C is for Cats

We are a bit of a cat family. It hasn't always been so. When I met my husband I had a cat called Puck. I got him when I was in 5th Form (year 11) I had 2 actually. The white one was called Kimba, after Kimba the White Lion cartoon.

I still had Puck when we met but when we married in 1982 Puck went to live with his parents and when we eventually moved to a home where we could have had a cat Fixit Guy said it would be cruel to move him. We got a dog instead... a series of dogs and they always had to be outdoor animals. There in lay the rub. Fixit Guy thought that cats, like dogs should be outdoor only animals and I thought what was the point of having a cat if they couldn't come inside.

We got our first cat in 1997. We'd been married 15 years by then. I told FG he'd had his way for 15 years and now it was my turn. I had promised our oldest son  (known on this blog as Massage Man but am going to have to change that as he is no longer studying massage) a pet of his own when he was 10. He had counted the days down for about 3 years. Our daughter (Fangirl) said she wanted a kitten too so (to my husband's horror) I got them both one. She  named her female cat Zanzibar

Our so named his male cat Tiger. Fortunately these names were unisex as when they were about 4 months old we found that the people who gave them to us had got the sexes mixed up.

Zanzibar died when he was only 15 months old but Tiger lived till he was 15. He and our son had a mutual admiration society. When MM would go to university Tiger would search for him for several days. When MM returned from university for holidays Tiger would ignore him for several days to punish him for his desertion and then stick to him like glue for the duration of the visit, only to mope when MM would depart again.

We  got Chrissy just after Zanzibar died when friends moved to the USA and needed a home for their puss.

She died in 2007 and we got Tango in 2008 for our middle son but she disappeared whilst still young and we got Pippin to replace her. We still have Pippin.

Fixit Guy who wasn't keen on letting the cats come inside has become devoted to all the cats we have had and spoils them more than I ever  had.

So we are down to just one cat. Sort of. Fangirl has her own home and since she moved into it she has adopted 2 kittens. One, Eevee is now 12 months old and the boy kitten, Skimbles is about 6 months old. They come to stay with us whenever Fangirl has to travel away with her work (about once every month to 6 weeks for 3-4 days) or for vacation.

 

We have also had other friends' cats come for stay overs too when they have been away. These cats are all indoor only cats so its always just a tad nerve wracking as we have to remember to SHUT THE DOOR.

 

Mr Tibbs on the left teasing the dogs who were outside the window and Patrick right assisting me with my quilting.

I have made one cat quilt in my time. ( although lots of my quilts have cat hair on them courtesy of help such as illustrated by Patrick)  My cat quilt was a kit that I bought at a craft fair incorporating stitcheries and patchwork. It hangs in our rumpus room and the stitcheries are so true.

I do have plans to make another quilt using cat fabric for a cat lover in my life.... but I have mislaid the main fabric I bought for it. It will turn up ... one day... I'm sure... we at least I hope.

Throwback Thursday - Cat Wall Hanging

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I bought this pattern as a kit at the first Craft Show I ever went to. It was in Brisbane and happened to be on when I had to go down to Brisbane for a special Synod for the Queensland UCA Synod for which I was a representative for the Presbytery I belong to. It was most fortuitous as Synod paid my airfares, a friend from Synod offered me accommodation and I got to go to the show and see my son (Massage Man) all in the same visit. BONUS

I loved the funny sayings on each of the squares. The black work embroidery was fun to do. Originally the background was white but the border fabric, which I had found at a travelling fabric shop, known as the Big Red Bus which frequents various craft shows and festivals in country Queensland, had a creamy background. I was encouraged by fellow quilters at a retreat I went to, to try tea dying the embroidery. I was very tentative doing this but it worked well and I was happy with the results. Originally I had also been going to use the design in the whole piece it came in but again encouraged by the fellow retreaters I cut it up into individual designs which I then sashed and put back together. I was so happy with the end result. It now hangs in my sewing room and sometimes gets moved out to my foyer area.

Linking up with Throwback Thursday @ Quiltin' Jenny's