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Hello friends, cat lovers, soon to be cat lovers and everyone in between.  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a relaxing weekend.  Since “Black Friday” was less than a week ago, and there is always so much fuss that surrounds it, I thought I would post about one of my favorite subjects…the black cat!  Some…maybe all of you may know that black cats have a harder time finding their forever homes in the United States.  Why is this the case?  Evidently it all goes back to long held superstitions that people have about black cats being bad luck.  And why exactly do people hold these beliefs?  According to Wikipedia, “in Western history black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens.”  Furthermore, black cats have been associated with witches and some people even believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats.  This sounds crazy I know?!  What amazes me is how long superstitions can stick around for so long even when there is absolutely no single shred of truth surrounding the beliefs.  What is interesting, however, is not all superstitions surrounding black cats are negative.  In some parts of the world, like Great Britain and Japan, good luck is associated with black cats.  To read more about this check out what Wikipedia has to say here.

So I grew up, like most people, hearing the old adage “if a black cat crosses your path it’s bad luck.”  I never really gave any of this much thought.  It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned that black cats do not get adopted as easily as other cats.  This bit of knowledge both surprised and concerned me…especially since I love black cats.  Truth be told I have never met a cat I didn’t like, but black cats in my opinion do have a certain charm to them.  This charm could be partly because I always feel I am the midst of a baby panther.  This feeling became especially strong when my sweetie and I adopted a black kitten following the death of our beloved Cleo.  Ray Charles (a.k.a Baby Bear) will always be our forever “baby panther.”  Baby Bear is the sweetest, most endearing cat who is always happy.  When I get down on the ground to do Yoga stretches he will stretch with me.  It’s beyond adorable and makes me swoon every time!  To check out more images of Baby Bear click here.

As a cat lover, cat guardian, and cat photographer one of my life’s purpose is to inspire other people to love these “little panthers” as much as I.  Below are a few images of some of the black cats that have warmed my heart over the past couple of years.  To see more beautiful, black beauties click here to check out a photo gallery dedicated to them.  So if you or a friend are thinking of adding to your family, I encourage you to consider adopting a black cat.  How about adopting a black cat this Friday.  That would give a whole new meaning to the expression “Black Friday.”  I really do believe that black is the new cat.  What do you think?

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Happy Wednesday, everyone!  Today kicks of the third “Wanderlust Wednesday.”  In an effort to give my site the love and attention it deserves I have set a goal to post weekly and I’m calling it “Wanderlust Wednesday.”  These posts will be dedicated to writing about one of my favorite subjects the beloved feline.

Being a cat lover and guardian for many years now, I can honestly say there are a few habits I could do without: throwing up hairballs, clawing furniture and trails of cat hair just to name a few.  However, we all have our own habits and habits of loved ones that we would be glad to do without.  Let’s be honest there are things that our favorite people do that drive us crazy at times…that’s just life.  So why would things be any different with our beloved furr-babies?

Now to get to the positive.  On the flip side, there are things our kitties do on a daily basis that we find so endearing, habits that garner much adoration, praise and kisses.  I expect most, if not all, cat guardians reading this can totally relate.  On that note, I decided I would share some endearing sweetness about my kitty Baby Bear.  And since I’m all for equal opportunity, in the following weeks I will also share about my other kitties Sheba and Smokey Robinson’s endearing habits.  I promise these posts will not always be about my cats.  For now I’m merely trying to give you a better feel of how exactly how much I love cats and why I love photographing them.  Anyway, getting back to the point.  Baby Bear is our baby panther…at least that’s what I like to call him since he is all black.  He is just over 1.5 yrs. old and Baby Bear is a bundle of cuteness.  Baby Bear is the sweetest, most loving and happy cat.  He loves being in the mix of things and is very playful.  One of the many things I find incredibly endearing about Baby Bear is one of his morning rituals.  Since Baby Bear is an avid bird watcher, most mornings he loves sitting on the back of the couch and looking out the front window.  Somehow he figured out his morning ritual would be more pleasurable with a canopy so he found a way adjust the curtain sheer so he could sit on top of it while being on the back of the couch.  The effect is that he looks like he is on a canopy bed.  Sure I worry about Baby Bear pulling the curtains down but I gotta say it’s pretty darn cute witnessing this activity.  These sweet moments make my daily life much less mundane.  They warm my heart and remind me that a few hairballs etc. is well worth all this sweetness.  Though there are many other Baby Bear habits that I love I will leave it at this so as not to have a post that is five pages long.  Before I wrap up this post I want to add how glad I am to have taken the time to photograph Baby Bear doing the things I love.

What about your cats?  Do you have a list of endearing things they do that you love?  I would love to photograph your kitty and/or kitties doing these things.  Best of all all Boudoir Kitty-Cat portrait sessions are done in the comfort of your home.  To learn more about our sessions check out our Boudoir Kitty-Cat Portrait Brochure.  If you know of any other cat lovers and guardians who would enjoy these posts we would love it if you shared them.

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In April of 2011 I started photographing the kitties, available for adoption, that are part of a local cat rescue at  The Cat Shoppe.  This wonderful little store is located in the Berry Hill neighborhood.  It gives me great pleasure photographing these rascals. It is my hope that the photos I take help pull at one’s heart strings more than just a little, so that good homes are found at a faster rate.  At any rate, if you are not familiar with The Cat Shoppe, you are missing out!  The address is 2824 Bransford Avenue Nashville, TN 37204 and the phone number is (615) 297-7877.  Dog lovers will also delight in the Dog Store next door!

 

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We all know that all gifts given are only temporary…that our own gift of life passes in a blink of an eye.  Yet, the grind of daily life has a way of making us forget that we don’t have forever.  Forever with those we love, forever to chase dreams, forever to just be.  Fourteen years ago I was given one of the best gifts of my life by my  friend Julie.  One day when Julie was leaving work she found a little kitten in her work parking lot that was starving and battered looking.  Though many people walked past this poor little creature so desperately meowing for help, Julie was unable to resist the overwhelming urge to help her.  A week later the little furry angel was gifted to me and named Cleopatra.

Though Cleo was a rescue by my friend and myself, I cannot tell you how many times she rescued me.  For fourteen years I was given the most beautiful gift of steadfast love, loyalty and companionship in the form of the most beautiful cat.  It is difficult to think about Cleo…let alone write about her.  As I write this now the tears are streaming down my face.  The hole in my heart left by Cleo’s absence is large and I am so heartbroken by the loss of her.  She was like a child to me…like family.  There is so much to say about the comfort, pleasure and lessons learned from Cleo.  She was truly a cat that was curious until her last days.  She had an incredible strength and perseverance, even when at her lowest point with her health.  Though she came into my world all battered up and frail and left this world much the same, we had a wonderful road together in between all of that.  Cleo was a full contact cat  and loved being with me at all times, whether that meant sitting on my lap while I was working at my computer or sleeping by my head at night.  I honestly believe Cleo knew when I hurt and felt sad whatever sadness I felt, as she was so emotionally connected to me.

In January of 2010 Cleo suffered from liver failure.  It was something that struck rather suddenly…at least from my outward perspective.  For almost three weeks she was kept alive by me feeding her through a feeding tube.  Though she rebounded somewhat from the whole incidence, she was never really the same and was in rather fragile health the following 2.5 yrs.  There were many times when I didn’t think Cleo had many days left and then like a typical cat she would surprise me.  I guess her attachment to life and to me was strong.  All I can say is that crazy cat definitely used up more than her allotted nine lives.  In the end her organs ended up shutting down and rather than watching her suffer anymore than she already had my boyfriend (who also loved Cleo deeply) and I decided the most merciful thing to do was to have her put to sleep.  We knew that keeping her alive any longer would be an act of selfishness and to see her suffer anymore would be too much to bear.

Exactly a week ago today I said goodbye to my beloved Cleo.  I have seen countless butterflies…especially yellow ones, since the day of Cleo’s death.  When I picked up her remains (I had her cremated) two days later from the vet, I saw a butterfly that had her similar colors as I was about to step back into my car.  As I was holding Cleo, I saw the butterfly for a brief moment before it soared straight up into the sky beyond my field of vision.  Of all the years I have been going to Richland Animal Clinic, this was the first time I have ever seen a butterfly near the premises.  When I think about that butterfly I sure would like to believe this was Cleo’s way of telling me “I am free, I hurt no longer, I am happy and I will be here waiting for you someday.”  And so until we meet again my beloved Cleo, I pray you rest in peace and are enjoying the sun…

To view more images of Cleo there is a gallery dedicated to her on my website.  Click here to see more photos.

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