Daily Photo: Being Good is Not Easy

January 18, 2023 Bernadette

Taking care of a bit of inventory with Mariposa’s supurrvision. You can see by her expression she is being very “good.”

“This being ‘good’ stuff is not easy!” Mariposa says. “The cat in me wants to pounce and kill those things!”

For having grown up in a feral colony to about one year old, Mariposa is a very, very good kitty. I did not teach that to her, or train her not to touch my things. She simply does not, but she comes as close as possible to everything I do. Maybe she enjoys imagining a scenario where she would pounce and kill those things.

She was so very good and kept me company while I untangled chains and made my lists and packed each cabochon in a separate box—tedious!—so I let her have a sniff when I was part way finished. She was very happy with that and gave me a lovely tail swish.

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From Instagram

Still not Instagramming! I have so many photos lined up to post, but with water in the basement and trying to get work done down there and webinars I’m all tied up!

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From the Back Yard and Beyond

Cup, Goblet and Bowl

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From Portraits of Animals

“Woods Reader” Includes My Paintings, Essays and Other Interesting Content

I’ve had two paintings and essays published in issues of this quarterly magazine and purchased issues to resell. If you like being in the woods you’ll also like the other essays, stories and poetry and photos.

From around this date in past years

Mariposa on My Lap, 2022

tabby from the back. — Mariposa on my lap.

For some reason I love the back of Mariposa’s head. Like the back of Stanley’s head, those stripes just make me smile. And Mariposa has that shaggy little mane that I love, and it makes her silhouette different; her fur type is shaggier than any of the longhaired boys. Those crazy whiskers flying around everywhere, and of course, that eartip. She was quietly watching the world from my lap. I am an option for her to sit on. She trusts me that much. I am honored.

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From Instagram

Our sweet and handsome community cat Ebby had to have an abscess treated today. He’ll be fine. If anyone would like to donate to help reimburse Denise for the $180.98 bill (a photo of the bill is included), you can send it to @CubbageHillCats on PayPal or private message me for other ways to send money. We had $40 in the CHC fund, and so far we’ve had $60 in donations. Whatever collects in the Cubbage Hill Cats fund above what we need will just sit there and wait until the next veterinary visit, TNR, kittens, whatever.

black cat with injury — Ebby at the vet.

Ebby was TNRd a year ago and isn’t a fighter anymore, but the few intact males around (who skillfully elude me and my traps) still go after him. Ebby has had a few trips to the vet after a scrap so it seems he gets the worse end of the deal. He spent a couple of days in Denise’s garage for observation, and what initially looked like a muscle or joint injury came down to a fairly large swollen area that looked more like an infected bite wound, opened and drained this morning (ugh, but good).

We took him to PetWellClinic Scott Township for treatment, where he was an exceptionally good boy. Though he was a little restless we still managed to get a weight and temperature, then an exam. The area was shaved, cleaned and soaked with antiseptic, then he got a convenia shot because he’ll eventually be going back outdoors and getting him each day for antibiotics would probably not happen. They handled him very gently, no big restraints.

And because he had a large tick hanging under his chin, the tick was safely removed and he got a dose of Bravecto, good for three months. Having him avoid ticks is impossible, and he does come into Denise’s garage on many nights, and no one needs ticks in the house.

We’d LOVE to find Ebby a wonderful indoor home. We think he would adjust well. He is friendly and affectionate after initial caution, and if we can take him to a strange place with a bunch of strangers for treatment and we all come out of it with not even a hiss and lots of “good boy” remarks, he would probably do fine. We all love him so much, and we feel he deserves his own family and home.

From around this date in past years

Who’s That Kitty?, 2020

mariposa in the mirror — Who’s that kitty?

Who is that new kitty? Where is she? Can I get to know her? Does she like to play? She has big white mittens too!

From Instagram

A little squirrely.
A billion sparrows too.
Ultimate window hunters Mimi and Mariposa.

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Photos from around this date in previous years

Supervisor Cat, 2019

What Mariposa does when my lap is already full, and those adult cats get mad when she walks on them. She also supervises what I do. How this girl learned these things growing up in a feral colony I’ll never know, but they seem to come naturally to her.

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From Facebook

People on Facebook are doing a 10-year challenge to see how much you’ve aged since you’ve been on Facebook. I chose to pass on my, but who wouldn’t want to see my cats?

Okay, for this 10-year challenge, I’m sure everyone would rather see the housepanthers, so here they are–on the left about one year old in a heap on the floor at about the time I realized what their little silhouettes were doing to my art visualizations, and last summer in a sort of a heap in just about the same spot on just about the same date. Things haven’t changed much! They have aged well. This year they turn 12 years old. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long and I’m so fortunate they share my life for all the inspiration and love they’ve given me.

Photos from years past.

Cuddles on a Cold Day, 2018

Hamlet is a real cuddle, but he’s not typically the one who cuddles. In this case he was in the basket and barely fills it half full so Mr. Sunshine decided to help him with that. Sunshine settled himself in the basket where he was comfortable, and Hamlet wrapped himself around. Such a nice boy.

Below, he settles into one of four containers for a nap.

I’m not sure if anyone joined him because today he ended up in my studio, cuddling with Basil. I shared this on Facebook, “Someone tossed a couple of long-haired black cats on my work table. Basil is curled in a ball but Hamlet is stretched out behind Basil with his legs and tail draped over him. He would probably be horrified to know I was sharing this.”

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From Yesterday

I don’t know what Basil did but Bella is not letting him get away with it. He thinks she can’t see him. She chased him up out of the basement and all around the kitchen and he kept trying to hide. At one point he was hiding behind me and they were swatting around my legs.

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

What’s Better Than a Basket?”, 2016

A basket inside a basket! Two baskets in one, and they both belong to Bella today!

There’s not much better than a nice crackly basket to sharpen one’s claws a little in the bottom, gnaw a bit on the handle, have a quick bath, check the bird feeder and then curl up inside and have a really good nap all afternoon.

But Bella couldn’t believe her luck today! She found the secret to true happiness today when she found her favorite basket inside her other favorite basket. It was almost too good to nap, be she managed to relax and rest despite the excitement of her discovery.

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

From the Archives: Mewsette and Jelly Bean Are “In”, 2008

two black cats in sorting bin — Mewsette and Jelly Bean are “in”.

They learned very early on that my desk was the place to be. Here are five-month-old Mewsette and Jelly Bean hanging together in my inbox, which is holding just about its maximum capacity in kittens.

Mewsette looks cool and confident, but Bean looks as he often does, a little confused. Good thing he has siblings to take care of him.

Mewsette: “It’s okay, he’s harmless.”

Jelly Bean: “She tried to kill me!”

Below is what they looked like just before this photo. Note that Mewsette is pretty much sitting on Bean’s head. Perhaps he has the dazed and confused expression because he was oxygen deprived thanks to his sister. Some things never change.

From January 11, 2008, 5 months old.

two black kittens in sorting bin — Attempted fratricide? You decide.

Photos “From the Archives” are those taken with my digital camera prior to the time I began blogging, or one which I did not share from years I was blogging.

“Vintage Photos” are ones taken on film, back to 1983 when I bought my Pentax K1000.

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Wordless Wednesday: Bella Composition

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After Dinner Baths, 2015

four black cats bathing — This is how it gets done.

Giuseppe washes Smokie and Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine wash each other. How else to you the get those hard-to-reach spots clean?

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Amber Buttercup Customizes Her Window, 2013

orange cat in window — Amber Buttercup give me an audience.

I can never pass up an opportunity to photograph Amber Buttercup whenever I walk past her house. After three years she seems to be resigning herself to this intrusion on her sunbathing privacy.

You can see she has customized her mini-blind to allow several access points into her sunny space, and liberally left her mark on the window. Love the pink toes pressed against the glass.

I had wanted to actually do a sketch here of the view seen below, but decided I really didn’t have time to run a block home and get my sketchbag, sketch, and be on with my errands, but I will be certain to take my sketch bag with me from now on, along with my camera…I think I need a friendly little pack horse too.

See more photos of Amber Buttercup and cats in windows.

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Big and Little Sisters, 2011

Taken when Cookie was 18 and Mewsette 3, it was a big sister who was little, and a little sister who was big. At times Mewsette had to sneak up on Cookie when she was sleeping and protectively curl around her as Cookie was accustomed to being the caretaker, but sometimes Cookie willingly accepted Mewsette’s warm vigilance and an afternoon cuddle on the bed was hard to resist. Just as the younger cats took care of Peaches, so they keep after Cookie, though Mewsette was the most persistent.

Cookie got her due, as she was the one who was a patient guide for the Fantastic Four when they were kittens as she was happily vigilant with her senior brothers and sisters long before any kittens were here. Good karma really should pay back right away instead of waiting for another lifetime to enjoy it. It certainly did for Cookie.

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pastel painting of cat on quilt on bed — “Bath, Interrupted”, pastel, 13″ x 10″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

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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.