My House Guest

Photos: March 25, 2016

My daughter needed to get out of her apartment for a few days while repairs were being done on her floors. She moved in with this charming feline. Ania is about ten years old. She was found by a friend of my daughter, under the stoop of a house, cowering, as a small kitten. This friend asked my daughter if she could keep her for a night while they tried to find a home for it. Well.... ten years later, she hasn't left yet. She was a tiny kitten, about 5 weeks old according to the vet who checked her out. We already had two cats at the time who had the run of the house. Ania became the basement cat, sharing my daughter's basement space.



They both moved out eventually; so have I, selling the house a few years ago. My two cats are long gone so it was delightful to have a cat around for a while. She enjoyed our play sessions, but now is back on her home turf. I can't have cats here (my spouse is allergic) on a permanent basis, so my few days with this house guest were purr-fect.

In a sunbeam

In a sunbeam, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

My cat sometimes appears to be less than brilliant. He walks out of a room into another and then meows because no one is there. But my daughter claims that his mind is really scheming about much more important things.



He has recently shown his "genius" when working with computers. He loves to sit on or near them as they give off heat (at least that is my interpretation). However, he has been known to press just the right keys to produce interesting results. On this occasion he managed to cause all the icons to grow larger. He frequently launches programs on my spouse's computer as his little paws leap from the desk to the computer to the warm lap. My daughter claims he once launched VoiceOver which caused her computer to talk to her. Does he plot and plan these diabolical tricks? Or is he just trying to tell us that contact with cats is far better than contact with computers?

All Curled Up

All Curled Up, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

For this feline, comfort comes first. He knows that a seat vacated is always warm, so my office chair was the perfect spot to curl up.

I have taken to warming up a "magic bag" for him. He cuddles onto it, his body hit keeping the bag warm much longer. Spoiled cat? You bet - but he is a senior - homing in on 16, so a little heat must feel good on the old joints, though he is still quite spry.

This is my 1001st post - 1001 stories like Arabian Nights - but my stories will go on.

Warm Comfort

Warm Comfort, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I bought this dog years ago for my daughter. It has a warm / cold bag inside that you can heat in the microwave so the dog turns into a sort of warm comfort. My daughter never took to it.

My cat, at the age of 15 is a heat seeker. I decided to try him with this dog and it was instant "friendship." He cuddles up contentedly.

Heat Seeking

Heat Seeking, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

Photo: December 31, 2011

New Year's eve is a time when we stop and look back and reflect on the year gone by. Although reflection and taking stock may be part of our lives with goal setting happening at various points of the year, the end of year thoughts are not just about assessing the year, but also about remembering.

I wish all my friends, both those I know face to face and my virtual friends a healthy and fulfilling year, full of the warmth of friendship. My life is richer for knowing you. For those I know only through their online presence, I learn so much from your thoughts, photos and wise words that you share so generously. I'm looking forward to another year of growth.

Theo

Theo, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I played music today with a good friend who has three cats. This is Theodore (Theo for short). I have featured his "brother" before, Noël. Theo is not as musically inclined. While Noël usually comes to play audience, Theo and Yuki remain aloof. After a few years, they no longer run away when I arrive. They sit, each on their favourite chair and tolerate my presence.

Five years ago, Yuki, pregnant and quite bedraggled, came from the SPCA to my friend. Since her kittens were born she has turned into quite a beauty - very regal and conscious of her place in cat society. Noël is one of her offspring.

Yet again, they kept their distance while we played music. Noël came and checked out our rehearsal. When we play in a student recital next month,  I will be picturing Noël as my audience to help allay performance fears. He has never complained yet about my playing.

A Cat for the Season

A Cat for the Season, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I'm not into horror or excess. You can see another over the top Halloween display here. But this display strikes my fancy. I love the whimsy, the seasonal feel. Bring on the pumpkins and funny cats. Bring on the joy of children in costume!

But I won't be opening my door tonight - I did enough years of that when my children were young. No horror movies on my TV. I'll just sit with a good book and a real cat on my lap.

And then there was one

And then there was one, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This little guy is feeling quite out of sorts. His buddy had to be euthanized. I don't know how cats feel grief, but he certainly is avoiding the spot he loved to curl up in with his pal. Each of my cats had its own personality. Elmo was terrified when I brought him home. I had to finally haul him out of the cat carrier and held him beside me that first night he was here. He bonded with me because of it and was a real cuddler. A year and a half later we decided to get a second cat. Basil, seen here, marched out of the cat carrier as soon as I opened the door and went exploring. He bonded with Elmo, once Elmo got over the shock of having another cat in the house and the two of them could often be seen curled up together and grooming each other.

Since Friday, Basil has spent more time on my lap than usual. He still is making the rounds of the house to find the sunny spots, eats his food and waits patiently by the dinner table in case there is anything to scavenge. I know he is missing his buddy. In the meantime he is getting lots of attention and love.

Music is a Beautiful Thing

Music is a Beautiful Thing, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Sunday
Notes on a page don't mean a lot until you let them come alive through voice or instruments. Today I played this sonata by Handel with a friend playing the continuo line on her cello (with one of her cats playing the audience).

                

What a treat to find the music in the notes, the sense of elegance and joy. The instruments carry on a conversation, sometimes supporting each other, sometimes answering each other. It is a challenge to find what the composer wanted to say and at the same time to add something of yourself in the playing.

Daily Shoot: Celebrate the pretty things in life. Make a photograph of the most beautiful thing you see today.

Noël

Noël, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I played music with a friend today (Vivaldi, Handel and some suites by an anonymous composer) and Noël kept us company. He seems to really like music, always sitting through our sessions (and the lessons of my friend's cello students). His two feline family members stay well-hidden. What makes an animal partial to music? Or does he just crave the companionship?

There is a cat, Nora, who plays the piano with her piano teacher owner. Her YouTube video came to the attention of a composer, Mindaugas Piecaitis, who wrote a concerto with her music.  Noël has not yet started playing music nor has he joined in with feline vocalizations, but he makes a great audience.

Just My Size

Just My Size, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Confined spaces, private places - that's what this cat likes. This isn't the brightest cat. He has been known to go off into a room and then start whining as if to say "where is everybody?" When you call him he then comes trotting happily forgetting that he was the one who wandered off in the first place. But he has personality, a cocky cat who is now sitting on my shoulder like a pirate's parrot.

May 26/10: Bowl

May 26/10: Bowl, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I love pottery and each time I go into my favourite pottery store to buy a gift for someone, inevitably I buy something to add to my collection. This bowl reminds me of one of my cats. He is not the cleverest soul, but he knows what he wants and is determined to get it.

I keep the cats out of certain rooms because of people who have allergies. We attempt to keep sleeping spaces cat free. Basil waits for the moment a door is open and he barrels through. We have tried barriers so we can sometimes leave the doors open (such as on unbearably hot days when the air-conditioning in the hall does not reach the bedroom with the door shut). He reconnoiters the situation and then charges through, toppling whatever was used to create a gate. Then he is plucked out of the room and unceremoniously dumped back into the hall. Then his efforts begin anew. And I attempt to devise new methods to foil him!

April 21/10: Contemplating Spring

April 21/10: Contemplating Spring, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I have used this window before to show the changing seasons - from autumn to winter. Now it frames the delicate spring colours. The wildlife is busy now. Robins gather nesting material. The air is alive with their songs. Squirrels are jumping from branch to branch looking for food. For my cats, this is a wonderful time to watch the activity - the window as a television set for them with a constantly changing program.

Apr 17/10: Front and Centre

Daily Shoot: Break a rule today! Centered composition is generally considered boring and taboo, but can be interesting. Try it!

I know - another pet photo. But they are photogenic. And Basil either likes to be off on his own or right in your face - front and centre. I think he was a parrot in another life - he loves to perch on my shoulder. Basil is getting on in years - soon to be 14. He can still be rambunctious, but now he often is content to plop himself down on a lap for his share of pats and cuddles - and to benefit from the physical warmth of a human being.

Apr 9/10 Heat Lamp

Apr 9/10 Heat Lamp, originally uploaded by susanvg.

My reading lamp doubles as a heat lamp for my cats. They love to sit under the lamp's glow and soak up the heat. Not sure how they can tolerate the temperature as the bulb is quite intense, but they seek it out.

Mar 14/10: Portrait

Mar 14/10: Portrait, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Daily Shoot: Sunday challenge: Catchlights in the eyes make a portrait sing. Make a portrait of someone with catchlights in their eyes.

Well - one eye caught the light. I don't often feature portraits on my blog - so I chose my feline subject. Basil is often distracted by what he sees (a tuft of fur in the air, dust in a sunbeam....). He twists his head backwards, upside down - it doesn't seem to matter to him. Sometimes I wonder what he is thinking - or does he think? He certainly knows how to get his needs met.

Basil can always be counted on for distraction with his silly antics. He purrs very softly so you have to cuddle close to hear it and meows quite loud when he is alone in a room so you call him to remind him that others are around. Then he comes prancing into the room grateful for the company. He can still be kittenish at the age of 13 - that's one of the traits of a Cornish Rex.

Mar 11/10: Ania

Mar 11/10, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This is Ania, my daughter's cat; she lives in the basement in her large room. Ania came for a night and has stayed for years. She was found wandering on a busy street by my daughter's friend. A tiny kitten, she looked totally lost. My daughter agreed to take her overnight and fell in love. A trip to the vet to have her checked out - the vet said she was probably less than two months old. And so Ania came to stay. She is a very clever feline. She figured out how to open the basement door (it had a lever handle - we had to change it) and spooked my two cats. My old fellows are Cornish Rex with very little fur compared to regular cats. As my spouse and son have cat allergies (and don't react too much to the "upstairs" cats) we can not let Ania upstairs.

The visitor who came to stay - she has won everyone's hearts.

Feb 3/10: No longer sharp

Feb 3/10: No longer sharp, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This is the paw of Basil (not the sharpest tack in the box). When we got him as a kitten over thirteen years ago he hated having his claws clipped. It took two of us, one to try to keep his bicycling legs still and the other to grab one paw and get to work. Even at that we often had to stop after a few claws and wrestle him down at a later date. I am sure his caterwauling could be heard across the neighbourhood. But somewhere through the years he learned that he could survive the ordeal and later that it wasn't so bad. Now I hold him and clip his claws while he purrs. I still, sometimes don't get the whole job done in one sitting; maybe he wants to come back for a second cuddle.