Theodorus Maximus

New Kitty!, originally uploaded by squirlaraptor.

Max, for short. Cory and I adopted him Monday. He's about 3 years old and very sweet. They had named him Maximus at the shelter and even though I really wanted to choose a new name for him (since I think naming a new kitty is part of making the kitty part of my family), he really is a Max. They got it right.

He has been exploring the house, cuddling with us, and generally being very cool about everything. Gracie, on the other hand, is pissed and scared. It doesn't look like there will be any catfights to break up, since he doesn't seem fazed by her hissing and she is ultimately a chicken, but I am hoping she gets used to his presence soon. Right now she's hiding in the bathroom (That's what she does anytime she gets scared. When there's a thunderstorm, she hides in the bathroom, too.) and hissing when she hears Max go by or when she is feeling particularly stressed. I think that when she accepts the fact that he's staying and starts to get braver, they will eventually be buddies.

Sophie's gone.

The vet said six months ago that she probably wouldn't last much longer. During those six months, Sophie was skinny and weak but still cuddly and playful and interested in things. Last night she was more wobbly than usual and this morning I found her lying awkwardly by the window breathing hard and drooling a lot. She was clearly in pain, so I took her to the vet. The vet examined her and said her body was shutting down and she was trying to go.

I expected that this would be her last vet trip, but it was still really hard to see her go. At least this time I know did everything right. I took good care of her and didn't let her live in pain. I already miss her lots, though. Usually when I'm sad I cuddle up with Sophie and she helps me feel better. :-(

Mysterious Light Leaks

I took these photos with my Minolta using new film. I have absolutely no idea why they turned out like this. It's definitely interesting, though.



What's funny to me is that although the first two posted here are clearly pictures of Gracie (with additional and unplanned special effects), the last is completely unidentifiable. I have no idea what I was shooting.

Flickr Inspiration: PyunpyunMaru

This week in my Flickr Inspiration series I want to highlight PyunpyunMaru. He is a photographer in Tokyo who takes stray cats as his primary subject.

I love cats (and good photos of cats) and frequently find myself searching flickr for the next best kitty picture, so this is probably how I came across his stream. His series of stray cat photos includes what are perhaps the best photos of stray cats I've come across.  They stand out as good photographs, but more than that, they regularly capture elements of normal feline life.  In other words, his cat photos are about more than just cats being cute. 

Ordinarily, I would feature samples of photography in a post like this, but this time because of copyright and licensing issues I can't really do that. Instead, I will just urge you to click on over and check out his photostream.

Here are a few of my personal favorites from the stray cats series:
cat_117 (sad and lonely)
cat_174 (I think. Therefore I am.)
cat_177 (Say Cheese!! part.2)
cat_180 (C'est la vie)
cat_229 (expansive mood)
cat_269 (feel left out.....Is three a crowd? ...)

Young Sophie

My kitty Sophie is very sick and may have to be put to sleep within the next month, according to the vet. I wanted to post some pictures of her, including some of her when she was younger, so I scanned and uploaded some of her kitten and adolescent kitty photos.

Here are a few relatively recent photos of Sophie:


And here are a few of Sophie as a youngster (the quality is lower, but she is still supercute):


And, finally, here is one of the last pictures I have of my mom, my brother, and myself together. We're holding all three of our kitties (from left to right: Heidi, Sophie, and Lucy). This was taken sometime in 1999.

Day Three Hundred and Sixty-Two: Pretty Sophie

This is my last kitty photo of my project 365. Both Sophie and Gracie made lovely models over the course of the year and saved me from several days of otherwise uninspired photography. Hooray for kitties!

Day Three Hundred and Fifty: Whiskers

Gracie lies on the kitchen table, looking out the window. She does not want to sit still for the camera. She pretends to be too cool for posing and in doing so strikes a pose.

Day Three Hundred and Thirty-Six: Alert

Sophie sees something behind me--or at least pretends to. It makes me so nervous when she does that.

Day Three Hundred and Twenty-One: One-Eyed

Another day of interrupting Sophie's naptime to take pictures.

Day Three Hundred and Six: Sunbeam

Sophie's my little sunbeam. My grumpy, demanding little sunbeam.

Day Three Hundred and Three: The Watcher

I was just wandering around taking pictures of the house and got this one of Gracie watching me from the end of the hall. I thought it was cute--in a kind of creepy way.

Also, I love the purple walls!

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Two: Banjo

Cory and I went to hang out with Jess and she had this banjo. We had veggie lasagna (yum!) and played Race for the Galaxy (fun!).


Here are some more photos from Jess's (featuring her cat Harley):

Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Three: Grump

Usually, my kitties are nice models, but on this day they were resentful and twitchy. This was actually the only decent photo I took of either of them.

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Six: Beckoning

“Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. Always, I am on the threshold.”

~W. Eugene Smith

Day Two Hundred and Sixty-Two: Out of the Depths

Gracie prepares to attack Sophie.
Sophie prepares to defend her position.

Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

~Carl Sandburg

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-One: Change

I've had this change purse since I was a little girl. It's really too small to carry enough change to be useful, but it's so cute.


It was probably a gift from a family member. I have always loved cats and so for years and years, any time any family member gave me a gift it was something cat-themed, about cats, or in the shape of a cat.

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Six: Model

I took a lot of pictures of Gracie on this day and she looked so pretty in all of them. Maybe she should be a cat model.

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Two: Up Close and Personal

I was so sick. I stayed in bed all day (even skipping a rehearsal) with my kitties and some crackers and Sprite.

Day Two Hundred and Thirty-Three: The Observer

I know I just posted another Gracie photo for my Project 365 a couple of days ago, but this one just turned out so well I couldn't resist it.