Color Addict

Harry the doggie is having a helluva good time.

Photo by Susan Farley

Harry is the spokesdoggie for my client, Andre Degarmeaux and Highland Kennels in New Jersey. We're completing a photo tour for Highland Kennels' website, hosted by Harry. This is one of my favorite shots, taken after Harry got a deluxe grooming session and had to go outside and mess himself up a bit. The superb photographer captured Harry's delight so well. This image shouts summer and vacation and playing outside.

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In case you were in any doubt as to whether or not cats are people, this should put your wondering to a stop.

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Smart advertisers know that adding a critter to their product shots clinches the deal.

Feast your eyes on this adorable color-coordinated doe-like pooch in the CB2 room at left. Tell me he doesn't make the whole scenario several notches more interesting. Animals add so much to a product shot: humor, color and personality — in a way that nothing else can. A second runner up is using kids but since they are humans, after all, there are many more problems inherent in that approach. Animals have a sort of other-worldliness that adds to their appeal. It's as if they are saying, "Yes, we know we make this shot look so much better than it would without us but we aren't materialistic; we're just doing you a favor by enhancing your photo.”

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Rhythms are shifting to doubletime around here.

It took almost 10 months and it's not done but my two kitties who were like oil and water are letting each other live. And it all became possible thanks to the KityGate. Trace the tip of the tail: KittyGate, KittyGate II, KittyGate III, KittyGate IV, KittyGate V. My hope is that the next installment of this saga, which I expect won't be for a little while, will actually show these guys liking each other, playing together, maybe even curled up together. Anything is possible.

Inspirational kitty art in frame and computer screen by Jim Flora.

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Check out these amazingly colored birds.

Pictured Left is a Paradise Tanager and Right, a Lilac-Breasted Rolle

These brazen beauties were cited by Colour Lovers, where you will find several more startling tweeties. We've all seen stunningly colored parrots. I loved seeing them when I vacationed in Aruba. But there are so many more varieties of birds attired in incredible color combinations. Nature is the consummate artist. 

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Above: Run Kitty Modern Rug Design by Katie's Modern Rugs

Last but not least in the recent onslaught of rug designs from Katie's Modern Rugs is this homage to Cassandra the kitty. Cassandra's very feminine and curvaceous butt is recognizable to those who know and love her.

I did this drawing of Cassandra when she was a little kitten and everyone pointed out to me that it was definitely a female kitty. I hadn't realized, had just drawn what I saw. It's cool to see this art now make its way onto a rug design. You can never honor the kitties too much.

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Here is another of Katie's Modern Rugs new designs. This design also comes in a yellow/purple combination and was inspired by 1950s lampshade patterns.

Above: Lampshade Blue Modern Rug Design is Good for Twisting On

Have fun in your own house like Autumn and check out the full line of Katie's Modern Rugs grouped by motifs including painterly, graphic, rich solid colors and illustrative rug designs. Our rugs are custom made in any size and shape. This rug is a circle, which works well in a dining room and for ceiling gazing, according to Autumn. We can make runners that turn a corner and all sorts of cool shapes. Live it up with our unique modern area rugs. Here's an image of the rug in the fuller room below.

Above: Lampshade Blue Modern Rug Design by Katie's Modern Rugs 

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The momentum builds — KittyGate continues.

They look pretty reasonable, no? Autumn (left) and Cassandra (right) usually spend their time doing their own things if they're not actively being disgusted with each other but this is turning into a regular truce sort of thing now. It's too early for me to say that I'm thrilled but I am definitely excited about this progress. This is HUGE compared to what life has been like for nine months. And it all started with the erection of the KittyGate. See previous entries: KittyGate, KittyGate II, KittyGate III and KittyGate IV. For anyone who's wondering, yes, I let them stay there and didn't claim my chair back so as to relish this happy moment.

Artwork in computer screen by Jim Flora redux. 

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Feng Shui is an ancient Japanese system to aid all aspects of life in the design and arrangement of your home. It breaks your living space into a nine section grid and advises that you focus on different aspects of your life and goals in the appropriate area of the grid.

New bedding arrived today and Autumn gave it a test run right away. Thank goodness she approves. I have been hesitant to learn much about or to try to incorporate Feng Shui principles because, as a designer, I didn't want a system to influence me to possibly change layouts that I love. I think a lot of people feel that way initially. However, as I've learned a little bit about it, it really is fun and isn't hard to work with. It offers tips on ways to enhance your environment.

Your Wealth Corner is the upper left area of your house (when facing in from the front door). So you are advised to put tokens of wealth in that area and not to have it bogged down with things that might keep wealth from you. Your Love Corner is the upper right area of your house and the upper right corner of your bedroom and each room too. You are advised to use pink or red candles to attract love in that corner. The system is much more complicated than these simple tips but you can take it in bit by bit and it brings a fresh perspective. One of the biggest admonitions is to FREE YOURSELF OF CLUTTER. Feng Shui believes that clutter keeps all sorts of things away from us and mires us in the past and in incorrect thinking. It does feel great to clear clutter, even if it's inside a closet that no one normally sees; you can feel the clean spirit of it and that's the whole point: what you feel motivates what you do and what happens to you.

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Ripley's Believe It or Not is rumored to be clamoring for the rights to these snaps but you saw them here first. Miracles happen every day.

What?, say you — I simply see a picture of two fuzzy house residents enjoying a munch break. Ah, say I — then you haven't visited these rooms of flying fur, screeching yelps and blood curdling growls ascending from the deepest basso profundo to the highest lyric soprano tones in recent times. This is the first occurrence in nine months of these two kitties being able to eat this close to each other without going nuts. Two nights in a row. Something good is in the air.

Get the whole KittyGate lowdown to date: KittyGate, KittyGate II, KittyGate III. 

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For those of us who think the only thing more fun to look at than kitties is kitties in cool interiors, check out the gallery at Modern Cat. Cats are not just beautifully designed; their incredible ability to relax makes them extra photogenic, not to mention inspiring examples for us human friends.

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Autumn might be a partial reincarnation of Pablo Picasso.

Wednesday night at an informative seminar at Tekserve, Manhattan's best Mac store, I saw the great Apple ad poster on the right above featuring Picasso and — I know I'm a little obsessed but — I thought that Picasso looked a lot like Autumn, the kitty. It makes sense; they are both maniac geniuses (and I don't use that word lightly). And this is after having made the post below, previously calling her “Picasso Face” — note yellow swatch on Picasso painting separating the profile and head-on view and on Autumn's face down the middle too.

So she is both muse and spirit of the creator; pretty good. If Autumn wasn't such a perfect name for her, I'd rename her Picasso. I guess it'll just have to be a nickname.

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Recycled sweaters are the forefathers of this patriotic blanket made by Crispina.

The company specializes in blankets but also offers some really cute toys and other items. The fuchsia and orange add much pizzazz to the traditional red, white and blue.

Sustainable living and products are terms I'm hearing constantly, meaning to reuse materials and create less waste. These items made from fabrics that have already served people well but can live again in beautiful pieces are a great example of smart recycling. No reason to throw something away that has tons more life left to love in it. Refurbish and refresh, baby.

Possum made from recycled materials by Crispina is ready to be loved by a new family, like yours.

Happy Independence Day 

July 4th means it really is summer now. Summer means fun. Summer means swimming. Summer means dinner while it's still light out, sometimes at Leno's Clam Bar.

Leno's Clam Bar really hits the spot. The best fried clams and huge portions. Fantastic corn on the cob. This is the kind of place that will always seem nostalgic and is very American. The present owner's family bought the place in 1967 and the building has been there as a joint since the 1920s.

Summer means walks down to the tiny beach with bare legs and feet in the water. Summer just feels so darn good. Give into it. Happy summer and Happy July 4th.

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Something I thought I might never see: both my fantastic critters in comfy comatose states very near each other. Here they are both on my desk, taking a break from spitting, growling, chasing and worse. I dreamed of seeing them together like this.

Just so you don't think money will rain down from the sky and other improbable things are happening, there was plenty of hissing at other times of the day. Still, you'd have to call this progress.

Retrace the KittyGate scandal: KittyGate and KittyGate II. 

Kitty art in computer screen by Jim Flora

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What could be better than groovin' kitties in jazzy colors doing the mambo? 

Had to share this fantastic art posted by Moderncat.net, as it's so up my alley(cat). How interesting that this artist, Jim Flora, was working mid-century when his art is so contemporary looking. Everything old is new again, as they say. Or more accurately, great art is timeless. And kitties doing the mambo rule forever!

Here's one more teaser image of Jim Flora's great record album designs. One critic calls his work “eyeball jazz.” I think many current illustrators have been influenced by him, even unconsciously, in which category I would include myself, without having known it, based on the style he put out there.

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What's that in the window?

On this beautiful day, Autumn the kitty caught a breezy kitchen view she'd never found before. Check out her swishing happy tail, which is always that puffy, given her Maine Coon roots, not because she's afraid of anything, fearless trooper that she is.

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In this simple moment, you stop and realize that everything is just as it should be. The air is calm. You are comfortable. You are entranced. You are meant to be just where you are doing just what you are doing in just the time and place in which you are doing it and simultaneously, you are outside of time; time has stopped.

Do you ever realize you're having a perfect moment? They can be prompted by something big or little. I've had them when relaxing with a boyfriend. I've had them looking out the window. They seem to be a bit like rest notes, being often the moment “in between” something. But I hadn't had one in a long, long time and I had one today while kissing my kitty. Her super soft fur was rubbing against my cheek, as it is wont to do, and I realized that there it was: a perfect moment. Naturally, I told her so. She seemed to concur and purred louder than ever.

Sometimes they come in batches and you can have several in one day. You realize that despite the universe's troubles and whatever may have been bugging you lately, all is right with the world. It's not as if all of a sudden, the world's problems are solved. But for one small moment, you can see that all is just as it should be, no more, no less — and breathe a sigh of relief and happiness, knowing that this is a part of what life and the privilege of consciousness is about.  

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This super colorful frog is an amazing product of nature's design.

This gorgeous critter was photographed by my friend's talented father, Marty Sobel. Marty gave me permission to use this and more of his beautiful nature photos for a client's environmentally-oriented website. (The client loves the photos.) That's how froggy became a banner. He is miniscule, by the way, so don't ever doubt that great and astounding things can come in small packages. Creative in other ways too, check out Marty's main business venture: Han-D-Cut — ingenious streamlined cutters for signmakers and designers.

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Proof that Autumn is still a kitten as she scales the 6' door I thought I had so cleverly put up to try to acclimate my two kitties without them literally pulling each other's hair out. But Autumn is a “can do” personality and where there's a will, boy, I mean, girl, is there a way.

Naturally, I am impressed by her acrobatics. I had to take some pictures. It's hard to discourage her and want her to stay for a photo shoot at the same time.

Not sure what to do next in this experiment. My helpful landlord, with whom I discussed the possibility of her scaling this even when we were putting it up, suggested putting plexiglass on the surface, which she won't be able to grip. I guess I'm going to have to if I want to keep up this experiment. I'm not ready to give up yet, although I also found a cat behaviorist I may consult and I also have a new book coming that may suggest some ways I haven't thought of to try to acclimate these two divas. At any rate, they keep up the entertainment quotient.

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Dino is the very smart, sweet and gorgeously colored birdie pictured below.

Dino lives with Tanya and Shukri, owners of the delicious Treehouse Restaurant, here on City Island. As you can see, Dino is no slouch in the culinary department, as he enjoys his own serving of shrimp salad at a recent City Island street fair (photos by the owners' niece). Dino is a good will ambassador and tirelessly greets patrons to the Treehouse Restaurant, sitting outside most days and inside sometimes at night, at the more upscale Treehouse's Euro Cafe across the street. Dino talks a lot. Dino laughs a lot. With all his hard work welcoming guests and visitors, Dino deserves the finest in cuisine. He is a wonderful animal with a big personality.

The Treehouse is one of the few restaurants here on City Island that natives like to go to. Some of my favorite dishes include their fantastic pizza, a great side salad called Shope salad, eggplant parmigiana, spinach ravioli and eggplant rollantini. If you're not sure what to have, ask Dino. The Treehouse Euro Cafe, my favorite, is directly across the street and has no sign but be brave and venture inside if they're open. The menu is the same and the atmosphere is lovely. The Treehouse is casual; the Euro Cafe is more elegant but still very comfortable (jeans are okay). So if you're taking a day trip to City Island, the Treehouse is a good place to drop in and Dino will likely be here to greet you, surely the high spot of your outing.

Come Visit:

The Treehouse Restaurant
273 City Island Avenue, City Island, NY 10464
718-885-0806

The Treehouse Euro Cafe
274 City Island Avenue, City Island, NY 10464
718-885-0806

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Cassandra's favorite drinking vessel is mine also. She never seemed to drink water before. When I got these hand-painted goblets, I found that water tasted especially good in them. It must be something about the shape and finish and thickness. Soon, Cassandra also started to like drinking water out of them. She climbs up to them on my bedside table at night. (Photos, especially top one, are a bit “off” because this was late at night, visible only thanks to the flash and we were both tired but I've been hoping to capture Cassandra's routine with the goblets.)

Cassandra finding her favorite mug

Sticking her whole little head into the goblet

Done for now

Even animal lovers can be astounded at how “human” our critters are. They have likes, dislikes, feelings, moods and emotions just like we do. They're just better at coping with life's mixture than we are. Great-tasting goblets are by artist D. Lasser and available at Red Elephant Gallery.

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Friday I went to the zoo.

Dazzling peacocks moseying around the grounds 

Seeing nature's vibrant colors up close is startling. What was really fun about the peacocks is that they were behaving like pigeons, walking around the picnic tables hoping for tidbits. We saw giant camels, lions and a polar bear. Turns out the Bronx Zoo is very near my home stomping ground of City Island so I intend to visit more often. We took a ride on their pleasant trolley that transports you through the gracious grounds. Here is my niece Avery with her lovely blue tongue from our lunch of science fiction-colored frozen blueberry and grape drinks with pretzels, potato chips and nachos made from what looked like the sides of taxicabs (plastic or metal combo of yellow cheeselike substance). A great time was had by all.

Avery displays her peacock-challenging turquoise tongue 

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Talk about coordinated.

This little critter, whose name is Thelonius (yes; he is named after the great jazz musician, Thelonius Monk), came after the chair for his humans. He's a Bengal, which my Cassandra is partially. Bengals were bred by being mixed with actual Bengal tigers but they are loving, adorable regular kitties (just expensive). They come in a spotted or swirl pattern, tend to be vocal and playful with just a touch of wildness. See more hilarious cat photos at Stuff on My Cat.  

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Here is an experiment I'm conducting.

Above: Autumn peers through a gate slat.

Pet gates don't come tall enough for Autumn to not jump over or knock over. I am amazed that they don't. So I tried calling screen door companies, sliding window screen installers and outdoor pet haven places but got almost nowhere. I finally went to Home Depot and got this lattice material and had a local construction guy make the frame, secure it with hinges and a latch and it's basically a taller gate. Only problem is I can't move it from place to place, which would work better.

Good news is that Autumn now has more room in which to hang out. Bad news is that Cassandra still wants nothing to do with her and isn't doing the curious approaching I had hoped for. We'll see how it goes over time. 

Above: Gate set up to acclimate two kitties. Cost: $120 including installation vs. $300–500+ for the potential screen doors that needed pet-proof screening and more work.

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This simple graphic says it all. Created by Ellen Gibbs, this great design is available on mugs, t-shirts and mouse pads too. Protect your vulnerable friends with a warning of the inevitable kitty puke in any cat lover's life. Items are available at Cafe Press (the signs are no longer available but shirts, mugs and mouse pads are). 

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Let your critters lead the way to a super stylish pad for you and them.

Above: Stylish and comfy pet beds from Hepper

I've found some really cool pet furniture and accessories with which to assuage my cognizant felines' cravings for superior designs. It takes hunting to find great pet stuff, which is odd, as people are fanatical about their pets. But the quest is being quenched. Not too long ago, I finished a website design for Kitty Cat Loft, makers of a great-looking spiral cat staircase. While checking out their search rankings, which often leads to nice discoveries in different categories of my clients' work, I came across several satisfying makers of furniture and items for pets. Previously, most makers of this caliber and style level were not American (there are some great German designs) — not true any more. Check out Modern Cat for links to lots of items besides the great beds above. I also met Akemi Tanaka at ICFF last month, who makes an adorable “curve” cat shelf. Lots of good things are brewing for critters in industrial design these days.

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Tenacity is a trait I admire. The Oxford Dictionary defines tenacious as:

• adjective
1 holding firmly to something.
2 persisting in existence or in a course of action.

Longer definitions give rise to further musings. Dictionary.com says tenacious means:

When talking to a man who owns a company that I do a lot of work with today, I told him he was tenacious. He held onto a client recently and wouldn't let go, despite numerous reasons to. They fumbled, they were uncertain, they were unclear, they were confusing and much more. Yet he held his ground. I am in awe and yet I know I would have walked away, even though I believe I will try hard to make things work. It made me think about what we all want from work and from life. To me, work has to be rewarding as well as a success in the eyes of the client. I want both. To only be successful for the client is ultimately not enough for me and to only be rewarding for me defies the whole point of providing a useful service. Still, I love tenacity and strive to have more, as it appears that the rewards are great.

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Autumn is an “easy” girl and has her way with pretty much everyone who visits.

Here she is “allowing” my friend Jodi to pet her endlessly. Most visitors say something like, “Yup, cats love me,” in response to Autumn's enthusiastic rubbing, licking, rolling over and purring. And Autumn does love them all. She's a petaholic. I like the way she's sticking her legs straight out in front here; she looks like a leaping reindeer. But she's not going anywhere as long as Jodi keeps up the massage therapy.

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Cats like Autumn, whose faces have markings that cut across the two halves of their faces, look like “Picasso faces” to me. They almost make you think you're seeing their profile and head-on view at once.

Picasso, as seen in the painting above left, was the first artist to show a face in both direct and profile view at the same time. This looked odd to people at first, as it's not what we literally see. However, it is something the mind can see and an artist‘s job is partly to provide us with new ways to see. Picasso did this more than most artists. Painterly kitties like Autumn are an example of “life imitates art” with their graphic faces. Look how she's imitating Picasso's yellow swatch down the middle of her face. It's an expression of God's sophisticated and cultured artistry that no man can exceed but which we can celebrate, honor and enjoy.

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This has been my graphic design firm, Nonlinear nyc Inc.'s, ad campaign for about a year and a half now. These small ads appear in The Island Current (no website), our local paper that sells for $1 (the price is right) and gets read avidly by residents.

Nonlinear nyc Inc.'s mini ad campaign

A new ad will be running in the June issue, as seen bottom row, above left, plus a sneak peek at a future fourth in the series. It's fun to look at them as a group now that there are several. Designing ads, like any other specific item, has its own challenges and constraints. These have to be in black and white, I can only afford a small ad and what looks good on its own may or may not look good when seen in the context of a busy newspaper page. One tip someone gave me when I first started designing ads was to cut out your design and place it in the magazine or newspaper in which it will appear. You don't usually have control over the page on which they'll run your ad so you don't know if there will be white space or competing imagery right next to you. The people who lay out the papers have a hard job fitting all the ads in different sizes with clashing artwork in each issue. Nevertheless, it's a lot of fun to see yourself in print and it always will be, online media boom and from which I make the majority of my living notwithstanding.

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Never mind. She found it.

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Have you by any chance seen Autumn's yellow ball?

She knows she had it recently but can't remember where she put it. If you see it, could you please let her know. She really likes it. Reminds me of when my mom would look for her glasses which were invariably on top of her head. We'd have a good laugh about it. I once walked around looking for the phone when it was in my hand so my mom taught me well.

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My great friend, mentor and co-worker, Barbara Meade in California, with whom I worked for five years at Price Waterhouse, as I grew to love animals, told me, "Animals make a house a home." She nailed it.

As I was snapping some pictures to show interior designs on my rug website, Autumn followed me around. Here she is in the living room. You never need to pose critters; they always look amazing. They do not always do what you want them to do when trying to take their pictures but they do always look great. They add so much to one's life, I am eternally grateful. They crack you up constantly just by being themselves. They always help put things in perspective. They keep you company when everyone else has confused you or just has something else to do. The ideal mixture of soulfulness*------ (Autumn typed that) and silliness, you can always count on the kitties for a sense of well-being.

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Mother's Day is this coming Sunday, May 11th.

While it's great to celebrate the incredible effort of mothers and to honor them, I was raised being told that this type of holiday is a “greeting card holiday,” meaning that it was invented purely as a money-making proposition. I think my parents are right, although it's nice to take a moment and celebrate the arduous challenge of being a mother. Not being a mom yet myself, I am in extra awe of the work moms put in. It's hard enough to try to hold down any sort of job, get your own basic needs taken care of, let alone do the laundry. But try to get some tyke off to school? Rush them to the emergency room? Help with homework? Who wants to do homework?! Not to mention pay for a thousand things. Animal mothers work their butts off for their offspring too and perform heroic feats to protect their little ones. The mother instinct is a beautiful thing.

Meanwhile, whatever you do to acknowledge mothers, do NOT come to City Island on Mother's Day. For some unknown reason, the entire borough of the Bronx and more seems to swarm here on Mother's Day and you cannot get on the island after a certain hour. Why anyone would want to put themselves through this is beyond any of us residents. Last year, I had to leave for some reason and it took over an hour to get through a five-minute section. This is not the day to visit our cute spit of land. Come the day after or the day before but do yourself a favor and avoid it like the plague on the actual day.

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Autumn was caught angling for my rugs yesterday.

Cats are designed for comfort. They stretch, snooze and contort into graceful, funny and odd-looking yoga-like poses all day and night. I'm not above taking advantage of their natural artistry and dexterity to promote my modern rugs.

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Autumn took to recycling shopping bags yesterday by using them as tents, sleeping caves and evening gowns.

Aren't kitties clever? So resourceful, so pretty, so silly. They are endless fun. 

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I've been going to the dogs — and cats — lately.

Photos L to R, by talented photographer clients Jay Ward and Audrey C. Tiernan

They say you draw to you whatever you love so I guess I am drawing fantastic animal-related clients to me because I love animals and have a bond with other people who love them too. The dog photo above is one in a portfolio by a primarily music-focused recent client called dogbrain Music. Jay Ward creates music by and for dogs, as well as human music. The photo at right is also by a new client I am so pleased to be working with, a superb photographer named Audrey C. Tiernan. She happens to also love cats and has two, Slugger and Pistachio, so you will undoubtedly get to see more sublime photos of these creatures as we complete her site. Going to the dogs — and cats — has never been a better idea.

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Well aware am I that not everyone wishes us well and wants us to all thrive. However, life continues to be full of miracles and the unlikely, no matter how much horrible-ness also exists. Watch this great video to know that all things are possible.

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2007's all wrapped up — welcome to 2008 and a heaping helping of opportunity and new beginnings for us all.

At my first ever small party on December 29th, my place was festooned with leafy garlands and blue LED lights. Some time around November, it struck me that I should decorate my place for the holidays. The staircase was begging for garlands (never had a staircase before). I haven't had a tree in a couple years because although they're festive and pretty, they're expensive and drop needles everywhere. But I had had a break and was ready to do it again. Plus, I'm evolving as a designer and moving into interior design so I was itching to express myself this way. It was rewarding and the party was much fun. Thanks to all my lovely guests, who were very well behaved too. Guess who's the only one who spilled? That would be me. And no, I was not tipsy. I didn't see someone's glass and knocked it over onto light carpet, dousing the area with rich red wine. The amazing thing is that I got the stain out by using seltzer right away and two pet cleaning solutions the next day. 

And here's a picture of Cassandra enjoying the spoils from those nice gifts people give. Among the many insights kitties give us is an appreciation of the joy in things we sometimes overlook.

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Kitties know how to relax. 

Cassandra made me make the bed the other day with her still in it. As much as kitties know how to be comfortable, they are also often skittish. I guess Cassandra knows me well enough at this point because she let me struggle my way around her while staying just right comfy, don't you know. You can see the patch of a magenta color on the right side of the photo above, which is the top of the quilt that had to get tucked over her while she stayed put. She's the picture of comfort, don't you think? I loved it that she stayed her ground and let me work around her. She let me shove the blankets around however I had to and she slid right along. She was like a center kitty medallion that came in a set with the bedding.

Posted by Katie at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is a film (also a book, a separate project) that documents the life-changing relationship between a flock of wild parrots living near Telegraph Hill in San Francisco and a man named Mark Bittner.

A powerful and touching real tale, this is one man's journey that led him where he never expected. Anyone interested in the lives of animals, self-exploration or who has empathy for people whose paths are not always direct will appreciate this story. The documentary is beautifully put together, with sensitivity but not sentimentalism. The film won multiple awards and the book has been a New York Times bestseller. You will never look at birds the same way again.

Posted by Katie at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Like all good design, there's more than meets the eye to getting cat furniture right. In my quest for great-looking and functioning furniture and objects, as well as to make my critters happy, I am trying out some new pieces. I already know a few things I would design differently than what's readily available.

Lab technicians Sasha and Cassandra are busy road-testing this scoop-topped pedestal (available at The Cat Connection). It has a sisal rope pole and another soft rug section to claw (good for their nails and to keep them off furniture you don't want clawed) at the bottom. Two cats can use it at once and it's better looking than most of what I've seen out there. Pedestals and cat trees need to be very sturdy so cats can jump and scratch and really wrestle with them. This tends to make them quite heavy.

Rug parts, I have learned, are almost always made from remnants, which means you can't usually get very interesting colors. This "country blue" was the nicest choice for this product from among other pedestrian options. Standing scratching posts also have to be tall enough for a cat to stretch his/her entire length or they probably won't be used. One thing I find frustrating is that these are just too high to look good in my living room near either a couch or chair. I wonder if they couldn't be a few inches shorter and still work. Cats like to be high up but the few inches wouldn't be very different, I don't think, from a cat's viewpoint. The wide base also makes them hard to maneuver and lay out with tasteful human pieces. I'd be interested to see if a skillful facility or designer couldn't streamline some pieces and still make them work well.

Posted by Katie at 1:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There is debate over the origins of the phrase, "the eyes are the windows to the soul." Some credit Immanuel Kant. Max Beerbohm, the fantastic, quote-worthy writer and illustrator, author of "The Happy Hypocrite," said, "I do not need a book of quotations to know that the eyes are the windows to the soul."

Photo of Cassandra by Katie Ulanov

Cassandra's windows to her soul are shining above. Anyone who ever doubted whether animals have souls has only to look at this intelligent, soulful, volumes-speaking gaze to know that animals have, if anything, more soul than we do. They generally dance better too.

Posted by Katie at 6:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Autumn is shown here still getting used to her new surroundings. Never was there an easier cat to love.

Sasha is being pretty cool with her already, as shown above, although Cassandra has flipped out a few times pretty badly. So I'm still taking the introductions very slowly and Autumn is spending most of her time in my bedroom. Angel that she is, she's behaving perfectly while this slow process has to take place.

Posted by Katie at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sasha took a break after studying hard yesterday.

You can't see it in this picture but the book he's reading is about cats. He went right over to it when it was left open on the floor, as if he knew there might be some useful tips inside.