Two cats painted together on one canvas.
These two cats painted recently, were a special commission for a repeat client. The first portrait that I painted of her Weasley, the escape artist, was destroyed in a fire in which the client lost all her possessions. Fortunately, her cats were saved by firefighters.
The client tells us about her cats.
Jaws, (the cat at the bottom of the ladder).
Jaws is 9 years old, and I have had him since he was a kitten!
I acquired him in a bit of a unique way - during the summer of 2014, I had an office job and a co-worker had a flat tire on his way to work one morning. As he put it, a "questionable couple" dropped a small Timbit box (small doughnuts) in the parking lot he where the colleague had stopped, and inside was a kitten!
Unsure what to do with it, he brought the kitten to the office. I was primarily a dog person at that time so I didn't think much of it. Then I saw the little guy and fell in love!
Jaws has been with me ever since. He's lived in five homes with me, and he's really been through a lot. Jaws is sassy, vocal, and a bit of a ham. As an attention-seeker, he loves getting close to people, rubbing up against them, and is always happy to be petted. He is certainly the alpha out of the two cats!
Weasley (top of the ladder).
Weasley has certainly mellowed out as he's aged, (he's 10 now!) though I sometimes think he still longs for a life on the outside.
I adopted him from the Humane Society when he was around 6 or so. It was after Jaws and I had moved into a new apartment where it was just the two of us. I thought Jaws needed some company during the day while I was at work.
Weasley is a gentle giant. He is sometimes slow to warm up to people, but when he does, he will sit with you and purr while letting you pet him.
I don't know much of Weasley's story before I adopted him. He's a bit more street smart than Jaws, who has lived a very sheltered life in comparison. I feel and want to believe that the night of the fire when they were still in the apartment before the firefighters got them out, that Weasley was protecting them and keeping them both safe.
The fire.
The experience of almost losing both of them in such a tragic and traumatic way really highlighted how important they are to me - they're my little furry sons, my constant companions, and I am so so grateful to still have them.
They are the most resilient creatures, despite bouncing around and being apart from me while I was displaced after the fire. Before being able to get into my new place, they never lost their personalities. They have already made the new house their own, and Jaws in particular is running the house - as I expected he would!
The fire sounds very traumatic, Louise. It’s good to hear you all survived and seem settled again.
I am sure it was a very stressful event for the client and the months afterwards when she had to find a new place and start over must have been equally difficult. Thanks Graham.
Nice portrait of these two beautiful cats. I too have a ‘rescue’ cat found as a small tabby kitten dumped on beach. He was taken in by a local vet, and the rest is history. Ninja enjoys bossing his ‘parents’ around.
So many cats and dogs are abandoned in the last year. So sad. Hopefully, there are many people like you willing to rescue these animals and give them a loving home. Thanks Vivienne.
I love your both sweet cats, dear Louise. What would be a life without a cat???? Unimaginable!!!! Your story touches my heart. Never you can say ” No” to a cat. Our darling Nelly found in summer 2010 the way to our terrace. She was a 10 weeks old baby and nobody wanted to have her. One year before we lost our 19 years old cat Kitty and we were endless sad. Truth be told I always said never I want to have a cat. My heart was broken because of Kitty’s death. And then I see the eyes of this little black fur baby….. I feel certain you will understand my feelings…..
Our pets are indeed precious members of our family. They offer us much in the way of comfort and companionship without asking much in return. Thank you Birgit for sharing the story of your family pets.