Valentine Purrs

Happy Valentines Day!

Purrs & Hugs to all my 2-legged & 4-legged friends!

xoxox

Feline Friday~How Quickly They Grow!

Our little furry children are all grown up & almost 6 years old!

Look how sweet they were as babies!

They're still sweet now - just bigger.  Especially Koda!  He's a whopping 95 pounds now!

I don't really miss the kitten years since I can have foster kittens from the Humane Society all spring, summer & fall.  There are usually plenty of babies to give me a good kitten fix!

Just ran across these old photos & thought I'd share.  They grow up SO fast don't they???

Kiss your babies & have a happy weekend!

Feline Friday-Furry Shoulder Wrap

Ever since Zoolou was a tiny kitten she's been jumping up & perching
on my shoulders!

Doesn't matter what I'm doing or where I am, she'll vault off the nearest piece of furniture, land & wrap herself around my neck where she'll stay as long as I let her.  Maybe my neck is nice & warm or maybe she likes being up high.....I don't know.  She's usually swishing her tail in my face & digging in her claws but she's SPOILED & so darn CUTE & she's my baby & I LOVE her
 ... so I let her.

She does make quite a lovely accessory doesn't she?  Silly Cat!

Feline Friday~Computer Desk Companions

Happy Friday All!

I am never ALONE when I'm working at the computer!  As you can see, I have 2 furry helpers busy at tasks such as taking inventory of cabinets & testing boxes out for naps.  You can't really see it, but Zoolou IS in a box.  I've since gotten her a bigger one!  :)

What would I do without them?

I have a new painting almost finished ~ my FIRST 2011 creation!  Will post pics soon.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Early Christmas for the pets!

Koda enjoying his new toy!

Zoolou gettin' happy with some catnip!

Zoo trying out the new scratching post!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVERYONE!

Christmas came a day early for the West pets!  Koda's going to the boarders today so he got 1 of his presents early ~ a stuffed toy to tear up ~ his favorite!  The cats' new scratching post came this morning so we went ahead & set it up & it's already being used as you can see!

I have another "Feline Friday" post coming later so check back for some "GOOD MEWS"!

Have a wonderful day!  Hope your shopping is done & you get to relax a little!

Feline Friday (on Saturday)!

HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU!

I completely forgot about "Feline Friday" yesterday so I thought I'd just post a pretty picture of my diva cat Zoolou posing by our kitchen table fall centerpiece.

She's trying to look innocent after playing & chewing on the flowers!  I keep trying to tell her they're fake!

Have a great day!

I plan to spend mine painting, watching scary movies, carving pumpkins & opening up my bottle of Hallowine!  CHEERS!

Feline Friday~Getting Even!

Zoolou:  "I'll show that dog he can't treat me like a couch cushion!

I'll help myself to his dog food!"

(You may remember this picture I posted a while back)

Zoolou wasn't going to take that lying down!

Here she is trying out my new antique chair I got last week, which I LOVE by the way! I actually got 2 of them ~ the other has a slightly different back. They are now gracing our entryway.  I want to get an old vintage table to put inbetween them!

Taking my foster babies back for a check this afternoon.  Clarence & Muffin will probably stay since they are completely over their illness but I'll probably bring Wally back home.  He started coughing & sneezing again yesterday - ugh.  And I might keep Erma home with him too so he won't be by himself.

HAVE A HAPPY PURRY WEEKEND!

Extra Fluffy Pillow!

"Cat?  I don't see any cat!"

Just wanted to share this funny photo with you.  I think it's hilarious!

I guess Koda thought he needed a little extra cushioning for his pillow.  Funny thing is, Zoolou didn't seem to mind!  I think cats like to be all smushed up sometimes.  Still, most cats wouldn't want a 90 lb. dog laying on top of them!

This week I'm working on a new commision ~ a BIG 16x20 painting of St. Francis, 2 Great Pyrenees puppies & a bluebird!  It's for the customer's nursery.  I'm not used to working on such a large scale or painting dogs but I think it'll be fun.  Hopefully I can also work in some other little projects here & there.

HAPPY TUESDAY!!!

Feline Friday~A Cat, Some Geese & a Beaver!

Here Zoolou is, still cramming herself into that tiny box for her naps by the computer!  Beats me how cardboard can be comfortable but she looks pretty cozy.

This is Willow, the Beaver.  (they thought he was a girl at first!) 

My daughter Kayla volunteers for the Nature Center & this week they went to a different little wildlife sanctuary & got to visit with all kinds of creatures!  She loved Willow!  He was so sweet & friendly, of course when he's getting treats! I pet him too!  To the left you can see his little hole he swims in & out of to get to his outdoor pool & enclosure.

I thought these geese were so adorable all lined up single file walking down the sidewalk!  There were a lot more that wouldn't fit in the picture!

On the art front, I'm working on lots of new FALL themed projects.  As usual, I have lots of ideas, don't know where to start & just feel all scatterbrained!  FOCUS...

Wishing you a purrrfectly wonderful weekend!  meow

Feliz Cumpleanos Frida!

Happy Birthday dear Frida ~ Happy Birthday to you!

Frida is one of my favorite subjects to paint!  This is one of my very first paintings of her from a few years ago.  I had fun with her hair - ha!

I'm working on a new painting at the moment ~ it was inspired by all the neat lighthouses we saw in Door County, WI last month on vacation.  I should have it finished tonight & posted tomorrow!

In the meantime...here are some cute cat pics!

What's out there???

Oh...it's Mrs. Cottontail sampling the salad bar!

Something sure was interesting out the back door but for the life of me I never could see what it was!  They definitely had their eyes on something!

I left out the little box from my foster kittens' canned food & Zoolou decided it was a nice place to take a nap.  Doesn't seem to bother her that half of her is hanging out of it!

"I'm not fat, I'm FLUFFY!"

Hope you're having a great day!

meow

Carly the Calico

Carly the Calico

Our rental house in Fish Creek

I just couldn't help myself!  I had to make 1 more cat doll!

I'm falling way behind on my regular canvas paintings but once I started digging through all my fabric there was no stopping me!  I even have another one done (with the cutest bird print) but haven't painted the face yet.  It's going to have to wait.

We leave for vacation at the crack of dawn Saturday morning.  Picking up my mom in Kansas City & heading NORTH to Wisconsin!  The house above is where we'll be staying.  Isn't it great?  They say deer come from the woods to the backyard to visit.  I LOVE seeing wildlife!

A big THANK YOU to all of you for your kind comments about Zoolou.  She is doing FINE & acting her normal crazy self!

After tomorrow's "Feline Friday" I'll be "on holiday" from the blog for a week.

Thank you all my dear blogger buddies for visiting!  See you soon! xox & purrrs

It never fails!

Just when you're about to leave for vacation one of the cats gets sick!  ARRGGH!

They just have a way with timing don't they?  I think maybe they do it on purpose to try & keep you home.  Anyway, poor Zoolou made a yucky deposit in the litter box that had a bit of blood in it so that prompted a call to the vet & luckily I got her in right away (with her stool sample).  After an exam & poop test Dr. Bill thinks it's just a bout of colitis.  She has a few pills to take & should be fine.  Whew! 

Silly cat's never been sick a day in her life (aside from hairballs).  I was all panicky there for a few hours.  I couldn't imagine myself leaving for a whole week knowing my cat was home sick!  I always worry about our pets a little even when they're NOT sick!  Thankfully, I know she'll be fine & I can enjoy our family vacation.  She is not acting sick at all as you can see from the photo!  In fact, she & Markie had a pretty wild rough & tumble play session just this morning!  Darn cat!

SO...about our vacation!  We're headed to a little town called Fish Creek in Door County Wisconsin!  Door County is the little peninsula that sticks out on the northeast side with Lake Michigan on the right & Green Bay on the left.  It's dotted with quaint little towns all around the coastline & filled with gorgeous state parks & scenery!  Hiking, biking, beaches, lighthouses, fish boils, ice cream & relaxing are on our list of to-dos!  Oh & eating lots of cherries!  Can't wait!

Zoolou Made the Paper!

Zoolou's pic in the lower left corner

Picture I submitted

Zoolou's on her way to celebrity status! I entered her in our local "Most Beautiful Cat" contest & out of 145 entries she is one of 15 finalists! You can see her picture in the newspaper down in the lower left corner by itself. Of course she thinks they "showcased" her picture intentionally & not because they ran out of room - ha. I entered her just for fun & knowing we'd all get a kick out of seeing her in the paper if she did get picked as a finalist. The winner gets a $50 gift certificate, which of course I'd turn around & give to the rescue group we got her from in Kansas City. I don't expect her to win & don't really care. I think they are ALL beautiful & I personally love the Calico & Siamese ~ oooh those beautiful BLUE eyes!

If you're bored & need something to do today, pop on over & vote for Zoolou or any of the other kitties! Just click right HERE!

HAPPY HAPPY SATURDAY!