Daily Photo Reprise: Hugging My Cookie for Hug Your Cat Day

Yes, hugging Cookie and giving her a scratch on the chin, just the way she liked it!

In August 2011 when I was promoting Great Rescues Calendar and Gift Book the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article in the South/West edition about me and my artwork, Carnegie Artist Creates Calendar of Cats. I’m in my local paper often enough, but not often in the Pittsburgh paper, and never with a photo! I had plenty of cats with me that morning last September, especially Cookie, of course. Cookie was always with me anywhere I was in the house and would naturally be with me in my studio, and she was also very social and loved greeting guests. She got herself up on my drafting table and work table and kept walking back and forth from me to the photographer, typical Cookie cuteness.

I knew where Cookie and I were headed in the next few months, and a photo of her and me in my studio would just be too precious; I am always the photographer so there are very few photos of me with my cats. Cookie always sat on my lap but never liked to be held but she doesn’t look too upset in this photo, just me and Cookie, and in the background the portrait of Georgie I was working on at the time.

The kids wandered in and out, but Mimi stayed, and while the photographer was leaning down to photograph Cookie and me, Mimi stood up with her paws on his shoulder as if she was looking into his viewfinder. Missed that photo, but we had a good laugh! A wonderful memory all around.

I checked back with the Post-Gazette and purchased permission on the photo. Here is how the photographer captioned the photo:

Vaughn Wallace/Post-Gazette: Bernadette E. Kazmarski is the author of the “Great Rescues Calendar and Gift Book,” a desk calendar featuring her portraits of rescued cats. Kazmarski donates a portion of the proceeds to various animal rescue organizations. Photographed in her home studio on September 19, 2011, with her 19-year-old tortoiseshell, Cookie.  PUBLISHED CAPTION: Vaughn Wallace/Post-Gazette: Bernadette Kazmarski, an animal portrait artist who created Great Rescues, a calendar that features portraits of cats, in her home studio in Carnegie with her 19-year-old cat, Cookie.

Photo of Bernadette with 19-year-old Cookie and portrait of Georgie, courtesy the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Copyright © Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2012, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Don’t forget—during Adopt a Cat Month you can find a kitty to hug too! And some of them really don’t mind it!

I’ve been hugging cats all day—also read Daily Photo: Hugging Mimi on Hug Your Cat Day and Daily Sketch: Self-portrait With Kublai on Hug Your Cat Day.

Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

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.

Inspired by felines you know! Visit Portraits of Animals on Etsy.