Daily Photo: Casual Collection
Wonder if Mewsette minds Bean napping in her latest creative effort. Well, Mimi slept in another one. I’m sure Mewsette, like me, is happy when someone finds one of her works not only appealing but also useful.
Now there’s a casual collection for you.
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A Little Instant Catification
We get along splendidly well, but every so often something sets off the group and there is discord, which can develop into an out-and-out brawl, as it did the day the neighborhood black cat came to the door. It’s my job as the human to prevent it from coming to that.
One of the difficulties of keeping fosters in a tiny house, and having my cats accompany me in most everything, is that the fosters often get special food, and often get fed whenever they want because they are ill or young or old or whatever. I feed my cats twice daily and try to keep any food smells locked up so it’s not a tease for them when the next meal is hours away. However, even if I keep the bathroom door closed they can still smell Kennedy’s food, and when it’s hot and humid as it is today I really want to have the door open for him, baby gate in place. I try to feed him close to the time I’ve fed them, and if I feed him in between I try to do it when they are all off somewhere else for their daily naps. I don’t want to start the habit again of giving them treats when I feed the foster—I’d made that mistake years ago and ended up having to hand out treats practically every time I went in and out of the room. Now and then treats are nice, too often they are too much a part of the diet, and it’s not a good habit. Plus it’s risky if the foster might be ill, and though I wash my hands and arms each time I’m still handling something that will go into their mouth.
But this morning they were all gathered on the landing when I opened Kennedy’s can of food, then scooped it out, then mixed in a little water and talked to him, and petted Kennedy a bit when I put it down for him. Mr. Sunshine is the most tense of them all, and I won’t say he’s aggressive because he’s not, but he is the most physical. They all peeked over the gate, and in shuffling around he got jostled a little too much and turned to corner Mewsette and started her boxing while the others gathered around. I can imagine how they felt with that luscious scent wafting out of the room and me being so nice to Kennedy. If it does develop into something serious I do have treats right there in the drawer in the bathroom cabinet, but what was happening here was five cats, all active and ready for action, in a 21″ x 36″ space less the size of the wardrobe, and they needed to break up, and going up or down would be better than going sideways. I tried to get Mewsette to jump up on the windowsill and then to the top of the wardrobe, but she wouldn’t go, and neither would anyone else. Then in a burst of intuition, I opened one of the wardrobe doors. Mr. S was immediately interested, and hopped up and explored, then settled inside on a stack of towels, forgetting all about the food with his newfound lair (and he’ll probably want to go in there every day for a week or so). Bean settled on top of the wardrobe where he could watch the bowl of food and Kennedy and everything else down there. Giuseppe stretched on the now much roomier landing and Mewsette laid down to watch the baby gate lest it fall and she have every excuse to go in. Mimi went into my studio to wait for me to get to work. Peace was restored. Not the best photo, but probably the best outcome.
What other photos did I feature on this date?
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A Perfect Summer Morning, 2013
I think it made me as happy as it made Mimi, though I wish I would have been able to step back a little farther and get her feet.
She stands at the top of the steps, where so many other cats have stood on perfect summer mornings. I know she is sniffing the air and getting a sense for what’s happening in the yard, and enjoying the sun on her fur. In a moment she’ll head directly down the steps and turn left for the garden, nibble some taller grass, inspect everything sitting on the brick patio, then proceed out to the picnic table to have a really good scratch on the bench. Then she usually heads to wherever I am, if I haven’t already joined her.
As for me, I’m so pleased to just look at Mimi on the top step, that fine petite beauty, among my lemon verbena, basil, parsley and rosemary, grown in those pots for years, handy for me in the kitchen, and my favorite coral geranium, and the yard, and the picnic table, and all the potential for an absolutely lovely day.
I didn’t have the chance to step back and get more of the scene because I was standing there savoring the moment, and the memories. That’s okay.
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Mr. Sunshine’s Bald Spot, 2012
Mr. S tries to get some sun on his bald spot, just his bald spot, and nothing else.
Mr. Sunshine suffers from male feline pattern baldness. You know, that bald spot on the guy’s belly? Some girl kitties have it too, which is unfortunate because then we can all see their spay scar, tiny though it usually is. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and if some kitties could keep their legs together and keep themselves right side up no one would ever know, but cats like Mr. Sunshine are compelled to air out their bellies in all weather. He is quite clever, though, to manage to position himself right in this little narrow beam of sunlight so that he can work on his perfect tan.
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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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© 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: Bok 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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