photo is really bad, everyone’s reactions when Kennedy discovered the three boys had invaded his inner sanctum was too funny! Giuseppe is actually in the corner in Kennedy’s bed while Mr. Sunshine is trying to just get past him—he ended up leaping over him. Bean got out just in time and hopped over the baby gate and that’s who Kennedy is staring at. Three brave boys just trying to get out of trouble!

Kennedy sits in the studio doorway daring any cat to walk by. Kennedy doesn’t sit still, so I didn’t get as many clear photos as I wanted, and even when he had the studio all to himself he kept finding new places to sit, like behind my chair, not letting anyone near me. Cats!

He lasted about 15 minutes. He’d wandered in and out of the bathroom too, and at one point he wandered in and didn’t come back out. I peeked in to see him standing in his bed. I guess he was pretty exhausted after all that. He had a great nap, and probably great dreams too, where he was totally brave and totally a hero. I’m glad I had the chance to let him mingle a little.

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What photos did I post on this date in previous years?

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Wordless Wednesday: A Private Moment

They got their private moment, just as soon as I got my photo; intentionally blurred to protect the innocent.

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Two Cats in a Basket, 2012

The feline organization and containment units work well no matter where they are placed. A basket on the kitchen island is quickly filled with as many cats as can fit. Originally there were three, but Giuseppe just could not make himself fit comfortably so Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine more than adequately fill the basket.

But the photo was blurry, so I decided to play around with it. Above I used the “poster edges” filter.

Here’s one more variation, “photocopy”, and the original photo is at the bottom.

But I never mind playing around with photos!

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Kelly With a Head Full of Numbers, 2011

Perhaps that is what caused her to fall asleep on the job last night as I worked late at my desk. A head full of numbers works that way for me.

Do you see some similarity with her sleeping position and that of the cat on the mug where I keep my pens? It’s a 1991 Suzy Becker cartoon of a cat sleeping on a desk next to a computer and says “Make Your Own Hours”. Well, I guess we do, but I never realized purchasing that mug might be prophetic!

Kelly’s been spending time upstairs in the studio where it’s cooler and quieter, two things she prefers, and she can always supervise my work and drink my paint water, two of her favorite activities. But I had some projects for my computer downstairs and she got lonely up there on her cool marble windowsill and decided to join us down in the hot office on the messy desk. I was glad to see her come down and spend some time with us here.

Later, Mr. Sunshine joined her, and they were ear to ear for a while. I’m always certain they are planning something, any two or more cats, when they do this, but Kelly? Well, perhaps she’ll learn some new games and grow a little more comfortable with the kids. They really do try with Kelly, and when she’s feeling relaxed, or when she’s fast asleep, things are fine between her and the kids.

All six are on my desk or the adjoining windowsills right now.

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile 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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