Cat Diary 35

Two weeks ago the old woman went to Bunnings on the little bus and got, among a few other doo-dads, a 50 meters of a black twine-like substance.

When she got home she cut off a piece to test it for knots, she said. Making a few of them in this stuff and dragging it along the floor.

A black string dragging along the floor is like a red rag to a bull if you get my meaning… when I see it I have gotto chase it.

It’s been my only interest for two weeks and I still don’t know how to stop it sliding from between my toes when the old woman tugs it.

She’s getting bored with it, she tells me as she put another knot in the end for me to catch hold of. She tells me it’s the easiest form of playing. She means it requires the least output of energy by me. And she’s right, I like to take it easy.

This is me looking at the string draped over my pillow case with catnip in it.

This me starting a game. Except then I heard her starting to video me and I walked away. I hate that little noise. Lucky the corner was right there.

When she started typing, the one-fingered type, I came back and am just sitting here looking at my black string. Hoping it’ll magically start moving itself so I can chase it.

PS she gave the rest of the string to the builder in the family. It’s 100% polyester and too slippery to hold a knot.

Been Painting…

All paintings are multiple experiments.

A3 size paper … could I sketch my cat and have it come out realistic? Her head is too long, has to be rounder next time

Could I use grainy paint and make that represent fur? sort of.

Could I make her eyes seem to look at the observer? Negative on that so far.

Could I tie the background together using a gesso glaze? Glaze too thick, blotted out the detail. Cat is sitting on a blue couch. Can’t really see that.

The original technique of spray and paint didn’t work all that well, need a better spray/misting bottle.

Other than those points I’m pretty happy with it.

Cat Diary 34

See this?

That’s the chair I like to scrapple. My efforts obviously not appreciated. The old woman saw this supposed cure in a few video clips, I understand.

She laughed herself silly at my poor brothers and sisters negotiating kitchen benches and other furniture draped with this stuff. Next time she went shopping she came back with a roll of it.

I’m not happy. It’s another foreign element to negotiate. If she thinks it’ll stop me scrappling the other chair she has got another think coming.

I’m sitting under the table, in the centre. Like I can lash out in three hundred and sixty three directions at least ninety of them covered in that disgusting shiny stuff.

It’s a stand off.

Cat Diary 33

Did I tell you I’ve been learning under? As in a kibble under a piece of paper. Too easy. Then a kibble under a little plastic dome. Not so easy.

Now it’s all about a kibble in a thing too small to get my nose into. Or my tongue.

See the kibble in that thing? It’s harder than it looks. Harder than the kibble under the little dome. That one you just shove along with your nose and eventually the kibble gets left behind and you can eat it.

The black thing took me ages to work out coz it isn’t slippery. It just sat there when I pushed it with my nose.

Did it!

Cat Diary 32

This is the fifth day training with a piece of paper. I don’t know the aim, but I aim to please. More kibbles that way.

I know there’s someting under there …

Ah! Got it. A kibble of course! Yum.

I can’t see it. She’s trying to trick me …

Well, of course I see it now. To see is to eat.

What? Where is it?

Oh! OK! Got it! Oh no, it slipped.

I’m learning ‘under’ …

Storm Watching

Looking south and up there’s an amazing storm happening … a stupendous display of lightning with the sun setting to my right.

No thunder!

These clouds …

Are so paintable.

Moggy has been sitting under the bed for hours already today, away from any windows.

Just now there’s a flurry of rain and a bit of rain. I assume due to the action happening so high above us. Which makes us lucky, there have been many extreme storm events around us lately.

Cat Diary 31

Training again, I believe. A new thing, and the old woman hopes to tempt me to touch it with a round of kibbles? Huh.

As if that’s going to work. I showed her what I thought by eating the goods and walking away, out of sight out of mind. If only humans were so normal.

But of course she can’t leave well alone. She lay out another round of kibbles and because I was peckish—it is nearly lunchtime—I soon snaffled them up.

And would you believe the old woman put the next round inside the object, whatever you call it? I had a go. She video’d me, 38 seconds worth. Will take you forever to load. Worth it for me. Got most of them out.

Tired then. Time for a nap.