Vintage Photos: October 3, A Homecoming Day
Namir and Kelly mirror each others’ sleeping positions on the couch, in 2000.
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It’s always a bittersweet day for me, one in the cycle of the comings and goings of felines in my household, but I mark it each year in memory knowing the date is likely not a coincidence, marking a year of transition for me and for my feline household.
On October 3, 1996, I let go of Allegro after just two weeks of knowing he had lymphoma, and just two weeks after letting go of my Kublai, a time that brought a change in me and my art.
On October 3, 1997, a friend drove up to my home bearing Kelly and Namir for me to foster. So much had happened for me and my feline household in the intervening year, and so much change was still to come, but, especially after the losses of Kublai and Allegro, these two unintentional adoptions made my household complete.
I had agreed to foster Kelly and Namir for a friend who was going off to graduate school across the country with very little means, and I would foster them for her but would keep them with me. When it was clear my friend, still without the means for stable housing for herself, couldn’t take Kelly and Namir back a couple of years later, they officially became permanent members of my feline family, but that was only a formality. We had come some distance on a journey together and still had some distance to go.
Because we lost Namir just about the time I began blogging, you’ve mostly seen Namir with Cookie or by himself, and Kelly with Cookie or Peaches or herself. But until Peaches joined our household and Kelly became her BFF, the two were tight buddies for their first years here.
By this time Namir was ruler of his little kingdom, his sweet and silly personality making him a favorite with visitors and a good friend of mine. Kelly was still shy of others but friendly with me, and opening up her talkative and busy personality for us to enjoy. But we didn’t start there—in fact, Namir hated my guts for a few months, his loyalty to his person stronger than his curiosity and need to explore his new home. He growled at me when I came in the spare cat room to feed them, and Kelly hid, frightened by both me and Namir.
I began leaving the door open to the room in the spring of 1998, and finally one day, the two quietly came down the steps together to explore. It was just a few steps to trust from there, and as for them integrating into the rest of the family, they’d been conversing through the closed door and then the open door, and I’m sure it was those feline conversations that told them the human was worth getting to know. You can read more about that in “A Little Bit About Kelly Part 5: Home”.
I was lucky enough to catch this moment in the photo below when I turned to see them and quickly grabbed the old Pentax K1000. They are about four years old. What a lucky day for me.
It seems like yesterday.
You can read about October 1996 in an article entitled The Artist’s Life: The Splendor of Autumn.
You can read more about Kelly and Namir meeting each other before they arrived here in A Little Bit About Kelly, Part 4: A Friend and how they came to live with me in A Little Bit About Kelly, Part 5: Home.
You can read more about Namir in Who Was That Namir, Anyway?
Browse some rescued cats and kittens—browse here or visit PittsburghCAT!
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 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.
© 2014 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski
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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
And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!
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N bean & crew: a most happee week oh end…may it bee filled with ocean perch ♥