Big and Little
Posted: May 4, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat behavior, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, giuseppe, mimi, photographs | Tags: black cats, cat photographs, cats, feline photographs, pet photography, photography 4 Comments
Mimi and Giuseppe cuddle on my desk.
Giuseppe is not so big as Mimi is petite, Giuseppe with a very long body and heavily muscled and Mimi so tiny sometimes I can’t believe how small she is. She weighs a little less than half of his weight, and she is half as long and half as tall, nearly completely half of him. They cuddle together often; Giuseppe loves his Mama Mimi and she enjoys cuddling with her kids and even giving a little touch-up bath.
Here Giuseppe has his head on her arms and at one point he had his arms around her and was holding her as if he was hugging a stuffed toy.
Tell me, could you focus on your work with such distractions? By the end of the day, there was another four-cat cuddle puddle, the only one of the five who was missing was Mewsette, enjoying the bed all to herself.
Perhaps he was dreaming of Mlle. Daisy Emerald Marguerite, his love who lives by the big river in Kingston. He heard that she and her mama had moved to a new apartment, and today he sent her a card. I often notice that Giuseppe spends lots of time with his Mama Mimi when he is longing for his love.
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
The Messy Playroom
Posted: May 4, 2012 Filed under: adopting a kitten, black cats, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, fantastic four, giuseppe, jelly bean, kittens, mewsette, mr. sunshine, photographs | Tags: black cats, feline photographs, four black kittens, pet loss, pet photography, photography, the fantastic four 3 Comments
The Sleepy Siblings pack into the box for a nap.
There they are, the littles sleeping in a heap in a box, just like they do today. The event happens to be the day they had their first set of shots, and after tearing around the bathroom with the general excitement of visitors and each of them disappearing and reappearing one by one…well, they managed to get the bathroom like that several times a day. I have several photos of this because this first is a little unclear—these are on film, and the prints aren’t the best, though I have no means of scanning from the negatives at the moment.
The pattern you see in front of them all is really a window screen. The bathroom has a bifold door but I didn’t want to cut the kittens off from the rest of the house by leaving the door closed. I used two tall narrow screens from my old casement windows hinged to the doorframe and opening like shutters so that during the day the kittens could see onto the landing and interact with the rest of the house, and also be cooler since it was August and September. Mimi could easily jump the screens to get in and out so she had her breaks too.
Mr. Sunshine is hanging out of the box, here at the corner, and you can just see a light spot on his year which is his yellow paint. Giuseppe is behind him with a tiny bit of green paint visible, then Mewsette, then Jelly Bean. They are seven or eight weeks old here. In photos further down you’ll be able to see them better.
Their faces are a little more clear.
They were sleeping off their shots, so I opened the screen to see them more clearly. Lessons about photographing a bunch of black cats were just beginning as they are almost indistinguishable in the box. The little cardboard toilet paper roll and tissue box are full of toothmarks—I had forgotten how kitten chewed on everything! They had about a dozen toilet paper and paper towel rolls in there, and they and the tissue box were reduced to shreds in the time there.
The view from above, too sweet.
This print wasn’t very well-printed, and when I lightened it it began to fall apart, but you can see their little faces in the box, Sunshine, Giuseppe, Mewsette and Jelly Bean, and you can see a bit of the white spot on his chest, and the white hairs in his ears that looked like big brushes until he grew into them.
I had always thought about one of the top two as a painting, just a silly colorful kittens’ playroom!
Reference this little heap with yesterday’s cuddle puddle on my desk.
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
And then I gave up work for the day…
Posted: May 3, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, giuseppe, jelly bean, mewsette, mimi, mimi's children, mr. sunshine, photographs | Tags: black cats, cat photographs, cats, feline photographs, mimi's children, pet photography, photography 14 Comments
Maybe she’ll notice us now.
The above photo is from 2009, but I like to call it back up each year. Some things never change.
2011: Okay, okay, I admit I’ve been busy, but do you guys like to eat?! Then you’ll keep doing things like this as inspiration.
For now, enjoy somewhat over 50 pounds of black cat on one desk.
2009: They are always doing something unique, that whimsical quartet of siblings, but sometimes they have the right idea. I really was tired, my eyes were strained, I was losing focus at the end of a long day, and one by one the three boys piled up trying to get their point across (we need dinner, you need to stop working), hence the multiple nap. First Giuseppe front and center, paws draped on my keyboard, then Jelly Bean on the left and Mr. Sunshine on the right. Then Mewsette, the big sister, piled on top of all of them and began bathing them all in turn, causing things to start falling off my desk. Still, I could pile papers on top of them and keep working. When the paws and tails expanded onto my keyboard, I decided to take their advice and quit working for the day.
Below is a version from 2012, today in fact, and the only difference is that Mimi is part of the group on the far left so it isn’t quite 50 pounds of black cat, and the other three are Giuseppe, Mewsette and Mr. Sunshine, just continuing yesterday’s heat-induced laziness.
Four cats on my desk.
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Watch Cat
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat behavior, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, jelly bean, my household of felines, photographs | Tags: black cats, cat photographs, cats, feline photographs, pet photography, photography 8 Comments
Watch Cat.
[Sshhhhh…mom is trying out Wordless Wednesday. This is hard for her. You know she always has to tell stories. You should live with her. But I am Jelly Bean enjoying the sun at the top of the steps. See you later.]
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Mimi
Posted: May 1, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat behavior, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, mimi, photographs | Tags: black cats, cat by window, cat photographs, cat with lace curtain, cats, feline photographs, pet photography, photography 4 Comments
Mimi
It’s when I see Mimi like this, relaxed, quietly happy by a sunny window, breeze ruffling her ears, her delicate features so lovely with the lace curtain, that I deeply sense she and I are both having a moment of appreciation for her life here, indoors, spayed, well-fed; often after one of these moments she turns and looks right at me, aware we are sharing the same sentiment, as she did some time after I took this photo when I’d simply stood admiring her.
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
You Can’t See Me
Posted: April 30, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat behavior, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, jelly bean, my household of felines, photographs | Tags: black cats, cat photographs, cats, feline photographs, pet photography, photography 2 Comments
You can't see me behind this wrinkle.
“I have fixed the rug in exactly the way I want it.
“You can’t see me at all behind this wrinkle I have so cleverly built out of the rug.
“Also notice that I am squinting. You can’t see cats when they are squinting at you like this. Or when they have their paws over their faces. Or when they have their head in a bag or under the couch, even if their fuzzy butts are hanging out in plain view. You may think you see us, but it’s just your imagination.
“And furthermore, don’t even consider changing this rug from the way I have it set up. When I choose to leave it, I will expect to find it exactly like this when I return.”
Guess he told me.
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Preparing the Studio
Posted: April 29, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat behavior, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, jelly bean, my household of felines, photographs | Tags: black cats, cat photographs, cats, feline photographs, pet photography, photography 2 Comments
Jelly Bean takes his turn at my watercolor rinse water while Mr. Sunshine waits.
As part of the set up for a day of working in the studio, every cat in the room needs to interact with whatever it is I’ll be using. This is especially important when I watercolor—each needs to have a good long drink from my jar of rinse water before I even begin painting. Perhaps it’s that little residual cat spit in the water that gives my work a special quality.
Then all cats must walk on all surfaces and inspect all boxes and other containers. Below, Mewsette waits her turn at the water while Mr. Sunshine pauses in his drink. Mimi has finished her drink goes on to inspect my work table.
Where am I supposed to fit?
I’ve discovered it’s best if I just let them do as they please, then settle down. That’s not a bad policy in other areas of life either.
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Manipulative
Posted: April 28, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat behavior, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, jelly bean, my household of felines, photographs | Tags: black cat on sink, black cats, cat photographs, cats, feline photographs, pet photography, photography 2 Comments
Manipulative.
Admit it. You’d give him anything.
I admit he is very hard to resist. Way back when I had decided I could not possibly keep all these kittens I had decided to keep perhaps two, and tried to choose so that I would not become too attached to them all. I loved little Jelly Bean, or Little Guy as I called him then, but I had to consider giving him up. He knew what I was thinking, raced me up the stairs, hopped into the bathroom sink and flopped down and purred, batting his eyelashes at me.
“I don’t know who’s going or staying, but you’re not going anywhere, Little Guy.”
He is so completely manipulative that he is the one who got me to start turning on the faucet for them every day to drink. I have never, ever allowed my cats to drink from any faucet because I was concerned they wouldn’t get enough water since I had no intention of leaving faucets on all day. I admit that everything in the bathroom leaked when they were growing up in there so they thought water was supposed to be that way, but especially after the seniors I have had bowls all over the house.
But this Little Guy charmed me with a look like this and I simply turned on the faucet. What would you do if he sat on the sink and looked at you like that?
For greater effect, here is a moderate enlargement of his face; unfortunately the photos a little blurry. See how you do looking into those green eyes. If the look alone doesn’t work, he talks very softly, and I am under his spell.
Even more manipulative.
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Giuseppe Prefers a Sun Roof
Posted: April 28, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat behavior, cats, daily photo, giuseppe, mimi, photographs | Tags: black cats, cat cube, cat photographs, cat toys, cats, feline photographs, pet photography, photography 4 Comments
Giuseppe looks out the sun roof.
The red cat cube has added excitement to everyday life. Here, the cube has been turned on one of its sides and Giuseppe, sitting tall, looks out the sun roof while Mimi enjoys the side door.
I’m not sure how long this thing can hold up. The wires that hold it in shape are already bent up even though I straighten them out regularly and I see some tears in the fabric here and there. They use it for cuddling, for solo sleeping and for ambushing. Yesterday, the cube made it into the kitchen as various cats used it for various purposes and dragged and pushed and rolled inside it. Sometimes I hear fearsome yowling as the cube rocks and rolls, the sides bulging with feline hips and paws and heads, and all cat parts remain inside though it rolls over once or twice. Giuseppe spent part of the day sleeping in front of the door in the cube.
And, of course, it provides hours of entertainment for me.
Unfortunately, the cube only lasted about three weeks—here it’s nearly at the end of its run.
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
Giuseppe and a Stink Bug
Posted: April 27, 2012 Filed under: black cats, cat behavior, cat photographs, cats, daily photo, giuseppe, my household of felines, photographs | Tags: black cats, cat chases stinkbug, cat photographs, cats, feline photographs, pet photography, photography, stinkbugs 3 Comments
The stinkbug appears.
With some amount of disinterest, Giuseppe, or at least his paw and his big nose, follow a stink bug across my desk, eliminating the possibility of me getting any work done for at least ten minutes.
The paw begins the pursuit.
And again.
Move along, little stinkbug.
Hurry up.
Under there.
Now stay there.
Wait a minute.
Now it's gone.
Now what do I do?
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Unless I have linked the photo to something else, which is rare with daily photos, you can click the photo to see a larger version. I save them at 1000 pixels maximum dimension, and at that size the photos are nearly twice the dimension and you can see more detail in many of the photos I post. Please remember if you download or share, my name and the link back to the original photo should always appear with it.
To see more daily photos go to “Daily Images” in the menu and choose “All Photos” or any other category.
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 purchasing one as a print, or to use in a print or internet publication.
The Creative Cat 