From The Archives: Tri-color Girls Getting Ready for a Nap, February 27, 2007

February 24, 2020February 24, 2020 Bernadette

three tricolor cats on bed — Cookie, Peaches and Kelly settle down for a nap on the bed.

They may be well-camouflaged on the pillows and bedspread, but that’s the way the liked it. My three precious tri-color cats settle down for a nap on the bed a winter afternoon. Peaches was 17, Cookie, 15, and Kelly, 13. Downstairs, Namir is in a box being stalked by Lucy. Peaches had been with us for about 18 months, but it was as if these three had always been together. The memories are precious. Downstairs, Namir is in a box being stalked by Lucy.

We had just lost Stanley about a month previous, and Sophie three months before. Peaches had lost her sister Cream nearly a year before, and we had all lost Moses almost exactly a year before. After a chain of losses over a year and I was just glad to enjoy watching these three feeling happy, healthy, safe and sleepy on a sunny afternoon.

And just to prove the girls owned the bed for the afternoon, just two days previous I’d photographed the three settling down for their nap. Cookie’s already sacked out but Kelly and Peaches want to know if I’m going to stand there and stare at them. I might as well pet them if I’m going to do that. Well, Peaches is havin ga hard time staying awake, but Kelly, as always, is vigilant.

Some communication occurs between Peaches and Kelly, likely it’s Peaches telling Kelly she’s ready to sleep no matter what the silly human is doing.

“I’m having my nap, no matter what you plan to do,” Peaches says as she settles down, but Kelly still isn’t sure. Cookie hasn’t moved except to breathe. I’m sure she knows I’m right behind her.

That’s it, Peaches is asleep. Kelly has actually attended to her bath between bouts of looking at me each time I move to take another photo. And this is what the whole scene looks like.

I still love to photograph my cats settling down to sleep on the bed today. Seeing them settled in the room with the warm sunshine, though I’ve moved the bed several times of the years and rearranged things and made other changes, it’s still the same effect.

Also from the archives on or about this date…

The Semi-psychedelic Catnip Experience, 2003

gray tabby cat rolling on the floor — Moses fully involved in the catnip experience.

This is Moses, who you’ve heretofore seen only quietly curled on the floor, trying to take up as little space as possible and happy with what she had. At all other times in her life that was truly Moses, formerly feral, non-vocal, shy, humble, her hobbled hind legs always protectively curled when lying down or soundlessly padding while walking slowly through a room, behind the furniture if she could fit, right next to it if not.

Until we had a catnip party, and not just any catnip, but the fresh stuff. It’s a native wildflower in most of the US, very frequent in my area of southwestern Pennsylvania, and as a mint it’s tough as nails unless a lot of neighborhood kitties visit your yard; sadly I can’t grow it. But it sprouted all around my mother’s yard and each time I visited while she still lived at home I would bring back a fresh branch for each of the kitties who lived with me then. Moses began with the leaves, then enjoyed her twig through the rest of the day, eating another leaf or two now and then and finishing up with the semi-woody stem. During the experience she was known to roll all over the floor, actually showing her belly, even taking a wild swat at one of the other cats, none of whom ever took her seriously, stoned as they were, though she flattened her ears and squinted at them. Needless to say, I was so glad to see her enjoying herself. She was 16 in this photo.

We had a little catnip party here today to finish off our claw-trimming party, and of course in mid-winter it was the dried stuff, not fresh, but these five purr a lot and are really mellow and now they are all fast asleep. I miss those wild catnip party days. See more photos and stories about Moses.

gray tabby cat lying on floor — Moses between catnip infusions, looking more like her usual self.

Photos From the Archives and Vintage Photos

Photos pulled “From the Archives” were taken by one or another digital camera of mine between 2002 and, well, yesterday, but usually they are older than that, and I had never had the chance to feature them. Vintage Photos are from my film archives back to 1983 when I purchased my Pentax K-1000 camera. They’re a fun way to “introduce” other members of my feline family who came and went before I began blogging, and to illustrate my feline family in general from days gone by.

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"Peaches and Peonies", pastel, 23" x 16", 2008 © B.E. Kazmarski — “Peaches and Peonies”, pastel, 23″ x 16″, 2008 © B.E. Kazmarski

keepsake box with calico cat — “Peaches and Peonies” special edition Valentine Keepsake.

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