Vintage Photos and a Few Others: Top of the Stairs, 1998

Stanley and Moses enjoy the sunshine on a summer morning in 1998. The landing may look a little different from the way it looks now, but the only thing really changed is the addition of the wardrobe to replace the table, and the demise of my Norfolk Island Pine. Other than that, the mirror, the lace curtain, the art on the walls, it’s all been there to be a backdrop to my cats for many years.

Moses had somewhat undeveloped hind legs so she could never get up on a windowsill without many things to step up on, but Stanley loved the table and the windowsill. Moses learned to love and trust all the cats and me but always enjoyed Stanley’s company best after their early friendship. When the two would spend time together and he decided to be up on something, she would stay on the floor nearby, and they were still together.

It’s just the simple moments that you remember.

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From the Archives: Mousewatch and Evening, 2005

Above, it’s hard to tell that there are two feline shapes reclining, almost hidden, on the left side of the steps.The top one is Kelly, two steps down is Cookie. It’s too hot to sit in the sun by the basement door, so the girls are on the basement steps where even on the hottest day a breeze blew in the door and up the stairway, and they could watch the wildlife running past just outside the door. Most importantly, they were ready when a mouse might come running in, which one would regularly do. Cookie occasionally joined in this activity and the two were the best mouse catchers ever, but it was Kelly who I most remember on the steps on summer days. For nearly all the years I’ve worked at home ahe spent all the daylight hours of a summer day patiently lying on the step, paws curled under, watching out the door, now and then lying her head on her paws for a nap. Somewhere in my archives I’ll probably find a good photo of this, but this one, at least, was taken on this date.

This photo was taken on July 23, 2005, and I’d tagged the folder “mostly cats” though most of the photos were a little odd, like this. That was because they were memories I was trying to capture, but the conditions weren’t optimal for photography. No harm in trying. The photo below was in the same folder, and it’s Namir cooling himself on the concrete step as evening drew to a close. More memories.

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What photos did I post on this date in previous years?

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Out the Door, 2014

I only heard rustling and never saw the critter that held five black cats’ complete physical and emotional attention. Even though you can only see four sets of ears Jelly Bean is in the shadows and no matter how many photos I took I couldn’t get the silhouettes of five sets of ears. I counted at least six full seconds that no one moved, not a tail swish, not an ear flick, not a whisker twitch, just the energy of five black cats focused on…something.

I had an interesting thought while watching them. Were they watching the thing with intellectual interest, or were they thinking of dinner? I could imagine myself looking at food that I enjoyed eating, thinking about how good it would be, and there it was right in front of me. Were they salivating at the thought of what was probably a chipmunk?

That is my guess because Mimi is in the middle of the group, and she rather likes chipmunks. Not as friends. When she lived primarily outdoors and fed her kittens outside she raided the neighborhood for chipmunks, including my garden. I guess for the effort and feeding four hungry kittens and herself a slightly larger chipmunk is a better use of energy than a mouse or vole.

And seven years ago today she was just about to deliver those four big fuzzballs into this world. Their seventh birthday is July 26, and Mimi’s Homecoming Day, and the day they all arrived here, is July 29. Mimi is spayed and has her loving forever home, and her children never spent a day outdoors. But they can dream about being the big bad hunters.

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What photos did I post on this date in previous years?

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Oh, That’s Where I Left My Pile of Cats, 2013

Of course, I left them in my studio! I should have known, everything ends up on that table.

Especially when I’m trying to work and they need some attention.

I love how they always do things together, just like in today’s vintage photo from their kittenhood. Bean is in the box, and it’s about the same size as the one all four were in in The Messy Playroom! My how they’ve grown. Aside from Bean, the big guy here stretched out in the front is Giuseppe, couterclockwise it’s Mimi, Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine.

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Carefully Keeping Watch, 2012

Look closely and you’ll see the profile of a cat.

Giuseppe quietly rests on the windowsill while I work in my studio. He’s actually behind the computer monitor and so quiet I didn’t notice him at first.

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In the Tub: 2011

Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine spent the other day in the tub to get some respite from the heat, though they still cuddled together. I guess you can’t get any two or more of these black cats together that they don’t manage to cuddle.

And apparently they made a deal.

“I’ll wash behind your ears,” said Mewsette…

“And I’ll wash behind yours!” answered Mr. Sunshine.

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See more Vintage Photos, scanned from prints on film through the years.

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Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

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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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