We currently have four cats in regular Fur Suits and two cats in Sparkle Suits who have moved on from their Fur Suit-life to a Leisurely and Beautiful Life at a place we like to call Sparkle Pond.
Did I forget to mention that we also have a bunny?
Anyhow, one of our Sparkle Cats, Jobie, who left his Fur Suit in January of 2008, left behind
May 1st as the Official Sparkle Jobie Feast Day. May 1 had formerly been his birthday. We keep the day as a Celebration Day in his honor.
He demands it.
A Wee!Art Sparkle Jobie! So, on Friday, as Blisschick and I were sitting in the rabbit room with Miss Lilly (who is certainly the reincarnation of Jobie without a doubt), Miss Zoe, who was of course also in the room, but who was sitting in her hay box munching, said between bites of chamomile flowers and rose hips, "What are we doing on the Blog to celebrate Jobie's Feast Day?"
Blisschick and I exchanged surprised glances. Not only had Miss Zoe come up with a brilliant idea, she came up with a brilliant idea that didn't involve...well...herself.
A Wee!Art Black Cat with LotusWe'll leave it at that.
The idea we came up with, then, is to offer a Wee!Art Pet Portrait Giveaway.
Here's how you participate: After you finish reading this post and contemplating what a wonderful bunny Miss Zoe is (that's a Very Important Part of the process overall, mind you), after you do that, then write us a couple of sentences about a Fur Companion you had or have that meant or means the World to you.
OK, it doesn't have to be fur. It could be fur, feathered, or scaled. It could even be hairless. I love those hairless cats, don't you?
Anyway, write a comment to Zoe and me describing whoever this is and we will enter you in a drawing to win one of two Wee!Art pet portraits like you see pictured here in this post and at my etsy store Ordinary Enchantment.
Only, it will feature your little critter, whoever it may be.
That's all there is to it!! Write a comment and you're automatically entered in the drawing.
Everyone who enters will have their name written on a slip of paper and Miss Zoe, herself, will choose the winners this coming Sunday, May 10th at 5 PM.
So easy! Miss Zoe is accepting entries starting.....
NOW!!
17 comments:
How can I possibly resist. I'd love a portrait of my Lady Dog, a beagle/bassett who we lost to cancer in her 17th year. Just thinking how I miss that deep bell bark of hers brings me to tears. She loved us.
Dear Miss Zoe, I want to tell you about Jess, a lovely cat who came to me from a rescue home and brought joy into my life for about three years before deciding she would prefer a sparkle suit. I think she still visits from time to time. I know she would love a portrait.
What a wonderful giveaway!
I have a story to share with you and Zoe.
About 7 years ago, Todd and I adopted our first cat together. He was big and shy. The shelter gave him the name Terrance, but we felt inspired to give him a new name when he came home. We named him Chaim, a Hebrew word that is fun to say!
Chaim was awesome and loved to attack the stairs. He enjoyed all the great cornerstones of cat culture, like eating and sleeping and suddenly going crazy and running at top speed through the house.
One day, Chaim wouldn't eat, which was totally unheard of. We were worried. Over a period of just a few days we learned that Chaim had feline leukemia. He had developed an inoperable tumor and wouldn't be able to keep going.
We were utterly shocked, because Chaim showed no signs of suffering until that day. He had enjoyed his time with us and we loved our time with him.
We were devastated, of course, but also glad we'd been able to rescue "Terrance" from the shelter and give him some happy days. And of course it was then that we realized we'd name him Chaim, which means "life."
Chaim still seems to live in our house! Frequently we see a cat out of the corner of our eye (or in one notable instance, clearly in a mirror) where there isn't actually any regular sort of cat... :)
Whether I win or not, I am glad to be sharing this story and to read and honor others' stories here!
What a lovely giveaway! Thank you Miss Zoe for being a part of it
I've had quite a few pets over the years (including two lovely feline fur babies named Eric and Iris right now), but the one I would like to tell you about didn't even belong to me.
My voice teacher had a poodle, named Dexter. He was a young, black standard poodle who brought me so much joy at each lesson. He would greet me with a snuggle and was allowed to hang around in my voice lesson as long as he didn't sing along. That's right, Dexter was a singing poodle. I have old tapes of my voice lessons where he is singing along to my exercises! My teacher would then escort him to another room so we could continue my lesson with my voice being the focus.
A couple of years ago, Dexter got very sick and it turned out that he had cancer. He was only 5 or 6 and it was so sad to see this animal who was previously full of life and joy, acting lethargic and subdued. He passed away very soon after his diagnosis and I was incredibly sad when this happen. He brought me a lot of joy over the years that I knew him and I know that he was incredibly special to my teacher as well.
Thanks for letting me share ♥
It's hard to pick one because my critters tend to come in twos, but contemplating the awesomeness of Miss Zoe brings to mind Mr. Paisley. He could have been her brother. I love looking at the pictures of Zoe because she so reminds me of him. He, and Dora, were our first rabbits. We lost him only a year or so after we got him. When we went to adopt a new friend for Dora (his mate) the people at the foster group recognized her and one of Paisley's old foster mom's kept going on and on about what a great rabbit he was.
Now....all that being said...we already have a Paisley painting. So that brings to mind the turtle that I had in college. Not sure of the mental leap there, but go with me. My senior year of high school I got two turtles: Romeo and Juliet. Romeo died a rather appropriately tragic death, and Juliet nearly died too. Somehow she was nursed back to health. She then made the 1500 mile drive from Boston to Miami in a little travel tank. Ever seen a sea-sick turtle? Not a pretty site.
She lived happily in my dorm with me until my RA decided she didn't count as a fish. She then moved to the pond at my grandparents house for many years. I would visit and find her sunning herself on a big stone frog. She was an excellent turtle!
oh my, now i have a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. just this morning while on vacation, i wondered how my lovely dog curry was doing while i was away. the thought was only a split second and then i realized that we lost curry to old age and bad hips last labor day. he was the main reason worth coming home from vacation or anywhere really. unconditional love for sure. always happy to see me. no cold shoulder or backtalk...just pure,unadulterated slobbering furry love. i miss him dearly and would be delighted to have miss zoe pull our name out of the hat. while curry is embedded in my heart and mind, i would adore having him memorialized with one of your fine renditions!!!
Miss Zoe! If you pick me, you beautiful rabbit, I have a carrot for you. (No I am not above a little bunny brown nosing!)
Lucy is our only living girl. Since I couldn't bear to pick between our spirit pets, I would have her portrait done. She came to us 13 years ago, like all our guys, as a stray. She was very very skittish, especially because:
1) I brought her inside and my big tuxedo TC promptly tried to kill her
2) I then fixed her up a nice cozy cat box to stay in in the apartment breezeway, and as soon as she settled down in it, a big wind came and blew her and the box about 20 feet (guess that's why they call it a breezeway.)
Eventually she forgave me these transgressions, and has lived happily with us ever since. Her only flaw is peeing on the floor next to the litter box sometimes, but she does bring us little pieces of her food and lay them on our pillow to share, so we figure we are even.
PS A little purring prayer goes out on Jobie's day from we Chez Kavindra residents.
Wow, when I first saw your pet portraits I thought how much I'd like to have one of my cat Luther, who left his fur suit three years ago at the age of 16. He was a soulful brown tabby with blue green eyes and white mittens. He was closer to me than anyone on earth, and though I am so heartbroken I can longer hold him, I am grateful to have known him and shared so many years of my life with him. I know he is still here, just in a different form. In honor of his wonderful spirit, I send him merits whenever something good happens.
Awww! Well, of course you know I think Miss Zoe is rather wise, not to mention incredibly beautiful. Where would this blog be without her?
I actually wrote a tribute to my lovely fur-baby Cleopatra the Cat which you can read on my blog.
But in short. She is also a very clever girl. Somehow she managed to snare me into choosing her from the animal shelter when I was only there to help my boyfriend at the time choose a cat for his place.
And she's the ultimate best friend. For a long time when I was a very sad and broken person, she was there when no one else was. Like a lot of smart animals, she knows when I'm upset, and she loves getting a good snuggle in whenever she can.
I do wish though, she'd learn to just sit in the window sill when I'm working at my laptop instead of sitting there for a bit, then wandering around all sides of the computer. She generally only does that though, when she's decided its time I should get up for a break - especially to take care of her needs, like more food, being let outside or just a belly rub. :)
Thank you! I am enjoying these -so much!...I will post my own mini story soon:)
You have brought me beautiful memories of my beloved "Kitty" ~my first cat.
meow.....
I rescued Alice, whose name at the time was Cashmere, from the cocaine addict who lived above me. He disliked her intensely. Partly because his ex had 'dumped' her on him and as he told me, she'll go into your garbage. Someone had declawed her and she was spayed. I wish I knew her beginnings. The days before her death I kept imagining visions of her as a kitten.
She was also covered in fleas! When I tried to deflea her in that first few days, she was so afraid that she crawled up into my lap and peed! She never did that again.
We both recovered. Spent many nights listening to Louise Hay tapes which she absolutely loved.
She went deaf five years before she died. We ended up being together for 20 years. My dad was right when he said, oh no, now you'll never get married!
I have no idea how old she was when I went upstairs to get her. I had to put her sleep from kidney disease this January 7.
She was my 12 step recovery cat. We moved a zillion times (they love that!) and twice I had to temporarily leave her with friends when my own home wasn't stable. I will love her forever and I miss her terribly.
She never did go into my garbage. Funny how regular food curbs that 'bad habit'. Poor little girl was starving.
I love your work. Thank you for giving me a chance to share about her.
My very first pet, a blonde afghan hound named gypsy has a special place in my heart. He was a lovely hound, and very special ~ he showered me with unconditional love, always, and could not stand to be apart from me for very long. He died in 2001, but I still find myself aching for his special, beautiful love.
Your work is wonderful.
I could never have dogs growing up, since my parents were allergic, so as soon as I got married and moved into my own place I got Maggie, my now 2 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She is so important to me and actually helped me through my depression. Every day after work she would wait for me by the dog, showering me with doggie kisses! When I would cry or be sad, I know she could sense it. She would get as close as she could to me and sit right on my lap or lick my ears. She has a sense of people's emotions that is so amazing! I love her so much!
What a fun idea!
Pierre, Pierre, Pierre! When that little Frenchman came into my life, he filled my lonely days with fun and joie de vivre! He was a black toy poodle, but he never went in much for the fashion of the day; he was more Rastafarian in his fashion sense (meaning we didn't bother with Poodle cuts and let him go shaggy). We spent many days playing games. He tolerated my training and grooming sessions with patience, and he was my protector in the night. He was with me from elementary school all the way through high school, when he was tragically killed by a car. I've had many furry companions since then, but Pierre will always have a special place in my heart!
Miss Zoe ~ We adore you! (Sometimes Lisa even puts your photo on her desktop at work!) You are the coolest bunny EVER!!!
Obviously, our recently departed kitties ("the boyz") were oh-so-special to us. We miss them deeply and find it hard to believe they are both actually in their sparkle suits now.
Another furry creature that came our way (on the Sunday that Hurricane Katrina hit) was a guinea pig we found across the street in the grass. We named it G Pig ~ and cared for it for 2 weeks before finding it a permanent home (with two boys who renamed it Zelda!).
It is almost the 5th anniversary of the passing of my beloved Old English Sheepdog, Bart.
He was the love of my life and at the same time made me so mad most of his earlier years. Yes, he was the baddest dog, but always made me laugh, even when he'd done something REALLY bad, he would make me giggle. I brought him everywhere with me,even though he was 110lbs and super hairy, he was my constant companion. I even once took him to our restaurant lounge on Christmas eve one year. He sat up in the booth with us trying to lick everyones faces. Big Bad Bart. He was so loved by all that knew him.
Then he started to lose control of his hind end. For a year and a half he endured weekly vet visits and specialists, no one could figure out what was wrong with him. He had symptoms of Cushings Disease, but tested negative. They thought it was neorological, he visited a neorologist...you get the picture. He still loved going to the vet though, he would make sure to stop and say hi to all the staff and never lost his "wigglebum".
Then came the night when he told me he really had to go, I thought my heart would never mend, and he spent the last minutes of his life licking my tears away, Bart hated when I cried. I sat in my backyard with my girlfriend that afternoon, trying to be consoled, when a HUGE black&white butterfly came and fluttered all around me for awhile. I was so happy to have had my friend there to witness this, as I wouldn't have believed it had actually happened. My "Bartfly" has resurfaced from summer to summer from time to time. I always feel his love when I need it the most. I got a tattoo a few weeks after he passed of a black&white butterfly, so he is with me always.
I now have 2 sheepies who have stolen the part of my heart that remained after Bart. But I have learned that 100 sheepies wouldn't fill the void of my first love.
I wish you much love and thank-you for sharing your sparkle kitty story.
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