Frivolous Friday – Unusual Cat Motifs

You know how I like talking about all things cat—including items in my cat “collection.” Last week I received two sweet old-fashioned-style post cards with cats—Oh, so cute. My daughter and great granddaughter had found them at a rummage sale and sent them to me for fun. Always a delight.

I have cats everywhere. One of my favorite pieces is a poster of old fashioned advertisements using cats. A neighbor gave that to me. I framed it and it hangs prominently in my office.  Another neighbor gave me a pair of crystal cat figurines when her husband passed away. Probably the most unusual piece I have was also given to me by a neighbor when she moved. (Do you think I’m known as the cat lady of the neighborhood?)

This piece is an iron doorstop—or at least that’s what I use it for. This photo of Lily looking at the doorstop was picked for the cat-a-day calendar in—I believe it was 2018.

Thinking about my “collection” reminded me of a woman I met at a Cat Writers Association conference. Sandy Lerner, evidently always loved cats, but her husband was allergic to them, so she started collecting cat artifacts, figures, bric-a-brac—you know, everything cat. She became so serious about this hobby that she eventually put together a book—an amazing, fascinating book she calls, Caticons, 4,000 Years of Art Imitating Cats. This book includes some of the most unusual pieces depicting cats that I could ever imagine—a metal piece featuring a cat at a sewing machine, a cat wine cork, and what appears to be a very ancient cat lock. I was also surprised to see the very painting (print) I have hanging in my bedroom of a mother cat and her kittens. Come to find out, it’s by Henriette Ronner-Knip, an artist who painted mostly adorable, plump cats way back in the 1800s.

I discover every once in a while that my pieces aren’t so unique. I saw an exact replica of one of my cat-shaped tea pots, which I bought in an antique store years ago, in the home of a veterinarian I met at one of the Cat Writers conferences. I spent the night with her and her husband in Connecticut that year.

Here’s a link to more about the Caticons book. I think you’ll enjoy https://www.thepurringtonpost.com/caticons-the-book/