Goodnight, sweet Baby

It is with more sadness than I can express in written word, that I tell you that Hades the Babycat has passed away.

I made the difficult choice to have him put down after a suspected second snake bite.
He didn't recover fully from the first and his body no longer had the reserves to fight a second.

He made it to 13 years old.

The Licki Brush

I was so excited for this, I backed the Kickstarter!

It was pitched as a brush you hold in your mouth, for grooming and bonding with your cat in a more cat-like fashion.

I actually licked Hades once when he was struggling to groom his back... he was horrified and wouldn't settle for the rest of the night, lest I lick him again.
Sorry baby.

It is a pink-red silicon, the shade meant to reflect a tongue.

Now for some more shade (as thrown by me).

The 'bristles' a big nodules that are more of a cat 'massager' than a brush.

They are hard and bulky and (with the reduced dexterity of using your face) bumps the poor kitty more than grooms.

Neither of our cats liked it.

If I wanted a shitty pet brush, I'd just buy one (for less money).
I wanted something that actually brushed, that was more like an actual cat tongue.

Something harder to make, harder to clean, but so much nicer for our feline friends!

Catagory: Pet Grooming
Rating: 0/5
Price: 1/5 ($34.47 AUD)

Turns of Fate - My Son

My son is 13 years old, can't read or write, and is adorable.
Did I mention that he is a cat?

Hades is one of three kittens from Schnick's one and only litter.
He was the only one we kept, the other two were given to good families to start their own life adventures.

Originally PU1 wanted to keep the male cat so he would keep other cats away.
He only does that by the smell of his urine, because he isn't a aggressive or territorial cat.

I'm not sure why, but he never learned how to 'cat', despite living with his mother (who is great at being a cat).
He will stare at Schnicks and then wonder why she gets mad at him (staring is a big faux pas in the cat world).
Hence, Schnicks doesn't care for him.

PU1 thinks he is a pest, despite being a very patient and loving cat.
He can't help it that he can't remember being fed 5 minutes ago, he has a terrible memory.
He is not smart by any stretch of the imagination.

So I adopted him as my son.
Sometimes he forgets who I am and often he steals my bed, but I love him so dearly.

He purrs so loudly when I pat him. He knows my kisses.

He is my son, and I couldn't be more proud.

My Hades is sick

I was out last night and came home early this morning to learn that my Babycat was bitten by a snake yesterday afternoon.

He has been at the Vet since this morning. He is on fluids and painkillers and has been given the antivenom.

I am beside myself.
I love Hades. He is my son, my joy, my pericardium.

Please send him your well wishes.
I really hope he recovers and comes back home soon.

********************************************

Update: 3/12 (1:40pm) He's eating and drinking and he may be able to come home tonight!!!! <3

Art break - part 1, the sketching

Want to watch how my latest painting progresses?

Well, tough bickies!

This is going to be an oil painting on board (over acrylic paint)

Normally I don't share this process, but I thought it may be interesting for you (my lovely readers) to see one of my other hobbies. 

The idea behind this work is the biblical quote:

"When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him."

Why this topic interests me is I have a pet cat called Hades (named after the god, a cat who I love more than anything) and I thought it would be humorous if it was him and not the grave that followed Death.

As I paint this in, I will explain symbols and choices I made. 
Also, this will be a long process, oil paints take days to dry so at the very minimum it will be weeks before sessions. (Even then I have other things to do).

But lets go on this journey together!