Tuesday, March 19, 2024
catsdaily photofoster catsMariposa

Daily Photo: Mariposa Shows Off Her Whiskers

tabby and white cat with whiskers
All the whiskers.

Some days I’m positive Mariposa knows exactly what she’s doing to me when she’s being precious. She and Hamlet were enjoying the sun at this window one morning. Mariposa was radiant and making sure each of her whiskers was alight with sun. I can tell she feels special when I get all excited and start taking photos. Above she has all her whiskers on display because I practically knelt on the floor below her. Below, she’s just in a lovely pose.

tabby and white cat with whiskers
Mariposa in a beautiful pose.

~~~

From Instagram

Because of this, Mimi and I spent most of the afternoon outside in the back yard. If I can’t sit down, I can’t work, right?

two black cats on chair
Giuseppe and Bean in a hart-shaped nap

Pretty Mewsette joined us on the deck with her big enthusiasm for life, the universe, and everything.

And I slowed down on Instagram considerably! I’ll be back to it tomorrow.

From around this date in past years

Duke at the Art Exhibit, 2019

Duke's well-camouflaged.
Duke’s well-camouflaged.

Meet Duke! He’s certainly ready to meet you!

I went to the opening for the art exhibit at which my two paintings were juried in tonight (Thursday). The exhibit is at the Stifel Fine Art Center in Wheeling WV, about 50 miles from where I live, but no problem in driving that far. It’s very easy on interstates and I participated in annual exhibits there for about a decade in the 90s and 00s. It’s a group exhibit with members of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators and it’s been a while since I’ve seen most of them, and browsing their art is mind-boggling in the variety and skill and talent.

So I’m thinking of all that when I arrive and walk toward the building and I see someone petting a small animal in the garden, and that turns out to be a very enthusiastic tabby cat rolling around in the mulch. He likes a few pets, then he swats. Artists are a big bunch of animal lovers also, and he’d probably gotten more than his share of pets by the time all the attendees had stopped by his spot. He’s well camouflaged on the mulch in this sort of tired garden bed. But he’s a real ham.

Duke is ready to pose.
Duke is ready to pose.

I asked about him inside, if he was cared for by the facility. He was not, but he’s well-liked and the person I spoke with wished he could stay, and said they all worry about him. The Stifel Fine Arts Center is a grand older home built by the Stifel family when their calico printing business made it big nearly two centuries ago. It’s now owned by Oglebay Park and it’s used as a gallery and school, but it’s surrounded on one side by an apartment building and on two others by neighborhoods of small older homes, and fronted by Route 40, the National Road. It seems he comes over from someone’s home and likes to hang out exactly where he knows someone will stop to pet him nearly all day long. He is neutered, and he is very well fed, and he has a bell collar and name tag, likely he’s microchipped.

Collar and tag.

He wasn’t there when I left, after dark, so he probably visits Stifel when everyone is away from home for extra attention, and heads back when people are due home from work or school. What a nice cat.

The exhibit was amazing! Here are the two paintings I had accepted into the exhibit.

From Instagram

Morning sunbaths. Light and shadow. Cat puzzle. Looks much more dramatic without IG cropping, the cone of light, but still interesting. Bella, Mimi, Mewsette.

(This is a different version of the photo I posted on IG because IG crops too much from top and bottom. This is what it’s supposed to look like.)

Sun puzzle.
Sun puzzle.

Photos from years past

Daily Photo: The Girls’ Club, 2018

The Girls' Club
The Girls’ Club

It’s a meeting of the Girls’ Club. Looks like Sienna and Mewsette are deep in discussion and Bella wants to warn them I walked into the room.

For most of the years I’ve lived with cats the household heavily favored females. It swung the other way, now with Mariposa upstairs we are evenly divided.

I can’t wait for cooler weather so we can have meetings in the kitchen again.

. . . . . . .

From Years Past

Birdwatching, 2017

Mewsette and Bella birdwatching.
Mewsette and Bella birdwatching.

Mewsette and Bella quietly watch the birds flit around in the little courtyard outside the dining room window. With the spruce and river birches so close, the birds tend to stay contained in the little space. The twigs of the birch tree are perfect waiting spots for little birds to take their turns at the feeder. The spruce has mostly bare branches on this side of the tree but I’ve left them because they are good cover for little birds when the hawk comes along, and also when snow and rain fall, but we can still see them. It’s all very entertaining, and the girls spent quite a bit of time quietly watching. Of course, I’m standing behind them, also watching the birds.

~~~

From Instagram

The Four Housecats of the Apocalypse on Sunday…

They are undecided about my activity lately. I’m gone for several days, then I’m back but busy, then I’m gone but don’t come back until long after dark. Or maybe they just want more breakfast.

Four Housecats of the Apocalypse
Four Housecats of the Apocalypse

Bella Trapping Mousies

I think Bella is trying to lure one of the mousies that run past the door into the basement by using a decoy. No luck so far. Purrhaps I’ll have to give her some trapping tips from TNR.

Bella's mousie by the basement door.
Bella’s mousie by the basement door.

. . . . . . .

From Years Past

All That Fluff, 2016

All that fluff...
All that fluff…

Hamlet uses his sister Ophelia as a pillow as they doze in the evening after a strenuous day of birdwatching at the big window with the new view. They are out of the bathroom full time now because they both finally decided to eat with the family after about a month of hesitation and racing back upstairs at mealtimes. They stayed upstairs for a couple of weeks, especially in the heat, but then began coming downstairs to the office in the morning. Now they spend time as part of the family all day long. The top of this cabinet and this window belong to them right now.

. . . . . . .

From Facebook and Instagram

Seven in the Morning

I don’t often get all 7 together, but apparently after-breakfast baths are better with friends and family. Mimi, Giuseppe, Mr. Sunshine, Mewsette, Jelly Bean, Bella and Basil are here. Hamlet and Ophelia eat with the family but find hide and seek and wrestling more appropriate after-breakfast activities.

Seven in the morning.
Seven in the morning.

.
Basil Saves the Day!

Basil saves the day! That pesky squirrel was trying to run off with the welcome rug again! But Basil took a running leap at the door and scared him off–that squirrel was so scared he had to try to hide and camouflage himself on the deck rail! (Probably he was waiting for me and Basil to leave so he could get back to stealing the welcome rug.) Good job Basil!

Basil shows that squirrel who's boss!
Basil shows that squirrel who’s boss!
Squirrely rests on the deck rail.
Squirrely rests on the deck rail.

Hamlet so wants to be one of the brothers. He joined Giuseppe and Sunshine in the studio and sidled up to Giuseppe.

Hamlet just wants to be one of the brothers.
Hamlet just wants to be one of the brothers.

. . . . . . .

From Years Past

Wordless Wednesday: Yard Panther

Yard Panther.
Yard Panther.

. . . . . . .

Daily Photo: A Butterfly Visits Theo and Simon, and Bella Babysitter

What are they watching?
What are they watching?

On Sunday Theodore and Simon were all over the screen door in the basement. I knew it had to be something that was RIGHT THERE but couldn’t imagine why Bella wasn’t all over the door too. I went down to see what it was.

A red-spotted purple.
A red-spotted purple.

A red-spotted purple butterfly had come to visit! No wonder I hadn’t heard any flapping or scratching or buzzing as if it had been a bird or a little critter or insect right outside the door. I always believe them to be spirits, in addition to whatever butterfly business they may also be attending too, especially when they fly around in an area that isn’t food-oriented, like a screen door and a block wall. They boys were captivated, though.

And Bella got stuck babysitting! “You stay where I tell you!” older fur sister commands.

Bella babysitting.
Bella babysitting.

. . . . . . .

Pretty Kittens: Theo

Yesterday we saw Alvina and Simon at the window in some pretty pictures because it was Black Cat Appreciation Day, and today Theo gets his turn.

Profile.
Profile.
Squirrel!
Squirrel!
Theo in black and white.
Theo in black and white.
A bird!
A bird!

. . . . . . .

From Facebook and Instagram

On my lap right now, Simon and Theodore, aka Teddy Bear. How do I get anything done with kittens?

Simon and Theodore.
Simon and Theodore.

. . . . . . .

You’ll Just Have to Stand, 2014
two black cats on chair
Mewsette and Giuseppe occupy my chair.

Mewsette and Giuseppe have occupied my chair, either or both, for days. I’ve been preparing for my upcoming art exhibit and they know that’s a lot of work, and if I sit down I might not get it all done. So, I saw even standing at my drafting table because they were right.

But aren’t those two ebony faces darling? It’s one of the ones I’ll point out to people who ask how I can tell them apart when the differences in their faces are so clear—eye shape and set, noses, ear shape and set, width of cheeks and even the height at which they hold their heads. Such beauties.

. . . . . . .

What other photos did I feature around this date?

Disappointed, 2013
black cat in box
Mewsette is disappointed in the box she has chosen for interpretation.

Actually, I’m sure she didn’t expect the box to taste like pineapple, but Mewsette certainly did expect it to hold together through the finishing of her newest project. After she and Giuseppe had napped in it off and on and she’d done a bit of work between naps, the sides began collapsing.

I asked Mewsette if she thought this might not actually also be something the cardboard might want to express to the world. So though Mewsette was disappointed, she agreed to continue this important work in discovering the voice of the cardboard, and she also asked me to leave the carefully placed scraps where they were on the table. They were part of the work.

Unfortunately, the box completely collapsed after another series of naps, but Mewsette still said that was also what the cardboard had to say and considered it a progressive installation. Also, there was a bit of tabletop hockey with the scraps, but it was, after all, an interactive installation. I admire her flexibility.

See more posts about Mewsette, the Cardboard Interpretative Artist.

. . . . . . .

Warm Concrete on a Summer Morning…, 2012
black cat rolling around on concrete
Mewsette rolls herself all over the warm concrete.

There is nothing as good as warm concrete on a summer morning. Just ask Mewsette, or any one of about a dozen other cats who’ve lived with me an gloried in the patch of concrete right outside the basement door which seems to hold the sun’s warmth even in the winter.

Mewsette is silly. She cries and cries, softly, at the door when I’m outside in the garden or hanging laundry. Then when I open the door she does a little performance but doesn’t go outside. What she really wants is for me to hold the door open while she enjoys both the outdoors and the indoors.

But this morning I had wet laundry to hang so I got her to walk past the door, then closed it. It’s protected in this spot, and if she makes a move to run I am actually in the way. But she didn’t. She decided the warm concrete was about as far as she was going to go. I thought the series of photos was better than choosing one or two (and slideshows are so easy with a wonderful little plug-in I downloaded!). I should just admit that I usually take way more photos than I will ever need.

(The white powder is diatomaceous earth.)

Please visit the original post for the slideshow.

. . . . . . .

My Brother’s Paws, 2011
photo of two black cats
My Brother’s Paws

Jelly Bean rests his sleepy head on Giuseppe’s outstretched paws. What else is there to say?

. . . . . . .

Mr. Sunshine Lets It All Hang Out, 2010
black cat sleeping with book
Not Now, I’m Sleeping

Mr. Sunshine sleeps in his favorite position, on his back with his hind legs spread and all his toes curled.

Maybe it’s that Little Brown Book of Anecdotes that I’ve kept at my desk for reference lately which seems to appear in a lot of sleepy kitty photos. A new idea for calming kitties? Well, perhaps these juvenile boys aren’t the world’s biggest readers. And then again perhaps they are absorbing the content of the book in their sleep.

I’ll have to pull out a few of the sketches I have of Mr. Sunshine in various open positions. Makes me think I should gather all the pencil sketches of my cats sleeping around the house over the years—the most populous in my collection because they hold still long enough to get a good sketch—into a collection of notecards or a little notebook or something. Hmmm…

. . . . . . .

Morning Watch, 2013
black cat looking out window
Emeraude on the windowsill watching a leafy morning.

Emeraude enjoys the leafy view out the window on a mild October morning. She loves her windowsill. If you look closely you can just see her whiskers.

Sometimes the window screen annoys me, but in this case I really like the effect of the dapples of light with the screen pattern!

Emeraude was our August kitty in Compositions in Black and Green. How could I have published this calendar without her, and even include her famous brother! Here are the other photos included in the August 2014 calendar pages.

. . . . . . .

Greetings

two cats
Lakota and Jojo greet me in the evening.

I’ve seen nothing but improvements since they’ve been here. Jojo was shy and timid, and vomited frequently. Lakota was lethargic and less than social with constipation issues. Both were dehydrated with tangles in their dry fur. But they ravenously ate their canned food with water and pumpkin added, and in time Jojo relaxed and Lakota began exploring the bathroom, and both of them greeted me when I entered. And they loved their catnip toys.

. . . . . . .

Keep Your Friends Close, But Keep Your Catnip Closer

black cat with catnip toys
Jojo has her catnip close at hand.

Jojo says, “Keep your friends close, but keep your catnip closer.”

Wise words from our senior lady as she has enjoyed a morning catnip party and settles down for a nap with three catnip toys, and eyes her fur brother over there in the plaid bed.

black cat with catnip toys
Because someone is always near.

They’ve grown accustomed to me taking photos of them, and as long as food appears in their bowls when they want it, they don’t care what else I do. The bathroom is so small, and with the door closed I can’t even back up far enough to get a good angle. For these photos, I set my camera on the floor by the door, pointed it at Jojo, and hoped for the best.

I also took some lovely photos of Lakota in the sun on the windowsill, but Jojo’s were first. We can feature him tomorrow.

And that’s not counting the ones of Mimi out in the yard with me—three times today! I’ll have to find another way to share all these daily photos…

. . . . . . .

Two Great Minds

two black cats looking in bathroom at black cat
“Two Great Minds”

My engineer and all-around fix-it cat and my charming and food-driven cat had a great idea when they discovered Emeraude had canned food in her room. I feed her a small amount of canned food at a time and I don’t like to close her in there. They are so polite that I can leave her door open and let her nip at her canned food at will, and they’ve never hopped in there and stolen it. But I caught this series of photos the other day that let me know it’s been on their mind!

I used the photos in the order I took them, and wrote the script according to the content of the photos. I was trying out a few new ways to make slideshow videos with narration. There are always minor things I’m unhappy about but it tells the story just fine, although you may need to turn up the sound a bit—I kind of overdid it with the whispering. You can watch it below, or click over to YouTube to watch.

“Two Great Minds”

starring Jelly Bean and Mr. Sunshine and Emeraude

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

. . . . . . .

Who’s That Black Kitty in the Sink?

black cat in sink
Jojo discovered the bathroom sink.

Maybe it’s a black cat thing. This one has long hair, otherwise, the black and green theme still works just as well, only longer hairs on the sink. Normally she gets up and greets me and talks and walks in circles, but today she’s literally just chilling in the sink. And now I can let Jojo get back to her nap since her photo opp is done.

It’s been hot, above 90 degrees all week and I have no air conditioning. I can keep the house more than tolerable in the 80s, and even one day of 90 or above, especially if the nights are cool, but a week of this and I was actually quite concerned about my two geriatric residents. I had started leaving the bathroom door open during the day with a baby gate at the top of the steps, and the regulars came and went and stayed on top of things while Lakota and Jojo pretty much stayed on the floor, and were confined at night, and we all got along pretty well. But Lakota seemed like he was pacing and vocalizing a little too much—he’s a very busy kitty and talks quite a bit, but this was more than I’m accustomed to—and Jojo was just plain limp. Was this the beginnings of heat stroke? I managed to get a lot of air blowing in there and came downstairs to work since it seemed Lakota laid in the tub for a few minutes then got out and came to tell me it was hot, then went back in the tub, back and forth. When I left the area and I wasn’t around to complain to, he had a good long nap in the tub. Now storms have moved in and though it isn’t raining yet the temperature has dropped 15 degrees. I’ve been waiting for this all week, but especially today; I actually made arrangements with a friend where Lakota and Jojo could go overnight if the heat didn’t break.

But we’re all chillin’ now, and glad the heat wave is over!


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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.

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