Rudy's Photoshoot

Rudy used to pose whenever he saw the camera come out, but it's been more than a year since this has happened. Therefore, I was delighted to see Rudy, the model, once again.

He always does the choosing of where to pose and I just have to make the best of it....at least when it comes to lighting. But, he patiently sits while I crawl around to find the best angle. I hope the others are paying attention!

Never Tire, Always Admire

I never tire of looking at my cats, but I do get a bit tired of the same photos. You, too?

Finally, though, you see Santino more fully in a rare pose, and though the flash caused shadows, it didn't hit his eyes directly.

Santino LOVES being brushed, but not his belly or his tail which are more sensitive. He, like my other cats, has a very distinctive tail, ending in a fuzzy "brush".
Sophie has a squirrel tail, Rudy's is severely kinked, and Issey's is very long and thin.:-)

Issey's Photoshoot

I said to Issey, "You are a gorgeous cat. Let's show the world!"
Issey, "No!"
















"Issey, look at me!"
"I wonder why you got chairs this color. This is not my best color."
















"Issey, I think we've got it! I'd like more shots, but thank you for this one."
"la la la la la la la la"

Never Alone

Sophie is an "equal opportunity" cat. She shares equally happily with Santino or Issey and would do the same with Rudy if he allowed it.

It's not that he doesn't love them. It's much more like a child who loves his sibs but of which there are way too many taking his mom's attention. He is very jealous of me.

This morning I was awakened by Rudy slipping under the covers. I had just fallen back asleep when Issey followed Rudy. (Issey never misses a thing, and seems to get pleasure from "messing" with him.) I waited for loud screeching from Rudy, but instead was blessed on this my birthday morning with slobbery kisses on my feet from Rudy, and loud purrs much higher up from Issey. Gratitude washed over me. I'm never alone.
(Not that this makes any sense to me, as I love being alone.)

Love The One You're With

A prerequisite of loving someone, I think, is full acceptance of who they are regardless of whether it makes sense to us or whether we approve. We don't have to necessarily like what IS, but we do have to accept it. This is what my kitties have taught me!

Every day Issey licks my silk flowers. WHY?, I ask, and then quickly stop myself. I realize that I don't even mean 'why'...What I really mean is 'How icky! Stop it, already!" LOL What pleasure he gets from this is beyond me. I only hope he isn't doing himself any harm.

I get no cooperation with picture taking. As a matter of fact, Issey's expression here says it all. Yes, he is staying put as instructed but that's all. Ditto Rudy below.














I would swear to Sophie crossing
her eyes for the camera. (Ok....
her eyes ARE crossed a little, anyway.)

Yes, I can photograph them when they are napping....but, only if I do it quickly. Then again, if I had wanted photographic models I should have stayed with Siamese. They can't get enough of being center front. My Balinese sweeties, however, give me endless amounts of lap-sitting and purring.

Love the one you're with...and then life is truly wonderful!

Wild Stuff

"Wild Stuff" is what I call this shot of Rudy.
I'm happy to get my camera back after having it serviced and cleaned. Now I can't get near Sophie with it, as she has to get used to it all over again.....not that she is doing anything different worth photographing. Neither are the boys.



Issey was blessed with a sweet, innocent face. It isn't exactly as if he ISN"T so....but, it's just that he is always curious and always, well, busy. He is the first kitty I've had who believes my bulletin board and my art table are there just for his entertainment. :-) And, that goes for everything in the house. There isn't anything which does NOT interest him! Most of all, it's FOOD. He LOVES food.
(Well, me, too....but, my excuse is prednisone.)

The Nanny

Austin is a special place....oh, for many reasons, of course, but the once I'm thinking of is the great number of people with advanced degrees who are working as house cleaners, waiters and waitresses, astrologers, and nannies. (It always amazes me when I meet people in well positions who would never, by any stretch of the imagination, be the brightest crayon in the box.)

Well, you'd think that it would not require a whole lot of intelligence to be a cat sitter, wouldn't you? Even with cats as smart as mine, it shouldn't be a problem....should it?

The problem was my logic. I thought that someone who had raised her children to responsible adulthood, who had herself had pets all her life, and who was, in fact, a professional pet sitter who also held a responsible day job would be smart enough to be left with responsibility for my cats and home. It works until there is an emergency. Because of the incompetency of my cat/house sitter, my week away last year was a week from hell.

And, so it came to pass that I had to find someone else. I can't say that I've done this any better....references are not truthful!....but, I've done it differently. Rather than thinking about this person as a "cat sitter", I am thinking of her, and calling her, A Cat Nanny. (And, by extension, she is also my home's Nanny!). I am hoping by doing so I have impressed on the person her responsibility for the emotional and physical welfare of my fur children when I go to Africa for two weeks.

I interviewed several people and, as much as I hated my indecision, I just didn't feel like I could say "yes" of them. They were all likable people, but something was "lacking".

And, then someone responded whose response sounded sane and friendly...not too short and not too long, no extraneous information. Consistent.

I had her come here to interview and my 3 boys approved. Issey curled up in her lap, Rudy kissed the back of her neck, and Santino wove in and out of her legs. I watched her melt . She does not have an advanced degree like some of the other applicants, but I'll think she'll work out. :-) After all, it's the boys who really hired her.