My Love of Cats: "Cat Therapy"

Pets are wonderful therapy ... they bring comfort when there is pain, peace and calm when things feel too chaotic, and much needed laughter when life feels far from humorous. I have always loved animals, particularly the feline variety. I have three cats, and they are without a doubt, my "children." They are highly independent, full of life and energy, agile and graceful, and of course, call all the shots! They bring so much love, beauty and joy into my life ... and their many purrsonalities and "cat escapades" are too hilarious and precious not to be shared with anyone who holds a special place in their heart for our furry friends ... My hope is that by sharing these "kitty tales," their "escapades" may bring a little light and a few laughs to someone's day!

Please take a moment to meet my three furry children!

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In Loving Memory of Lewis

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Cat Shower ... When the fluffyman needs help maintaining his fluffy tail!




Mr. Gus and Daddy in the Shower ~ oh, the struggles of having a fluffy maine and tail!!! ... Hope this gives a few of you a moment of laughter ... ;)


Following a "pooh blowout" MR. Gus required some extra "help" to remove the problem. After trying a simple, in the sink wipe up, it was decided that Gus and daddy needed to head to the shower to truly remove the pooh. John put on 4 layers of clothing, both pants and sweatshirts, gloves and his motorcycle helmet. Yes, he really did need it! Just like 99% of our feline friends, Gus is no fan of the water, let alone the shower! Poor Mr. Fluffy howled the entire time, and his brother, Oliver, demanded to observe the situation. Although I do believe that he was more concerned with the idea of being the next fur ball in the shower, rather than his brother's discomfort.Gus was quite distraught - as any cat would be - but appeared very happy and thankful for the outcome; a clean bottom, and a refreshed fluffy tail!!!

I certainly hope that my "cat escapades" have provided a little laughter & joy in each and everyone's day! 

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Pen and Ink Drawing: All dots used to create this piece!

I would like to share another pen and ink drawing with all of the cat (and animal) lovers out there, which I completed by using only dots. This drawing was done during my first year in college, and while I was, and still am, very proud of it, I only received a C+ on the project, a big disappointment for sure! The pen and ink dot drawings take the most time to complete.

The "star" of the pen and ink piece seen here is my mother's beloved furball, Kitty Car Lyle. Car Lyle was my 7th birthday present ... mind you, both she and my mom had another idea in mind! She quickly "changed sides" and became my mother's cat ... or rather, my mother became Lyle's human!
Lyle was a Manx with beautiful black and white markings, gorgeous, cashmere-like shiny fur, and a personality that redefined the words "feisty" and "independent!" Sadly, she is no longer with us today, as she passed nearly a year ago at the age of 22! Kitty Car Lyle lived a long, loving, and wonderful life with her best friend, my momma. She was far more than just a cat, she was even beyond that of a typical family member ... she was a tremendous source of comfort, calm, peace, support, unconditional love and joy for my mother, and for that I will always be grateful. She was, most definitely, a best friend and soulmate :).
While she is no longer in her furry body, her spirit and energy remains strong, and she most certainly will not soon be forgotten!
I am so thankful that I took the time (many, many hours in deed!), to create this picture in her likeness, as it truly captures her "kitty purrsonality!"   I hope that you enjoy viewing this unique pen and ink!
-
In Loving Memory of Kitty Car Lyle 
                                
 

Pen and Ink Kitty Totem ... Designed specifically for your beloved pets

Personalized pen and ink pet drawings for sale: Have your pets honored in your very own original pen and ink piece by Brenna.

The kitty pen and ink drawing, seen on my pages entitled "The Escapades of My Three Felines," is an interpretation of my kitties' purrsonalities. I would love to offer similar pieces specialized to display your individual cats and/or dogs (or any other pet(s) you love) personalities.
The concept of the "pet totem pole" originated from a high school project which I did while in my body cast (following spine surgeries for Spondylolisthesis). The initial description of the art project was the following: Create a totem pole drawing that details a particular love and interest in your life. Of course, I chose cats as my specific love and interest, and the drawing soon took on a life of it's own! As previously mentioned, I took the opportunity to both show my love for kitties, as well as creating a design concept that would celebrate my cat's individual personalities.

My first cat totem pole (the one done in high school) was much more modern in design; utilizing clean lines and shapes. I would like to note that with both totem drawings I used a degree of exaggeration to capture and share the cat's individual personalities. With the second totem I went in a different direction, showing attention to greater amounts of detail. The two styles are personal preference, and I am happy to go either way when creating another totem to your specifications.

In order to create a piece that fully represents your respective furry friends I would need the following: pictures of each pet, a short description of each pet (more specifically - their loves, interests, and character/behaviors), along with a specification regarding style directions.
If you have any interest in a one of a kind pen and ink totem pole drawing by me, Brenna, please contact me for further information, questions, and/or requests.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Who's The Kitty Boss?!?

Who's The Kitty Boss?!?

ALL SEEMED FINE ON A LAZY SUNDAY ... Olly was so happy, but Molly, well she appeared to become increasingly peeved with every click of the camera.

Oliver loves his Molly May &

takes any and every opportunity to cuddle up close ... But the boys can never forget that SHE calls all the shots & if the mood moves her, she may very well take a sweet cuddle moment to prove she is still the boss. The pictures speak for themselves!!!Did he meow the wrong way?!?Oh Boy, Poor Olly ... Having a sister can be rough ... and exhausting!!!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Pen and Ink Kitty Totem: View Each Feline "Purrsonality" Up Close


~ LEWIS ~
~ MOLLYMAY ~
~ GUS ~
~ OLIVER ~

Oliver Our Security Kitty: The Conclusion!

THE CONCLUSION TO "OLIVER, OUR SECURITY CAT!"

After a long, much needed rest, as seen above (boy was he sacked!), Oliver promptly returned to his extremely important position as our security kitty. What in the world could he have possibility missed during his time away?!? A squirrel? ... A raccoon? An opossum? ... A bear? - oh, wait, nope, that's not possible! LOL. Maybe he's anxiously awaiting the love of his life, another lovely feline of the female persuasion, with a silky stripped coat just like himself? Or perhaps he is so intently interested in the daily arrival of the mailman, with his loud whistling and strong smell of husky cologne? Only time, and A LOT of carefully executed, sneaky investigation would tell.

With so many options, it was hard to figure out what our little dedicated furry man was sooo overly intrigued with! And, I have to say, that following several very obvious "front door attacks," complete with scratching and some very loud thumps, which quite frankly scared me half to death and left our security detail extremely frazzled as well, we (mom & dad, i.e., John and I) were just as dedicated to solving the mystery as Oliver!

Oliver, went on a 24 hour watch, obsessed with discovering & eliminating the unknown assailant, he tried a variety of different tactics, including keeping his sister on the payroll (we are thinking stipends of cat nip) as the eyes from the sky, ... well, the upper window, but hey, what other option does a cat have?!?

It was very clear when the suspect was in close vicinity, as Olly would start huffing and puffing, ... snorting so much that he would get himself worked into a kitty frenzy! Perhaps if he positions himself as close to the ground as humanly, um, cattly possible? Looking like a pancake, a furry one at that, the concept did not pan out - no pun intended! LOL.

Now, I must tell you that during Oliver's time on duty, we were becoming equally as invested in determining what in the world was causing such a ruckus! Especially following the second round of attacks, which sounded like the police were going to knock down our door ... although, the cops tend not to put their claws under the door jam and scratch ... or do they? At any rate, Oliver's fur was flying, and his tail became so fluffed up that it looked like his brother's, Gus, ... whom has a tail that could put any raccoon's notoriously puffy tail to shame!

So, on one very lucky evening, the creature returned, sending Oliver into alarm mode. At this point we were convinced that it was one of our neighborhood raccoons. We have a family of raccoons, whom live in the tree across the driveway, and they especially enjoy climbing the tree next to our townhome, which allows them to hang out on our roof ... don't ask, I have no clue as to why, but they do. But, when they leave, they line up and climb down the tree one and by one, which is located very close to our front door. We were sure that one of these big brute like characters were the suspected meanies that were aggravating our little, well, okay, big, Olly Oll.

With Oliver and the other two cats prepared for kitty battle, John and I flew into action, ... as I flipped on the outside light, John positioned himself at the window in the upstairs front bedroom in order to get a full view of the highly anticipated, long awaited answer to our big question, "Why has Oliver made it his life's work to be our security cat?" Now, considering the aggressiveness of these "attacks" we were surely going to see something big, something, scary, .. Right?!?

NOPE! As John's gaze shifted downwards towards our front door stoop, his eyes focused on a little black cat whom was happily rolling around on our mat and against our front door! In fact, the little black kitty, the supposedly "huge threat" that had been posed to our nearly 15 pound cat, was the neighbor's extremely loving and friendly feline, who just wanted to make a new friend! In fact, as it turns out, Simon (the little black cat), had been paying visits to other resident's front stoops as well! At least any of the homes that have cats on the other side of the respective door!

Oliver still keeps his post covered most days, and he actually appears to become somewhat distressed when Simon does not show. While they still have yet to meet face to face, they most certainly know each other's scent! Perhaps one day, Oliver may have a playmate! LOL.

But, until that day comes, at least Oliver can get a peaceful good night's rest!


Sunday, September 5, 2010

Oliver Our Security Kitty

Oliver's New Job On Duty As Our Security Kitty

OLIVER HAS A NEW JOB ... AND A NEW OBSESSION!!! ON DUTY - PROTECTING HIS FAMILY & HIS DOOR!!!

Hey, what's an indoor cat to do?!? Suddenly Oliver went from tons of free time on his, ... err, paws, ... free time to sleep, lounge and eat ... to a calling much grander than that of any ordinary house cat; he is now our one and only SECURITY CAT!!!

Any excuse to buy another CAT HAT, right?!?!?! LOL!

Night or Day, it doesn't matter, Oliver does not leave his post unattended ... always finding a replacement - his brother Gus - even when he feels the need for a snack ... Oliver waits for Gus to arrive and relieve him, ... yes, I am telling the honest to goodness truth! Of course, Mr. Gus is not exactly as dedicated to the cause as his short haired sibling ... but hey, it's hard to find good help these days!!! Keep it all in the family, right!?!

And sometimes, well, it's just nice to have some company ...

Oliver anxiously awaits any sign of activity - a smell, a sound, any movement resembling that of another creature - at all hours of the day and night. He moves between the floor, where he positions himself right at the corner of the front door's slightly cracked seal, the tall wicker basket, which sits just off to the side between the stairs and the door's opening, and finally, the window of closest proximity (should anything happen that were to need his immediate on the scene kitty cat assistance first hand, ah, paw), located in the landing half way up the stairs to the third floor, positioned to view the front door stoop ... a purrfect place for a feline's curious and mischeavious eyes!

With all of this work & obviously little time to spend away from "his post," thank the kitty heavens that both the cat food dishes and the liter boxes are of equal distance, only a short romp ... as the level of anxiety & kitty attention he puts forth in his new hobby, or should I say new career, takes a lot of his feline energy! I think that it is now official, my cat has some serious OCD issues ... and while the great majority of our furry friends tend to lean in such a direction - being the nature of a cat - some do tend to take it to all new levels!

Thank goodness for that little red pillow that somehow worked it's way from the living room to the entry ... after all of this time - nearly three months or so - poor Mr. Oliver has not had comfort for his night time shifts, leaving him to fall asleep on the hard floor.

Well, all of this banter and I have yet to share what it is that has brought my neurotic kitty to spend nearly all of his hours at our front door! Oliver's purpose for being our On Duty Security Kitty??? ....

TO BE CONTINUED ... ;) Meowp!!!


The Boys ... When they were still my "little babies"

The Boys ... When they were still my "little babies"

Kitty Cuddles ... In Loving Memory of Lewis

Kitty Cuddles ... In Loving Memory of Lewis

About Me

My photo
My interest for all things related to health & illness arises from my own struggles with chronic health conditions. I have found it most therapeutic & empowering to write about my many experiences within this realm. Through education, my own research, and my ongoing personal challenges, I am teaching myself how to become my own best advocate. To learn more about me, please see the page entitled "About Cat" located at the top of the page. If you have any questions or comments, you are welcome to contact me through the "about" section listed above, or email me at healthandillness@gmail.com. Please note that this address is also linked through my profiles. Blessings of health, energy and peace.