I painted this painting several years ago, well before the days when I started signing my work BZTAT (c. 2001). It was purchased by my doctor from a gallery that no longer exists. At the time, I had not seen her but for a couple of times, and she did not recognize that she had bought a painting from a patient until she took it back to her office.
Now I, and her other patients get the pleasure of viewing it when they come to visit. Lucky for me in regards to my health, that doesn’t happen often.
My doctor has purchased other paintings from me since then, though. An avid dog lover, I have painted her pups’ portraits. And now, she has asked me to paint a companion piece to this one. How fun!
I used to paint and draw patterns and symbols like this a lot in the past. I am looking forward to giving it a go again.
I have always had short hair cats until Noah and Who found their way to me.
I really was not keen on long hair cats, and I was hesitant with these two. But as I shared in yesterday’s post, I reached a point where I needed a new cat, and these two needed a home.
Noah (top) and Who (bottom) are brothers. Their mother, pregnant with them and their sister, was a stray cat rescued by a woman in Waco, OH.
They were kept in a basement in a plastic bin after they were born. The basement flooded, and all but Noah climbed to safety onto a shelf. He was found floating around in his plastic “ark”, hence the name.
I needed another cat for Slick to have a companion after her best pal Bub went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2004. I coincidentally, had a need for a another cat, as well.
I had just moved my mother, recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, from Houston, TX to live in a supervised facility near me in Ohio. The only way I could make the move acceptable to her was getting her a feline companion. Luckily, the facility was pet friendly.
“Who” photo by BZTAT
My mother had always been one to name pets unique names, so her attempt to simply call her new cat “Kitty” really brought her disease into focus for me. I had to push her to name him something different. Eventually, we settled on “Kitty Kat Who” after the “Cat Who…” murder mystery series by Lillian Jackson Braun, her favorite book series at the time. I simply called him Who.
Who was a great companion for my mother for 4 years until her illness progressed and she had to be moved to a more secure facility. He was not allowed at the new facility, and he came to live with me.
Noah was a huge even as a kitten. He eventually grew to a humongous 21 lbs! He became very overweight and had to go through a special weight loss program. Now he is around 18 lbs, which is still huge, but a fairly normal weight for him. He could still use to go down a pound or two, but couldn’t we all?
“Noah” photo by BZTAT
When I first got Noah, he was a VERY rambunctious fellow, and he proved to be too much for Slick. I brought Brewskie into our home to give him some distraction. It worked.
Brewskie is the MASTER of distraction.
Noah is now a pretty calm fellow. He is probably the one cat with whom everyone, including Okey, is the most comfortable.
I have always loved tortoise shell cats. When Slick found her way into my life 17 years ago, that love found fulfillment.
She was the “baby” back then. Now she is the matriarch in the family. She has renal disease, but is mostly asymptomatic, and she is in pretty good shape for her age.
Recent photo of Slick, the Queen of Comfort
I wrote about Slick’s story back in 2009. I don’t think I can improve upon it, so I thought I would share what I wrote back then. What follows is a reprint from a post that I wrote on 6/27/09.
Slick came into my life in the summer of 1995. A small oil spill caused by a pipeline rupture had filled the Tuscarawas River near my home with black oily goo. I volunteered with the wildlife rescue for the spill, as many ducks and geese were harmed by the oil that invaded their habitat. Along with the wildlife, the rangers also brought in a calico kitten who had been romping along the riverbed.
I already had two cats at the time, Beezie (read about Beezie here) and Bub. I had no intentions of taking in any more cats. But there was something about this little kitten…The rangers thought that she had oil on her because of the black patches in her fur, but that turned out to be her natural markings. She did have an injured paw, though. I was concerned that she would not be saved if they took her to the Humane Society. The local HS was a fine organization, but was overwhelmed, and not likely to treat an injured animal.
I made the mistake of putting my hand in the cage that held the kitten. She purred and loved on me so sweetly, there was no way this cat was going to the Humane Society. The rangers gladly allowed me to adopt her. She was named Slick after the oil spill, and she has been with me ever since.
A minor surgery fixed her paw, and Slick quickly took over my home. She and Bub became friends quickly, and they were best buds until Bub went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2004. Beezie never quite warmed up to her, but she tolerated her, much the same way that Slick tolerates Brewskie today.
Slick and her best pal Bub
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Slick tormenting Beezie
Slick became an indoor-only cat at my home. She was pretty wild at first, and obviously missed climbing trees. She loved to climb up on high things like the refrigerator, kitchen cabinets and curtain rods. She has always been a silly character, doing kooky things. She settled down somewhat after a couple of years, but she continues to enjoy high places. She still gets the zoomies now and then, and she is still kooky. She loves the nip and gets drunk as a skunk whenever she partakes.
Slick pretending the cabinets are a tree
Slick has always been a great cuddler, and her short tortoise shell colored fur is very soft. Brewskie gets very jealous when she and I cuddle.
I always considered Slick to be my baby. She was younger than Beezie and Bub, and she always just acted younger. Things changed, however, when Beezie went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2003 and Bub in 2004. She and I were both lost without our other pals. She especially missed Bub, with whom she was particularly close.
I knew that Slick would need another companion, as I was often gone for most of the day. A friend directed me to a family that had newly born kittens, and I brought home Noah. Noah proved to be a bit too aggressive for Slick, so I brought home Brewskie to redirect him a bit. Now Brewskie is best buds with Noah in much the same way that Slick and Bub had been. My mother’s cat named “Who” joined us in March 2008 when Mom had to go into a nursing home.
Slick and Brewskie
Although I got the others to keep her company, Slick has never really forgiven me for bringing these monsters into her home! She has always treated them with disdain. Brewskie, knowing that I always protect Slick when he or one of the others picks on her, gets especially jealous when I cuddle with her. He seems to think that I favor her.
I love all my cats dearly. But the Brew maybe right. I do sometimes show Slick special attention, because of our history and because she is so much older than the others. Can you blame me?
