“but what should I blog about?” I asked Mommy. “kitty, why don’t you blog about all the things you love?” okay, I shall listen to Mommy and do just that!

That’s me on the table. I love running and climbing! It makes my legs strong! I especially love performing for humans. Each time someone is watching me, I do my best to put on a good show! My favourite trick is doing a vertical dash along the back of the leather sofa without falling off!

Ever since my hind legs grew strong enough, I have enjoyed jumping on to the table to read the newspapers. At least, when Mommy is reading, I would accompany her by sitting on the newspaper. So many tiny words!

Let me introduce you to my pet mousey. His name is ben. He’s one of my most favourite things.

I would carry him around in my mouth. He’s such a great companion!

Mommy bought me this tent which even has a blankie inside! She said all little boys need camping experience. I think she’s quite surprised by how fast I grow, because I soon grew too big for the tent! I love its engine red colour though.

Another favourite activity of mine is burrowing into small spaces. That’s me underneath Hello Kitty. I love Hello Kitty. The girl’s fine.

I remember when Mommy saw me crawling between her pillows and sheets. She was so amused she laughed out loud! I wonder why she found it so funny. I almost got lost in there!

In my free time (which is when I’m not sleeping), I would look out for new crawlspaces to get into.

These colourful flowers are so big! They are soft too, just like me.

That’s fuzz, my colourful ball of yarn. Sadly, I have torn it into shreds. Mommy said she would make me another fuzzy ball. She just doesn’t know how yet.

So I shall just play with my feathered toy for now. Catching and biting onto those feathers sure is satisfying! It comes with a bell too.

Look what I can do!

Alright, Mommy just said that I’ve worked my paws hard enough and I deserve some treats now. Hip hip hooray! I’m off for my kitty treats! Meow soon!

signing off with lotsa paw hugs and kitten kisses,

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*turns on camera*

Hellooo? Can you see me?

April 13, 2009 would forever be a memorable day for me. That’s the day Mommy brought me home from the pet shop that I once called home!

You may notice that I have blue eyes and a pink nose. Mommy says that my blue eyes are mesmorising, especially with the “eyeliner”. I try to tell her that I’m *really* not wearing any eyeliner. After all, I am a boy!

Although I appear to be white now, I may not be a white kitty forever. When I grow older, the fur ’round my eyes may grow darker. According to Mommy, it should look like batman’s mask! I heard he’s some kind of superhero, so that’s gotta be cool!

Each time Mommy carries me like a baby, I would rest limply in her safe arms. We Ragdolls are pretty floppy by nature, ya know. Whenever we feel the love of being hugged and carried by a warm human, we relax our muscles, like totally, and purr. That’s why we’re called Ragdolls!

I was a little shy in my new home initially and kept burying my face in pillows. But soon I was running around like the happy kitten that I am and playing with my brand new scratching post!

My favourite hiding places are under tables and in narrow crawl spaces. Most of the time I am quiet as a mouse. Mommy’s family let me wear a baby blue collar with a jingling bell so that they can hear me whenever I’m catwalking about. They painstakingly picked a colour that matches my blue eyes! What do you think of it?

My most favourite item in the house is this: my kitty bowl! I eat yummy food from it. It even has a separate compartment for fresh water! Meow! I must eat more so that I can quickly grow bigger!

That’s Tatty Teddy. He doesn’t do much ‘cept sit around all day. Sometimes I play with him, sometimes I don’t. Mostly he just ignores me. I do hope one day we can be friends!

I love playing with balls. Balls are so cool! My favourite is the one with a bell. It’s a gift from one of my human visitors!

Ever since I moved into my new home, a steady stream of humans have come to visit me. They would coo about my long white fur, or ooh and ahh over my blue eyes. I wonder what all the fuss is about. All my brothas and sistas look just the same! It’s fine with me tho. I love being around humans!

Gimme a hug please, good people?

*gnaws paw*

When everyone’s out working (so that they can buy me more food and toys), I would be home sleeping. But as long as someone’s around, I would always sit or play by his or her side.

Sleeping is a fun activity that can be enjoyed in various positions… Face-up, face-down, paw in mouth… My favourite is lying sideways facing the wall. Zzz…

Nap time is always at my favourite corner in Mommy’s room, where it gets so comfortable I doze off in an instant. When Mommy wakes up in the morning, I would follow her from room to room ’til she leaves for work. Then I would go back to sleep and wait for breakfast.

Psst… I’ll let ya in on a little secret. When I’m sleeping, I love it when Mommy strokes and pets me. It makes me feel like the happiest and most loved kitten in the world!

Mommy says that I’m very playful and always outrunning her. When I tire from all the playing and running, I’ll lie under the table for a break. The weather recently has been hot, hot, hot! It’s much cooler on the floor for someone with this thick coat of fur!

Oh yeah, Mommy says that even though I’m cute, I should do more than just eat and play and sleep (and poop) all day. Otherwise I’m just another lazy kitty. So occasionally I would blog over here too, starting with this first post!

Boy, I sure hope I’m off to a good start!

Meow soon!

signing off with lotsa paw hugs and kitten kisses,

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I mean, look at her! Isn’t she the cutest thing in the world? *melts into a puddle of goo* Right now the only words out of my mouth are “aaah”, “awww”, and “so cute!” where are her ears anyway?

Kawaii overload!

“Ehn! Wanna get out of this bed but I’m too smaaall! Ehn!” (Are those little stuffed sheep in there?)

“Hey, what’s all this fluff doing?” *presses around with tiny paw but tiny little black tail gets in the way*

Sigh!

“I weigh even less than Hello Kitty, who’s just the weight of three small apples!”

“Lemme out of this bowl, pweeease?”

Mommy’s (wearing a pink bell) here to help!

And Mommy’s all “ye humans there, whaddya put her in all these cups and bowls for? She’s nice and yummy, but she’s not for eating! Meow!”

“I wuv my little plastic fwens! They are the only things teenier than me!”

(The Japanese really know how to ramp up the cute with toys and props!)

Baby kitty’s first shower. “Bath time!”

All naked and wet and helpless! Awww!

“Ehn! Mush… Get… Head… Through! Ehn! Almost there!”

There’s Mommy again. “No one can touch my babeh!”.

Now we know where baby kitty got that black streak on her face!

“Little blue octopus is my bedtime buddy. Must hug with all four paws.”

“Blankie!”

Ain’t she an adorable little doll? Almost too good to be true!

*sucks paw to sleep*

Tell me, are you not charmed yet? I saw some of these Exotic Shorthair cuties at a recent kitty beauty pageant.

Admire Memebon at Memebon.jp, a Japanese site with many other cute cats. She’s all grown up now and of course bigger, but still adorable (in the grown-up cat kind of way).

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It sure felt awesome to be admiring so many cute feline beauties all in one place! They were in their own cages and visitors could walk by to ooh and ahh at them. Some cat owners would proudly open the cages to let people pet the kitties!

Doesn’t this exotic shorthair kitty resemble garfield? I just love his grumpy look!

The term “championship” may bring the illusion of cats being pitted against one another in some form of sports. (at least, that was my first impression!) it’s really a beauty pageant show, where owners bring their precious kitties to compete for various awards, such as “best of breed” or “best of colour”. Winning kitties get their own special coloured ribbons!

This kitty has a nice coat of grey and white fur. He’s enjoying a good stretch, the way cats do (even lions!). And it’s a “he” because he’s got a beard! Haha!

A white longhair beauty with a long bushy tail. She’s gorgeous! At one point she kept swaying her beautiful tail at passers-by. Awww!

I particularly adore the sapphire blue eyes of this one. What an intent gaze! Beautiful!

For a rarer breed, there’s always the hairless sphynx cat! I had never seen one before except on the TV show, friends (rachel’s pet, mrs. Whiskerson) and the movie, austin powers (dr. Evil’s pet, Mr. Bigglesworth).

This was the one and only sphynx cat at the event, but the poor little fella looked neglected. There weren’t many people making a fuss over him as compared to the other cat breeds. But the sphynx cat certainly is ideal for people with cat hair allergy!

As the kitties were also judged on how well decorated their cages were, many cat owners had found creative ways in beautifying the cages.

The theme for the day was “bollywood”. That explains the colourful flowers and peacock flowers being used to adorn many cat cages. I wonder if the kitties felt extra special in them?

I’m not sure which cage won, but for me this mostly black and dark grey cage was easily the best decorated one.

The owners had painstakingly built a mini taj mahal on the roof of the cat cage! It looked mighty impressive! Hope they won the first prize!

Meanwhile, here are more exotic shorthair kitties!

They really remind me of garfield!

Ehn! Ehn! If you’re wondering why this grey kitty was struggling and looking extra grumpy, that’s because his owner was just about to dress him up in a shiny little costume for the “best dressed cat” competition.

My most favourite cat of the day has got to be the one dressed like aladdin. His owner carried him like he was a baby! Gotta give the little guy props for being so well-behaved. Not once did he fidget about or fuss over his hat and costume. No wonder he was crowned the “best dressed cat”!

As different competitive events went on for the day, some cats got tired from the competition stress. Look at the two sleepyheads!

Of course, what’s a kitty event without kitty food, right? And when it comes to kitty food, there’s always friskies!

“sterilise cats” was the main message carried at the cat adoption booth. Very important stuff!

Perhaps, if more people could see the beauty of cats at such events and realise how lovable and harmless they are, they might treat the animal with more dignity and compassion. Cases of such mindless torture would come to an end.

I love cats!

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This wouldn’t be the first time I am introducing catmasutra. I am a huge fan! Check out the interview that I did with paul recently. I’m certainly very excited about the new paintings that he would be unveiling during the exhibition.

Here’s a sneak preview of some art pieces that would be going on display.

“summer of desire”, because love is like a summer breeze through a meadow of sunflowers.

Temptations as endearing as this kitty sure are hard to resist!

The following “in-between love” painting in sweet pink has got to be my favourite of the series. I love the way paul painted the pink rose to blend perfectly with the white streaks in the background.

I’m not sure how you would interpret this painting. But for me, “in-between love” reminds me of the beginnings of a new love, when seeing the person you fancy just brings butterflies to the stomach. It’s the stage when everything seems so sweet and fuzzy :)

Prepare to be enchanted. Garden of eden starts tomorrow, so catch it while you can!

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And now, the couple is back to present catmasutra 4!

To learn more about catmasutra and paulMysh’s little darling kitties, I asked paul, one half of this talented duo if I could conduct an interview with him. He very kindly obliged!

Veron: From your wonderful paintings of kitty art, it is obvious that you are a cat lover! So tell us — just what makes you love cats so much?

Paul: Simply because I grew up with cats! My earliest memory is of a litter of kittens in the old round rattan chair where my grandma used to sit. Since then, there is always a resident or master cat in our home.

Of course, these cats were not house cats — they were free to roam wherever and whenever. They were independent individualists, and freedom was their modus operandi.

And the way they relaxed and stretched on lazy afternoons and evenings… It was all about making time your best friend based on an uncanny understanding of the more important things in life! (laughs)

Perhaps my Catmasutra paintings are about capturing all those traits I believed, as a child, the cat has and which I hold dear. Wherever they are, cats seem capable of being happy and free-spirited!

Veron: How long does it take for you to complete a painting?

Paul: It ranges from 3 days to a week! It gets faster if I’m able to work on my paintings full-time and of course, once you find the inspiration, then everything flows.

Veron: Spoken like a true artist! You have done numerous cat paintings over the years. To date, which has been the most memorable work?

Paul: This is a very tough question as many pieces are dear to me, memorable in their own way. There is a always a great sense of fulfillment when you put your signature signaling the completion of a little bit of yourself.

Honestly, it’s a bittersweet feeling when the paintings get sold. It’s fantastic, of course, that people appreciate your work and buy them — that really encourages you and sustains you as an artist; the sad part is of course, when they get sold, you’re really selling something that you have become very attached to.

Veron: Any favourite paintings that you’re particularly attached to?

Paul: My favourites include Core of Apple (2005), Absolute Bliss (2004), Sunflowers (2004), Portrait of a Cat (2005), Hot Soup (2006) (above, left), Got Light? (2007) (above, right), Art of Levitation (2006), Drunk.Punch.Love (2006), Colorado (2006), Once Upon a Kopitiam (2007) (below)…

Okay I am gonna stop. I guess in a way, there is a little of yourself in these pieces which makes them special.

Veron: I adore “Art of Levitation” and “Once Upon a Kopitiam” (above) too! The Absolut bottle and kopi (coffee) cups get my attention every time. Now, what’s the toughest painting you have ever done?

Paul: Well, “toughest” is probably not the right word as I enjoy painting even the “toughest” paintings, and sometimes there are challenges even in the “simplest” piece!

Veron: You are really creative with your subjects, from using everyday objects such as white men’s shirts to spoofing famous paintings (such as Monet’s waterlily garden in Serenading Monet and your take on Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup series) to whimsical pieces like “Popsicles” (above)! Where do you get your inspiration for your paintings?

Paul: I get my inspiration from everywhere, magazines, movies, art, design, illustration, popular culture, etc. There are a myriad of energies all around us, so we can tap into these energies, distill them and re-energise them in a way that works for ourselves.

In essence, there’s beauty and freshness everywhere once we choose to see it!

Veron: I notice many of your paintings depict alcoholic drinks. I have seen Jack Daniel’s (above), Absolut Vodka, Hoegaarden, and even sake! Angel has been shown to puff on a cigarette too. My, what naughty cats you have!

Paul: Haha, well there’s a little of the owner in the cats as well. As it would be, the owner takes on some characteristics of the cats, and vice-versa. Angel is a naughty devil in disguise, being very curious and playful but very manja (coquettish)! Halo is Angel’s conscience, being happy just to sit, relax, meditate, and sleep of course.

Veron: Angel and Halo sure are adorable! I love the way you always paint them with the happy eyes-wide-shut and ear-to-ear grin on their cute kitty faces. Would they ever have any other expression?

Paul: I don’t see Angel and Halo having another look, as the “eyes-wide-shut” and “ear-to-ear” grin is the essence of the Catmasutra series. For me, Catmasutra is about telling a happy story, a reminder to see the positive side of things, and even possibly the magic in between.

I take stuff that we commonly come into contact with and present a moment in a story that is personal and yet universal. I’m fascinated with the flow of energy that vibrates in between, that blurs the line between reality and myth, between the power of everyday and the power of imagination.

I conceptualise Catmasutra as part of this in-between world and the “eyes-wide-shut” and “ear-to-ear” grins of the cats are representative of this energy — that in spite of life’s imperfections, there is always a positive side, good enough for a smiley face any time! It’s almost like the graphic novel/movie “V for Vendetta” with the mask taking on an important symbolic value.

Specifically, Catmasutra translates to this particular childlike innocence cum devil-may-care bravado, reinforced with a deep sense of self-belief and unpretentiousness.

Veron: Do you ever use props in your paintings, like the “The Red Scooter” (above) and kopi cups in “Once Upon a Kopitiam” and “Break Time” (below)?

Paul: Yep, if I can find them! I bought the kopi cup and saucer some time ago. Others are mainly from photographs.

Veron: Other than using such props and various objects, I notice that once in a while you do feature people as “guest stars” in your paintings. Have you ever featured yourself?

Paul: (laughs) Sometimes I put in a cameo appearance in my paintings. If you look at “Core of Apple” (below, left) and “Dancers” (below, right) in Catmasutra 3 exhibition, that is the Catmasutra version of myself!

Veron: I heard that dogmasutra is in the works too. Dog lovers would definitely be looking forward to this one! Who would be the stars this time?

Paul: Dogs are different from cats as we all know. They have different strengths and weaknesses. I don’t envision having a particular breed of dogs in this series, but different dogs to portray different strengths and whims.

So there you go! This is just a sneak peek into the talent behind catmasutra. Be sure to pop by the exhibition and admire the kitty art! I guarantee those adorable kitty faces and bright cheery colours would put a smile on your face.

All pieces showcased at the gallery would be on sale. Who knows? You may even bring home a piece of catmasutra!

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Sabine rath is a very talented photographer. She takes wonderful pictures of her cats and really captures their innocence. I spent a good couple of hours going through every single photograph in her gallery!

Hello, little one!

Awww… What a playful pose!

Do kittens know that they are adorable?

This kitty is “vanilla sky”, very aptly named for her sparkling blue eyes and coat of pure white fur!

Pink ears and blue eyes are such a pretty combination!

Kitty looks as though he’s wearing eyeliner!

Now that’s a sweet kitty couple! Do check out sabine’s website for more pretty pictures of these precious things!

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This is the third year running of catmasutra. I only heard about it recently, which is a real shame because I wouldn’t have missed catmasutra 1 and 2 for the world if I had known about those!

The cat models used in the paintings are actually paul and michelle’s own cats — halo and angel. Now, these two kitties must obviously be very playful since they inspire paintings such as “art of levitation”, which has angel getting high on alcohol.

Not to be outdone, halo, the greedy cat who’s always seen with a fish bone in his mouth, gets high on Hoegaarden, in “night out in the garden” (above, centre). Good choice! That’s my favourite beer too! I had two last night!

He gets even more drunk in “drunk.punch.love” (above, centre)! Man, the life of a cat is good! I’m one of those people that get infected by laughter easily. So when I saw the wide, ear-to-ear smiles of these cats, I couldn’t help but smile along too! They looked so adorable!

Well those were my favourite paintings. A few other personal favourites include “cat’s sutra” and “hot soup”. look here for more.

Better still, head down to the gallery at utterly art! It’s located on a second level shophouse along South bridge road, opposite sri mariamman temple. It’s a neat little place with a bunch of friendly people. The catmasutra exhibition is on until Christmas eve!

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head over to the website of project jk, a team that helps and saves animals in need. There are also many images of abused cats over there. If you haven’t used up your donation fund for this month, perhaps you would consider sparing a few bucks for this non-profit group.

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man, that’s how mad I am right now. My old-time blog readers would remember the incident where I caught another son of a bitch at my block trying to run a cat over with his remote-controlled car. You can read about it over here. The incident happened more than two years ago, and I still remember it vividly.

recalling that incident, reading numerous articles about animal abuse and torment all the time, and now this. I just cannot understand the sick mind of animal abusers. I don’t care how many times they have been abused when they are growing up, or how much violence they have witnessed or are accustomed to, torturing animals for morbid pleasure is just wrong.

the laws over here simply pay no regard for animals. Animal abusers are almost never caught. Even the ones that do, they either get away with a stern warning, or spend a number of weeks in jail for torturing and killing an animal. People seem to readily accept that animal abuse takes place and let these bastards get away scot-free. To those people who have witnessed animal abuse and never did anything to stop it, they are no better than the perpetrator himself!

yeah, if you can’t tell by now, I am damn pissed off right now. Jesus. I wish I could do something. Just anything at all. The apathy and self-centeredness that Singaporeans display is really getting on my nerves. The genuinely nice ones (like that old Malay lady you see every morning) who feed stray cats in the neighbourhood are ostracised, verbally abused even, simply for their display of kindness towards animals. People in general think that we shouldn’t feed stray cats because they would just breed and multiply and populate the neighbourhood.

do you know that most stray cats around here have been neutered and therefore can’t breed anymore? Next time you see a cat, look closely at its left ear. It should be slightly chipped, an indication that it cannot reproduce anymore. By ostracising or preventing people from feeding cats, it only results in starving these poor animals who are perfectly harmless. Isn’t this an act of cruelty as well?

for those who have cat-phobia and are so sure that cats would follow them at their heels if they came too close, get over yourself! Cats are independent creatures who wouldn’t care less about following anyone unless they really like you!

please, if you haven’t, treat animals with a bigger and kinder heart. Give the neighbourhood cat a gentle stroke of its fur (cats are mighty clean animals). Report animal abuse and teach that son of a bitch a lesson should you ever find one in the act of animal cruelty. Whatever good you do would return to you in kind.

too many of us have stayed too quiet for too long. It’s time all of us do our bit to make this world a better place!

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To date, this is the layout that I’d spent the shortest time on. So it may not look as detailed as the previous ones, but it’s certainly the cutest.

See the kitty sleeping above? That’s why I gave this piece the name “innocence”.

Meow!

Much love,
Veron

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