< Hover and click on left & right or swipe to see slides >
They're always ready to help with tech issues.
If there’s one silver lining in the seismic shift to work-from-home, it’s the expert assistance found in any home with a cat. Whether you’re scratching your head over a tricky spreadsheet or pushing pixels on your latest design, no project is complete without the paws-on help of your local feline.
They run on jet fuel when you least want them to.
♫
In the middle of the night
I go tossing in my sleep
Paws are racing through the halls
Fur is flying by the heap
They must be fighting for something
I hear a bell and a ball
They just crashed into the doorway
They just slammed into the wall…
In the middle of the ni-ight
They lay claim to anything that looks remotely like a string.
I’ve never owned a barn, but there’s part of me who’d love one just to match it with a barn cat. If you’re not hip to the term, a barn cat is just as it sounds – a feline to tend the farm, fight off vermin, and presumably keep the cows’ company. If you have a barn in need of just such a thing, read on, or call your local shelter to see if they have barn cats ready to lend a paw.
They have their own secret society.
Do you ever get the sense that cats know something we don’t? For thousands of years, the mystique of cats has baffled cultures around the world. Purr-haps it’s more than coincidence. Some say the secrets of midnight meows and invisible snek are hidden in the dark halls of this very place, nestled in the shadows of See Cat City…
They LOVE to get high.
Catnip is a hell of a drug.
“Yeah, I remember grinding my feet on Eddie (Murphy’s) couch… ‘cuz Eddie could buy another one.” – Rick James
How fortunate our cat friends are to have free and legal access to their preferred medicinal release. If only we were half as lucky. To be fair, they operate far less heavy machinery.
They recycle boxes like it's their job.
To a cat, it would seem – whatever it is that was once in the box, pales in comparison to the box itself. I suppose I can relate. In my life I may have encountered a handful of boxes large enough for me to stand inside of them. And I must assure you I did so.
They always want what's on tap.
One of my fondest travel memories was a very special motel we visited on a trip in the Western U.S. – a cute little walk-up on a road called “Old Motel Lane.” When we opened our room that night, we were followed in by a cat! A couple minutes later, she hopped into the bathroom sink and waited until we dripped water from the faucet for her to drink. 10/10; would stay again.
They make us envious with their sleep schedule.
A profound truth struck me one day – the cat bed and breakfast, if incorporated, would be the most common (and least profitable) businesses run around the world. What are we, after all, but how many million proprietors waking and working to serve our guests. One thing I will say; the job has rewards incalculable.
They make the bestest biscuits.
Biscuits are so very special to me. After a lifetime of being a dog person, a cat came into my life in my mid-30s. He showed up on my doorstep, walked right in, and danced the most bizarre biscuit mating ritual dance on my fleece blankets. Forever entranced, this was the initial inspiration for my work.
The world is their scratch post.
Quick PSA: Never, ever, ever de-claw a cat. It’s the cat equivalent of cutting a man’s fingers off at the first knuckle. Trust me; you don’t own a piece of furniture more precious than the love of your feline friend; please don’t betray their trust.
They're befuddled by paper bags.
Once arose a sound like the crackle of lightning, on and on in the other room. Startled, I threw open the door and – WHAM – My poor little cat friend Sauce, not quite as smart as he is handsome, literally “couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag” – until he bounced off my foot, left the bag at my ankles, and flew out the door to his next adventure.
They love lasers more than George Lucas.
To hear our kitten cry out for want of a laser is to hear a language unto itself. Somewhere between a gurgle and a chirp and a whimper is the sound we hear whenever we venture near the place where the laser lives in our home. This, combined with a full-length stretch up the side of the wall to point the way to the device, ensures his daily laser-ing needs are more than met.
If you’ve ever owned a cat – and maybe even if you haven’t – you know they make some of the most interesting roommates you could ever dream of. In the summer of 2020, I went a little off the deep end during the pandemic and dedicated a whole project to celebrating all the silly things my cats do around the house. I illustrated each “cat business” as a vintage road sign (because I love vintage signs) and called the project “See Cat City” after the famous roadside attraction “See Rock City”
Aside from having a blast, I also raised $2600 for a local cat shelter called Chalky’s Cat Crusade and donated all the funds to help them build a new shed for sheltering animals in need.
