If you’ve followed my blog for awhile, you know that a couple of years ago cats began mysteriously appearing in much of my art.  I’ve never considered myself a “cat person,” so it was a little strange that I kept painting cats.  Shortly after the cats appeared in my art, they also began appearing in my yard and meowing at my back doors.  New neighbors moved in and brought with them a plethora of cats.  I took a lot of pictures of them prowling around and peering in my windows.

Just as suddenly as they all appeared, they also disappeared, when the neighbors moved out a year later.  I had grown kind of fond of the visitors, and was a little sad to see them all go.  One big white fluffy one appeared to have been left behind, though, and started crying pitifully at my back door.  Against my better judgement, I let it in, gave it some pity food, and let it lounge around on Shaylie’s bed with her.  Shaylie and I both got sort of attached to the poor orphan, but then its parents returned and whisked that one away too.

Suddenly I started craving a cat!  I investigated a couple of rescue facilities and inquired about fostering kittens, thinking that would be a good way to get my kitten fix without the 20-year commitment.  But fostering requires taking the kittens to adoption shows every Saturday, which my work and travel schedule doesn’t permit.  But the nagging feeling continued, and I allowed myself to peek at an adoption site, and then make an appointment to go see a kitten.  Of course she ended up coming home with me.  And suddenly this non-cat person has fallen head over heels in love with a wild and crazy kitten that the girls and I finally named Miss MellieCat!  She has been with us for just about a month, and she has completely taken over the house and our hearts.  In fact, I would say I’ve been in “Kitty Heaven” for the last four weeks, and at last my obsession with including cats in my art doesn’t seem so strange after all.