Vintage Photo: Nap on the Bed, 1989

January 27, 2020 Bernadette

two cats on bed — Moses and Stanley on the bed.

After last weekend’s photo of Moses and Stanley from the archives I remembered this photo from 16 years prior and actually found it. In that article I mentioned that Moses, when she was young and just integrating into the household, attached herself to Stanley and kind of copied things he did, like this. She usually slept under the bed, but when Stanley hopped up and curled up like a good tabby cat should, she followed him. This would have started the previous spring or summer, and I remember the first few times I came into the room she hopped down and ran under the bed. She got used to it in just a few months and, though if you look closely you can see her eyes aren’t all the way closed—she hasn’t moved her position, but she’s watching my every move. Stanley just continues to sleep.

I had taken the photo of Fawn as a kitten that became the painting “Waiting for Mom” the previous November; I know because of the yellow gingham bedspread. Fawn was permitted out in the house full time by then, and in a few months she and Moses were tumbling around in a full wrestle, and Stanley no longer had to walk around with Moses attached to him. But after we lost Fawn in 1999 Moses and Stanley began to nap and hang out again.

I actually took this photo intending to paint it someday, though I wanted to change or remove the pillow. We’ll see if I do.

Vintage Photos from Previous Years

Fawn and Nikka, 1997

torbie and dilute tortoiseshell cats — Fawn and Nikka, actually touching!

Fawn and Nikka were mentioned in my rescue story “Cast Away” as two cats who shared the house with me at the time I’d rescued Sasha. This photo of the two was in the folder of photos of Sasha, and I thought I’d share this one-time happening.

These two were sisters, born in My First Litter. Fawn, at the top, is the subject of “my first painting”, “the portrait that started it all”, “Waiting for Mom”. Nikka, at the bottom, is the subject of my rescue story, “Coming Back Home”.

Fawn, a “torbie” or tortoiseshell tabby stayed with me when all the rest of the litter had been adopted, including their mom. She had very clear stripes all over, but some were orange and some were black. Her paws were marbled, and she had two orange stripes at the end of her tail that were always signaling something, waving for happiness or twitching like a rattlesnake for tortitude. You can also read more about her in “The Balloon”. Fawn did have some tortitude, but she was all talk. She was the little sister of everyone and loved it until I moved here and Sophie and Cookie came along.

Below, her dilute tortoiseshell sister Nikka was not to be taken for less than her sister Fawn. Nikka was adopted, then I took her back at age 5. Nikka was friendly and playful and silly, but she was also a bully; the cat who she’d lived with suffered from urinary issues and was constantly ill and underweight until the two moved apart and he was like a totally, totally new cat. Unfortunately, Nikka chose Fawn as her target and literally stalked her and terrorized her often enough to keep Fawn worried. Then at other times they slept near each other like this, actually touching! This is the only photo I have of this event.

Both of them were absolutely beautiful and helped give me my lifelong love of tri-color cats; Nikka was the original diluted kitty who made me love them all.

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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"A Rosy Glow", pastel on velour paper, 10" x 10", 1996 © BernadetteE. Kazmarski — “A Rosy Glow”, pastel on velour paper, 10″ x 10″, 1996 © BernadetteE. Kazmarski

pastel painting of cat in sun — “After Dinner Nap”, pastel, 1996, 12″ x 10″ © B.E. Kazmarski

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