Willie Rembrandt Black, model extraordinaire.

I have been a working cat all my life.  When someone is going to take my picture and they say, "stay", I don't move a muscle.  When they click their nails I look where they did the clicking and I stay there.  I concentrate!  I'm a really good boy and the best artists' model in the world!  

On this day when I was finished working I went in the wood pile after the lizard.  I didn't try to catch it, I just wanted a closer look and I gave it a little pat on the back.

Let's Go!

 

I like to go for rides as long as it's not in a car or van, they take you to the vet and well, you know the things they do!  When we lived in town I had a cat mobile that I rode in.  Jean says I'm too fat for this that I would bounce out like a rubber ball but I like it and I would hold on.  Maybe she'll build me another cat mobile so I can get strolled around.  

No pesky ants!

It's a nice time of year when it's fairly warm and the ants aren't in the yard to bother me.  I got a little sun on my tummy and I would have had a big nap except I have to keep an eye out for those mean rabbits........I know, I know, everybody thinks they aren't mean but just go lay out in the yard with your eyes closed, they'll sneak up on you and you'll find out.  

Help!  I'm being poisoned!

Since Jean took away my dry food I'm eating raw food.  It's 95% venison, duck and sometimes other things but those are my favorites.  I hate change but I do really love the raw food, it makes me feel like a big tiger.  I have to chew and chew, I had almost forgot how to chew.  If I had known that real meat was so good I might have considered killing something when I was living in Alabama and going outside.  Oh, just that thought made me gag!  No killing, I'll just have my meat out of the freezer, thank you.   Aside from missing my dry kibble, Jean gives me melted coconut oil in a syringe twice a day and it makes me gag.  I gag when I see it even before she gets to me.  Sometimes I just think about it and gag.  She says it's making me feel better because I don't limp now and I walk around more, my fur looks good and I've stopped licking the fur off my belly,  but it's just spring and every cat feels better when it's spring.  I know it has nothing to do with that horrible coconut oil!  It is nice that I get yogurt after I have the dreaded coconut oil. 

 

Happy Easter!

 

Today I heard a bird hit the window so I yelled, "I wanna go outside!".  Jean came and opened the door.  I immediately went under the bush where the dove had landed.  I patted it and made it flutter its wings.  While I was sitting there thinking what to do next Jean dragged me out by my tail!  That was so rude!  She told me if I didn't watch it I'm going to have to start wearing my leash again (see picture).  The best thing was to get away from the bush for the time being until I can catch her not watching, then I'll get under there and see if the dove is still there.  I used to chase rabbits under that bush but they are pretty big and I decided that might not be such a good idea, no telling what a mad rabbit might do!  Next I went over to an area behind the bird block and scared up two quail, I made them fly away.  I am a mighty hunter on this day!  Tonight I'm going to dream of all these adventures and tomorrow I'm going to see if I can catch the Easter bunny, whatever that is.  I hope it's not mean.

 

 

Well, it's been a really long time since I posted!  Jean says we'll try to do it once every week or two.  I hope so! 

Here is a picture of me just letting the breeze blow on my belly while I relax and have a little cat nap.

I am almost 16 now.  I wasn't feeling too great but I'm on an all raw food diet and I get two squirts of coconut oil twice a day.  I am not fond of getting things squirted in my mouth but I have to admit that it does make me feel better and I really like the raw food.  I have always had a bowl of dry food and that is gone, I miss it.  I don't miss eating it, I just miss it being there in case I need it.  The raw food makes me feel like a wild cat.  Not that I have ever gone out and caught my food, yuck!  Food should be served in a bowl well prepared for a cat like me. 

 



Buffet

It's a cool, windy day today.  A good day to stay inside and have a snuggle in a warm bed!  

I found out what a buffet is and I like buffets!  About a week ago, I threw up so Jean gave me a little canned cat food with some extra water and some raw steak chopped up real fine.  I was in her studio where my bowl of dry food always has been so she brought the other two bowls and put them in a row beside my dry food, so it was dry food, raw beef, then canned food, then water glass.  I was amazed at the choices!  I wanted to enjoy and take it all in because this was special to a cat who only has one thing at a time!  I sat in front of the bowls, looking back and forth for a minute just savoring the concept of "buffet".  Then, I walked around the dishes deciding how and where I wanted to start.  Then, I sat for a while again just enjoying.  My tummy was more than ready for me to eat so I started.  One bite of dry food, one bite of beef, one bite of canned food and repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat and just because it was so fun I couldn't help myself........repeat!  I finished off with a nice drink of water.  WOW!  That was fun!  Since then, I've been looking sadly to the right where the other two bowls sat when Jean gives me food, but she just ignores me!  I'm trying to be a really good kitty since I can't just throw up when I want to, well not always anyway.  I hope if I'm really good, I'll get to have a buffet again!

Wizard Willie

You might not know this about me but I'm a wizard.  I'm the cat behind all the animals at Hogwarts. I had to stay behind the scenes or in the shadows because I would have stolen the show and since I'm the one with the real powers, I didn't want to make the others look bad.  Being a wizard is a serious job, takes a lot of thought and planning.  Here I am all exhausted, writing spells is hard!

Happy Days!

They are finally back home.  It was a rough week!  One good thing about Jean getting back from a trip is that she gives me more attention and I act pitiful so I get as much as I can.  I'm hanging over her knee which is my favorite place in the whole wide world and getting my neck scratched.  I also had a tad of fresh catnip.  I am told that tomorrow is a work day......that means I may have to model!  I'm hoping they'll be painting fruit or something, anything besides cat!  

I just can't believe it!

They are leaving again!  This time Tom's going because his bag is packed.  I keep up with all this since nobody tells me anything!  I know how many bags and who they belong to.  I also know when the big cooler on rollers gets loaded up they are only going for a day to get a lot of groceries.  
There is a rabbit living behind a bush by the back door.  I went out late yesterday afternoon and the rabbit wouldn't get away from the door.  I was afraid it was going to try to come in the house or maybe it was going to bite me when I tried to come in, it was very annoying!  I couldn't concentrate and have much fun for that pesky rabbit so I had to catch it not looking and make a dash for the door.  It sits outside the door and stares at me when I'm looking out.  I thought rabbits were afraid of cats, I just don't get these rabbits!  I think they are mean and devious and may not even be real rabbits, there's just no telling!  
Steve will be here to stay with me some of the time, I'll be alone a lot more than I want to be!  I sure hope Steve doesn't let the rabbit come in the house!
I'll tell you how my week went when Jean gets back so I can use the computer......sigh.

You just never know!

I was minding my own business taking a nap.  Tom did another painting of me today, thankfully he did it from a photograph but he needed me to model for a few minutes to get some detail right so I was dragged up out of my nice warm bed to work........On Sunday!  I should join a union!

Some people!

You just can't trust some people!  I know Tom is going to sneak in here and take Bunny if I go to sleep.  I have to find a good hiding place or Tom will be dangling Bunny in my face saying, "She's Mine now!" and I'll have to wrestle him.  

Big Brave Kitty Kitty!

Yesterday I went outside all by myself.  I wasn't afraid!  Jean usually goes out with me but she didn't want to go so she just left the sun room door open in case I had to make a run for it.  I stayed where I could see that the door was really open but I wasn't afraid, really!  I ate some grass and wondered around.  Saw a couple of those rabbits and I kept my eye on them too in case they decided to chase me since I was out there by myself but I wasn't afraid, I was just being careful.  I got to go all around the back yard.  I kept my eyes open in case a boogiebear came close to the fence but I wasn't afraid.  I also watched out for the owls, the ants and those black bugs that make me gag.  Those pesky grasshoppers make so much noise that after I made a turn about the yard I decided to just come inside so Jean wouldn't be worried about me.

Taking my job seriously!

As you know by now, I am a working cat.  I live with two artists.  I have to pose for paintings sometimes and that is really really hard!  Other times, I have to pose for photos and that's hard enough, believe me!  When someone clicks their fingers, I have to look at those fingers and stay that way until they say OK.  I would rather pose for pictures than for paintings because I can't take naps or even go pee until the timer goes off.  When that happens, it's a welcome relief and I hope it's over but it's usually not!  I do take my job seriously and do my best to please.  You can see how hard I'm concentrating in this picture of me with the peach blossoms.  I got to smell all the peach blossoms before work began, I have to smell all the flowers that come into the house.  I sure was glad there wasn't a bee or an ant on there, I really don't like bees, I'll tell you why one day.

Now, here is the painting that was done from the photograph.  A person in Texas bought it because she loved that my nose is exactly the color of peach blossoms, who knew!  

Playing catch up

I haven't posted anything in a while because nobody would let me use the computer!  I'm pretty sure I could do it on my own.  Jean was gone for a week, I was sure she had gone off and a coyote or some other big boogiebear got her but she came back.  I was so happy to see her that I couldn't act mad, I missed her but Tom and I had a good time.  He's awesome and gave me lots of attention.  
Here's a picture of me getting my neck scratched and hanging over Jean's knee, one of my favorite places to hang out!  Yeah, I have no pride, I was one happy cat to get her back!
They say I have to dress up and get some new photos for my blog so I will have to be a good kitty kitty and do what they say.  I always get something yummy when I do good.

She's going!

Jean is going on a trip and I'm sad.  The good thing is Tom will be here with me so no telling what we'll do.  I just wish they would both be here, it's not the same!  I'm not allowed to use the computer on my own so there will be no posts until she comes back on the 18th and I have time to tell her what all we did while she was gone.  I don't think I'll go outside because Tom is scary out there but I might change my mind if he will leave the door open so I can get back in if he starts making a lot of noise.

Happy Labor Day!

No labor for me today, I'm just taking it easy.  I'm groomed and fed so it's time for a nap.  A new favorite thing of mine since it's summer is shaved frozen steak, yum yum!  I eat it while it's so cold, it's like kitty snow cone.  As soon as I eat it, I either go lay in the sun or get in my cubby hole and take a nice nap.  Naps are fun, I don't know why people don't take more of them.  

Tarantula

I like tarantulas, I think they are cute and would be fun to toss in the air but Jean watches me like a hawk when I'm outside and she won't let me play with them.  You should hear her screaming and jumping around when I get close to one, then she grabs me and takes me inside.  When we first moved here I found one.  I patted it on the back and it felt nice so similar to one of the pom pom balls that I like.  A tarantula was living in a hole in front of the house, I had been watching it.  One day it was out of the hole, sitting on the water hose when Jean came along and picked up the hose.  The tarantula got off the hose and headed toward it's house when she saw it and had one of her fits, of course!  She put a rock on the hole but in a few days the tarantula had made an escape route beside the rock, they are smart, another thing I like about them.  I thought I was eventually going to get to play with it but then here comes Steve over!  They got a jar and Steve brought his video camera, you can see what happened next if you watch this video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtoZnzgjc6U  Jean held the camera and missed the part where it came up out of that hole, I think she got busy having one of her fits.  I wanted to grab it but I was told to stay out of the way!  They took the poor tarantula way over on the other side of the road, I've been watching the hole area in case he comes back but so far there has been no activity.  I put my eye over the hole and looked but he's not home!

Ignorance is bliss

You want me to do what?  I don’t understand that command.  No, I still don’t get it.  Can’t hear you!

Worried

I'm a little worried and trying to figure out what is going on.  At first I thought they were going on a trip which means I have to stay home with Steve.  Steve works so he's not here as much as he should be and that means I'm alone too much!  Jean was packing up her art supplies and clothing so I was sure they were leaving but she didn't pack the usual bags and nobody got the French easels so now, I'm just worried and don't know what's going on!  They left with the boxes and then they came back without the boxes.  If they go on a trip, they call it teaching a workshop, I don't get to go outside and I miss them!  I won't sleep with Steve unless he turns that loud fan off and he says he can't sleep without it.  I miss my usual people and having things done the way I'm used to having them!  I'm keeping my eyes and ears open!