I gave my mother a small fright when on the local news they were reporting the RSPCA in Brisbane were selling cats at 75% off due to overcrowding and each one chipped, desexed and up to date with their needles cost a mere $20.10. Too bad I don't live in that state and I'm not willing to fork out money for a plane ticket as well as many pet carriers and cab fare just to realise my dream of becoming a crazy cat lady. Despite having a boyfriend of nearly a year and a half I do have the inkling that I will be the type of person to abandon all human contact as soon as possible, when possible and I will only speak and sing with my cats and we'll have magnificent tea parties and dance around the room.
Just because I'm not allowed to have a cat myself doesn't mean I'm forbidden from liking cat related things, around my room you will find a money box made of wood in the shape of a cat (broken foot at the moment) who stores my spare change from America and soon I will receive a vintage cat watch with moving eyes as soon as repairs are done and the postal service gets back into swing after the long holiday break. With just a week between Christmas and New Year's, awaiting parcels can be very tedious and tiring as many companies close up.
My reasons for owning a cat would be described as at best, very shallow as I am most interested in their tendencies, playful nature and sleek furry bodies for the purpose of photography. Don't be alarmed, I'm not like those sickos who dress their pets in outfits and small sweaters for fun and in the name of 'fashion' but I do feel rather left out when looking at something I know I can snap myself given the chance. For example the purple light which bathes the above photograph can be achieved by placing a small square of plastic in front of the flash, and the contrast of the black fur of the cat held be a naked human torso only adds to its appeal.
This simple iPod encased in floral and on a blanket featuring a cat as part of the album work has given me a rather worrying idea. I propose to make a patchwork quilt of cat fabric. There's a lovely variety on eBay and in the past I have been taken to make a caterpillar based quilt inspired by the children's picture book, 'The Hungry, hungry Caterpillar' as well as a space themed quilt but I quite like this new idea of cats. The only problem is that I am rather slow when I hand stitch and not only am I without a sewing machine, there is simply no room in my house to fit one. Luckily, with bin night approaching I'll be able to commence cleaning my room once more and tidying.
Wishful thinking led me to ponder about the markings on a cat and I reached the verdict that if I ever saw a cat with black markings and a predominantly white body, I may be tempted to name it Mickie or Minnie after the famous cartoon couple. I can only imagine the shame I would bring to a cat if I named if after a mouse though- oh the irony.
Like this cat, in my youth I have settled down into a empty guitar case except I was pretending mine was a boat and I was off sailing the world. I wonder what my father thought of that when he tried to return his instrument to it's proper place of rest. It has been said that lifting a sleeping cat is a difficult task and even waking them can be quite tricky. Maybe it would be best just to take a photograph of a cat in such a pose. I've seen cats resting on top of car hoods to keep warm as well as sitting in sun beams, on top of the water closet of a toilet and a handful of other weird places. It reminds me of the kind of weird poses and ways I try to sleep and get comfy in during a hot Summer's night.
So, since I am unable to own a cat of my own I try and soothe and console myself with the fact I can create little toys in cat images from fabric, there's also paper mache and drawing things in their image and buying jewellery starring cats. I'm not sure how long the quilt fantasy will last since at the moment I am clearing my room for the purpose of finding a clean white wall as a backdrop for photography and actually orchestrating fashion photographs but with so many possibilities on the 2012 horizon, who knows what will happen. Or maybe my room will become messier and in a worse state than it ever was, but finger's crossed that isn't what happens. Not this year, not when I will actually have time to take off from studying and a little time to live and do things that make me happy.
