Oil on museum quality Ampersand Gessobord™ panel - 8" x 10"The recent spate of posthumous pet portraits has led me to the archives and this image of my own dearly departed Vincent. If you have ever read Cleveland Amory's "The cat who came for Christmas" you will understand the reference that Vincent was my "Polar Bear". A cat like him comes along once in a lifetime (if you're lucky). I am twice blessed because J.J., too, is such a cat, (meaning no disrespect to Sammy, Shirley or Ella). Vincent was only with us for ten years and struggled with uncontrolled diabetes for the last 3 1/2 of those. We planned our social schedule around his 12 hour insulin routine. What a brave boy he was! Because his blood sugar had wild swings up and down, we had to test it just before giving his shot. The drill was this: heat a small sock filled with rice in the microwave. Press it to his ear until the blood warmed and shine a small flashlight to see a vein. Prick it with a retractable lance pen and get a sample then calculate the amount of insulin. You would think the sound of the microwave would send him hiding under the bed. On the contrary - he would saunter into the kitchen and flop over on the rug, knowing he was going to get lots of love and attention. God, I miss him.
6 comments:
Love this. It has kind of a Matisse feel with the pattern of the pillow in the background. And, I miss your sweet boy too.
Thanks Deb.
I wrestled with putting the floral notes in the pillow but in the end I like it.
A most appropriate painting given the significance of the week...
http://www.muchlove.org/2011/01/30/cat-guy-week-feb-7th-13th/
CAT GUY WEEK IN LA
FEB 7-13
For too long man and his canine friend have dominated the human/pet relationship headlines. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, there’s another union that often goes overlooked. There are men in this country, in this city to be exact, that don’t march to the beat of the doggie drum. They like cats. And although it’s not the norm in society, they are proud to be known as Cat Guys.
At first thought you might think these men to be on the softer side, but truth is they are anything but. They are some of the most manliest, most rugged, most testosterone-filled individuals on the planet.
Who knew?...Thanks Gary
What a lovely tribute to a loving pet. I love this submissive, cuddly pose that cats do.
We have two cats which must live outdoors because of our allergies, which seems sad. Most of the time they do not seem to mind it. And there are plenty of places they snuggle together in shelter, like our root cellar which is quite protected from the elements. It's like their den I guess.
I go outside several times a day to give them attention. It's especially funny to me when the wildest of the two decides to quit pacing for a few minutes and roll in the snow, then strike this position, signaling that he will now take a little lovin'.
Thanks, Diana. Aside from our 4 indoor kitties we too have 2 girls that live on our back porch. They are totally feral but have it made in their custom duplex r-19 insulated cat house complete with heated beds and other accouterments. They don't show their bellies much but the inside kids sure do.
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