It's January Giveaway Time!

Just who is this woman and where did all of these kittens come from? And why does she have so many different hair colors?

Any ideas?

Leave your theories in the comments section of this post (50 words or less please), and you will be entered into a drawing for this set of 3 tile coasters from my Cafepress shop! Giveaway ends Sunday, January 17 at 7 p.m. PST when one name will be drawn at random.


Please make sure that I have a way to contact you if you are a winner, such as a link to your blog or e-mail address, or contact me directly at my e-mail with your info...

Also, if you encounter trouble with the Comments feature, you may send your entry by e-mail by clicking "view my complete profile" at the end of "About Me" where you will find an e-mail link...

NOTE: Guesses and theories that were entered on my Facebook fan page are also eligible and will be included in the drawing!

Thanks for participating!!

Confined Spaces in Wild Places

Illustration Friday
(theme:"confined")

Young Gilbert is inexplicably drawn to sitting in confined spaces. Unfortunately, this is directly at odds with his keen instinct to pursue big game hunting and can often lead to perplexing and somewhat embarrassing predicaments...

Thanks for visiting!

Gilbert's predicament is available on a wide array of brand new t-shirts and gift items for both kids and adults in my Cafepress shop. Purr-fect gift ideas for your favorite Cat Lover, Garden Goddess, or Bird Watcher! Click here:

BIRD BRAIN No. 7

Birthday Twins...A Good Investment

Cat Lady Ann knows a thing or two about good investments:

"I adopted Fred [orange tabby, pictured above] from my investment broker - needless to say, best investment I made with him. Fred was born April 30, 1995. I named him Fred ('Frederick' when he gets in trouble) since the cat I had at that time was named Barney - what else could I do? :o) Fred is a big, beautiful, green-eyed orange tabby, very social, a real lap-cat."

Another excellent investment: A feline fella!!

"One of my requirements in a man was that he had to like cats and Sam [handsome gentleman, pictured above] had a cat when I met him. Her name was Misty. I had two cats, Fred and Pierre. We all became one family in June 2002.

"We adopted Edmund [also pictured above], sometimes known as Mr. Ed, Eddie or just plain Ed, July 1, 2008. His mother was a stray that arrived at a friend's house and a few months later on April 29th left very pregnant, so my friend believes she had the kittens the next day, April 30th. She never expected to see the mom cat again but a few weeks later mom and her four kittens appeared outside her kitchen window. She took care of them until they were ready to be adopted. We lost a cat from a heart blood clot in April and were ready to adopt - so we took a look and came home with Edmund, a mix but looks like a chocolate point Siamese. Quite a handsome fellow with gorgeous blue eyes."

Although birthday twins Fred and Ed were born 14 years apart, obviously their stars were aligned just right to land in such a loving home with Cat Lady Ann and Feline Fella Sam!

This portrait was commissioned by Daughter-In-Law Natasha. Be sure to visit her delightful blog: Samster Mommy- Crafting, Cooking, and Chaos from Mommyland. You'll find lots of great craft tutorials and recipes for the busy mom!

Did You Know?

Did you know that in addition to being co-founder of Angelcat Haven Feline Rescue, Cat Lady Rose (No. 338) is also a columnist?

Her column is called "Kitty Corner" and appears every other week in the Sun Chronicle newspaper in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Here is a link to this week's installment, called Our 'Children With Fur'

Enjoy!

Canine Cuties

You might have noticed that the title of this blog has been amended to "365 Cat Ladies and Friends." It has become apparent to me over the past year that Cat Ladies sometimes adore furry and feathered friends that are not of the feline persuasion.

I have enjoyed painting portraits that include bunnies, a parakeet, a hamster, many dogs, and even two chinchillas! I will be featuring some of these over the next few months, but you can also take a peek at them in this photo album: Susan Faye Custom Portraits

This portrait of Karen and Andi was commissioned by Cat Lady Flora who tells us:

"Animal lover Karen and her husband Mike live in a wonderful old Victorian house that they've restored along with the help and supervision of their dogs, Andi, an Australian shepherd (pictured at left), and Jill, a Basenji.

"Andi is 14 but still pretty spry. She is brilliant. We all wish we were as smart as that dog. She has a herd -- Karen's budgies. She supervises feeding and notifies Karen when it is time for them to go to sleep.

"In her prime, Andi was a frisbee pro and performed at several of our local AAA baseball games. Karen is a master gardener and has created a stunning landscape in their back yard. Unfortunately Andi and Jill feel obliged to add their efforts by digging up plants on occasion, but Karen is unflappable and takes it in stride."

Thanks for visiting!

Cat Lady Sandy...A Cat's Best Friend

Eleven-year-old Cisco (pictured on the left) was Cat Lady Sandy's very first cat. She found him crying in a garbage can when he was just a tiny kitten, and he has owned her heart ever since, and visa versa.

As good friend Flora reports: "Cisco is a one-woman cat and gets jealous when others vie for Sandy's attention. Cisco particularly likes supervising Sandy's devotional reading time every morning because he gets her all to himself...Sandy is very devoted to her family and friends and spends most of her time focusing on the needs of others, so I think it is only right that at least one of God's creatures spends his time focused on her."

Kitty Cara showed up a couple of years ago to become the official outside cat, "but a run-in with some fanged neighborhood thugs last winter convinced her that life as an indoor cat had much to recommend it. Cisco and Cara now spend their days pretending the other doesn't exist."

This portrait may be the only time you ever see these two lucky adoptees in such close proximity!

Thanks for visiting!



WELCOME 2010! This WALL POSTER CALENDAR is priced right at $5.99 and I have dozens of different Cat Lady designs to choose from. See the entire selection at: Susan Faye Poster Calendars

Cat Lady No. 365...Cue the Fireworks!

Strike up the band! Shout from the rooftops! I'm dancing a jig! I see the number 365 in this post's title!!!!

When I set out a year ago to write a daily blog with a new painting of a Cat Lady each day, little did I know what a fun adventure I was embarking on! Through the miracles of modern technology, I have made the acquaintance of a multitude of fabulous and fascinating Cat Ladies and Lads and their feline friends from around the world. I am grateful for your friendships, your stories, your collaborations, and your support over the last 365 days!

What's next? I'm looking forward to the next 365 days. You'll notice there's a brand new header up above and there are many more stories and portraits to share, although not necessarily on a DAILY basis...This blog will be evolving, and will include news and updates on some of my featured cat ladies past and future. You are invited to send in tidbits about Cat Lady events, birthdays, new projects, adoptions, and other newsworthy events in your life. Send them to my email: art@undertheoaks.net with the words "365 Cat Ladies" in the subject line.

I'm also cooking up some new ideas and projects which I will be announcing in the coming month or two, so stay tuned!

My kitty companion Buttonwillow and I would like to wish each and every one of you a healthy, prosperous, love-filled and PURR-fect New Year! All the best, Susan