Thursday, March 28, 2024
cat photographsdaily photofoster catsOphelia

Daily Photo: Whiskery Dream Catchers

Ophelia enjoying the sun this morning.
Ophelia enjoying the sun this morning.

Whiskers are suncatchers, especially if they are as long and wavy as Ophelia’s.

I found Ophelia’s whiskers catching the sun to be so beautiful, and then when I took the photos the lens caught the sun at an angle that refracted the light, and there were those rainbows again. The photo above was shared on Instagram and Facebook, the one below is a bonus photo just for people who read The Creative Cat!

Extra whiskers!
Extra whiskers!

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Other daily photos shared on this date

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Four Cats on a Cloud, 2014
four black cats on a kitty beanbag
“Four Cats on a Cloud”

Clockwise from about 7:00, Mimi, Sunshine, Mewsette and Bean all crowd themselves on the “cloud bed”, the old fleece kitty beanbag bed that’s filled with snips of upholstery foam. I had put it away when they tired of it a couple of years ago and recently brought it back out and washed and aired it. It is, for now, a cat magnet. There have been no cats on my desk because, well, there they are. I have even been nearly alone in my studio and, strangest of all, in my bed, because of the novelty of this cloud.

Typically three of them share it, Mr. Sunshine, who thinks it belongs to him, Mewsette and Bean. Mimi joined them today, and has ended up at the bottom of the pile. I haven’t yet had all five on this thing, and lest it look as if there is no way they could all fit, there is always room on top. Only Giuseppe is missing—he was posted on Mousewatch in the kitchen, one of the cabinet doors under the sink slightly open so he could peer inside.

I bought this bed at a yard sale in the late 90s just because I couldn’t pass it up, even though my cats have never been big on beds—they tire of them easily and I’m stuck with big foam constructions that take up space and aren’t used, when all I need to do is fold a blanket and set it down and immediately it’s covered in cats, or begin to work at any desk or worktable. Or just sit down and I’m covered in cats. They do tire of this one, but it has a fond memory. The day I brought it in the house and dropped it on the floor until I decided what to do with it Kelly saw it, her eyes grew even larger and rounder than usual, and she began talking about the new bed in the house, cautiously walked over to it, sniffed and circled it, then stepped onto it, and it was hers. Until Moses discovered it, and since we all knew Moses was incredibly special Kelly was honored to let Moses have the bed.

So was I because Moses had taken to sleeping under my desk chair—formerly feral, a little uncertain, she loved me but wanted to feel safe, so under my chair felt good to her but I could not move for fear of running over her. Moses climbed on the bed with Kelly one day and I inched it closer to my desk so it wasn’t in the middle of the floor. Kelly gave up her claim and the cloud bed stayed next to my desk chair downstairs until after Moses died in 2006. I still remember looking down at her and seeing her blink up at me, tap her tail and purr a little harder.

Kelly used it again after that in the winters, but it’s been away since she’s been gone. I have found no photos of either of them using it, but I’m sure they are somewhere. Seeing it there is probably one of the reasons I decided to share Kelly’s story today, since her attachment to the bed was fairly early in her time here. For me, it’s not just the joy of seeing four black cats all tucked together and purring on their section of the cloud, it’s also the memories that are tucked into the cloud itself.

Plus, they inspired today’s sketch, which I’ll post a little later this evening.

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Other Daily Photos From This Date

Click the title or the photo to go to the original post.

Mimi on the Catwalk, 2012

It felt sweet and warm as Mimi and I were outside today, and while the yard is still snow-covered she strolled the catwalk, just like this photo.

black cat on deck railing
Mimi, on the catwalk.

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Live Animals, 2012
three black cats around cat carrier
Live Animals?

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Boys, 2011
two black cats in profile
Boys.

 


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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.

2 thoughts on “Daily Photo: Whiskery Dream Catchers

  • walksoftlyand

    Thank you for another one of your magical stories, Bernadette. Each one pulls me in, all the way ‘cross country to your beautiful river valley, and I lose track of place and time until the payoff.

    Even then, their sparkle stays with me and it bubbles up into my consciousness when least I expect it.

    Reply
    • Oh, the cloud bed. I will always think of Kelly’s conversation about it and how devoted Moses was to it, my shy little girls.

      Just when I think I”m talking too much, I get an affirmation that it’s not necessarily a bad thing that I do. Thanks!

      Reply

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