May 25, 2011

Cat Hobbies

Do you and your pet share a favorite pastime? Like many other feline fanatics around the globe, Cat Lady Julie and her feline friends enjoy the wonderful world of birdwatching. Julie, Misu and Caroline like nothing better than sitting in their living room to watch the hummingbirds that come to feed on their patio, not to mention other birds and chipmunks too!


Julie tells us a little about her fellow birdwatchers, pictured in the portrait above (the portrait is a bit of a fantasy, as Misu and Caroline are strictly indoor birdwatchers):

"Misu [on the left] will be 12 years old in October. A friend of mine was moving from Iowa to Florida and she had a birthday present for me that if I did not come get it she was going to keep it for herself after having it for about a week. We met for dinner and she had this sweet little kitty with ribbons around his neck, like he was a little present.

"I had asked her what she had been calling him, just “misu-misu” which is “kitty-kitty” in Spanish. Because she was moving I wanted to keep the name in honor of her. I still tease her about the week he spent with her--she talks all the time and Misu is a big talker. I know the tone of his meows are based on what he wants. He’s hungry, wants attention, wants more attention, stop petting me now, etc.

"He is my baby, always has been, I carry him around on my shoulder and he lets me do most anything walking around while I hold him up on my shoulder, even at his 21 pounds… He sleeps with me every night and follows me where ever I am in my apartment, it’s very rare that I do not know where Misu is. I have always had cats but never bonded with any like I have with Misu, he is my soul-mate kitty- I hope he lives another 12 years..."


"Caroline will be two years old in November. I got Caroline because Misu and I moved to a new apartment. Misu had never been alone all day... so I hated leaving him at home alone for 10-11 hours a day. Caroline is a rescue kitty, I got her from the local Animal Rescue League as a kitten, just 8 weeks old. I was worried as Misu is set in his ways and had not played with another cat in years. I brought Caroline home, she instantly got out of the carrier and took over, not shy at all. She put herself in Misu’s life whether he liked it or not and within a week they were friends, and finally my old man is playing again!"

"Caroline is very sweet natured and a full blown trouble maker at the same time. Being a Maine Coon Tabby she has a ton of fur and HATES being brushed, but between the two of us she has beautiful healthy fur!"

Julie asked for a ladybug in her portrait, as they bring her good luck. I'd say the ladybug thing is working--isn't she lucky to have such wonderful bird-watching buddies?

What pastimes do you enjoy sharing with your pets?


Custom Pet portraits have returned! They are once again available in my Etsy shop until the end of September. Click here for details:

8 comments:

Birdie said...

I know I am not supposed to give my cat milk but my cat spends most of his life waiting for skim milk. He won't drink 1%, 2% or whole milk. It must be skim. If he doesn't get it he cries like a newborn baby. If he still does not get it he goes into attack mode and gets angry at the world. Once we give him a spoonful he becomes very purry and loving. We have to be careful when we are drinking milk ourselves because he will go to any length to get a few laps.

Karen and Gerard said...

I enjoy playing with my pets and petting them while I exercise with my Bosu Ball.

Angie said...

While I work on my paper crafting, little Reenie goes after scraps and plays with them. I always try to keep little flowers and other embellishments in a ziplock bag or she'll have a field day chewing them up. Boux is the man of the family and just watches the birds from my kitchen door if I'm using the counter. If I stay in the craft room, they stay nearby.

Annuk said...

I loved reading Misu's and Caroline's stories!!! They are lucky, happy kitties!
Zoe and I share a favorite pastime too: we love sitting on our balcony and enjoying the sun and our little "garden"! When I do some gardening, Zoe loves to help me and watches that everything is going well! :)

Unknown said...

Haha--Birdie, that is funny that your kitty holds out for skim. Whenever I have a bowl of cereal, Buttonwillow waits patiently and when I'm done,loves to lick the last little puddle of milk from the bowl. Her digestive system seems to handle it just fine.

It's fun how our cats are so social and want to share activities with us!

Hannalei said...

Sleeping, snuggling, watching them play with each other and .... the laser toy. The laser toy I think might be more entertaining for me tho. Get 7 cats zipping around for the lil red dot and there is always some aching tummy at the end of it all. Good times. :)

craftydvl said...

Wonderful art and adorable kitties! My roommate has a cat who I enjoy playing with. He likes to chase string, and be petted on his nose (-:

21 Wits said...

Beauty we find in romping about nature...smelling flowers, chasing bugs and playing with one another! You catch the ball this time! Nice art work!