Category Archives: Kako Photos

She was Daddy’s girl

At the Humane Society to rescue a kitten or two, “she meowed loudly, began purring, and climbed right up my arm.  Once she reached my shoulder, she turned, rubbed her face against mine, meowed with fervent delight, and wrapped her front legs around me in an elated hug.  That’s when Derek said, ‘Oh, look who’s gonna be a Daddy’s girl.'”

And she was Daddy’s girl right up to the end.

Close-up of Kako (2008_12_27_003712)

She never stopped climbing to my shoulders and wrapping around my neck, purring contentedly as she perched there as long as she could.

She never stopped talking to me at every opportunity, though sometimes this took the form of yelling at me.

Kako resting on a cat tree (2009_03_01_011681)

She never stopped hugging me, whether it be my arm, leg, neck, or whatever other part of my body she could wrap her paws around.

She never stopped grooming me when she felt my appearance wasn’t up to snuff or when she wanted to show affection.

Close-up of Kako (2008_12_27_003717)

She never stopped playing fetch, always bringing the ball back so I’d throw it one more time.  One more time, Daddy.  One more time…

She never stopped being the consummate lap cat, hardly waiting for me to sit before she claimed her rightful place.

Kako holding a toy (20080223_02254)

She never stopped sleeping under the covers with me or on the pillow next to my head, always in close contact, always right there.

She never stopped taking care of me when I didn’t feel my best, giving me all the attention I needed so I’d feel better.

Close-up of Kako (2008_12_27_003756)

She never stopped being Daddy’s girl, even when age and disease finally began their assault on her.  She never stopped being Daddy’s girl even when I had to say goodbye.

She never stopped being Daddy’s girl, and in my mind and heart she never will.

Kako
September 1998 – December 2015

Quality time

The Kids provide endless entertainment and companionship.  Unfortunately, being cats, they don’t always provide the best photographic opportunities.  I can’t tell them to sit and stay while I setup a prime shot.  I can’t let them run about the yard while I capture some magic moments.  In truth, they keep me on my toes when it comes to photographing them.

When we’re playing, it’s near impossible to snap photos while keeping them engaged.  I try, though.  What I wind up with most often are pictures of empty spaces, unrecognizable blurs, my own feet or hands, a wall or the ceiling, furniture, and anything else except cats.  Such is the curse of holding a toy with one hand as I hold the camera out and snap photos with the other.

When they’re playing on their own, I can sometimes get up and grab the camera for some snapshots.  Usually, however, they react to my movement by stopping what they’re doing and running to me for attention or a bit of personal play.  I try to keep the camera nearby for such moments, but that’s not always possible (busy doing chores or eating dinner are two examples that come to mind).

There is only one time when taking photos is simple: when they’re still (sleeping, grooming, etc.).

The next best opportunity is quality time.

Quality time for us happens as often as possible.  It’s nothing more complicated than me sitting or lying on the floor.  It draws them in like flies to honey.

We play.  We show love toward each other.  We focus on the pleasure of just being with one another.

But that represents another challenge.  It’s our quality time; I’m focused on them and they’re focused on me, so photography is nothing more than a byproduct when possible.

That there are seven of them also means my hands are full with making sure each of them receives their due affection.

Nevertheless, I find the happenstance photos from such moments often capture the wild spirits and loving souls that swim within each of these fur persons.

A close-up of Kazon as he looks at me (2008_12_27_003708)

Kazon.  What can I say?  He’s my baby.  When he realizes I’m occupying him surreptitiously in hopes of getting a picture worth the effort, he stops and looks at me with the adoration of a child.  He needs his love, his affection.  And he is a child, a big tomcat in stature with the mind of a juvenile who is always needy, always demanding of personal attention.

A close-up of Kako as she looks out the window (2008_12_27_003718)

Kako.  As independent as she is wanting of Daddy’s time, she proffers a mix of disdain and greed.  Sometimes I can’t get her off my shoulders long enough to breath; other times she smacks me around and lets me know I’m invading her personal space.  I love the bitch that dwells within this feline.  She is both distant and close all at once, a dichotomy that defines the spirit of all cats.

Larenti lying on the bed looking out the windows (2008_12_27_003720)

Larenti.  He is fear made flesh.  I always knew he was abused, for his fear of hands and sudden movements makes this clear.  Yet as much as he wants to engage the other felines, he fears them as much as he fears humans.  A bit of play quickly turns to panic, and a moment on my lap in purring contentment becomes fleeing apprehension when one of the other kids joins us and gets too close, rests against him, gets too near his personal space.  Ah, but he loves his time with me as much as he loves the rest of The Kids.  For a young cat, he still has time to realize the potential of the life I’ve given him.

A close-up of Vazra as he looks out the window (2008_12_27_003723)

Vazra.  He lives up to his name.  Simultaneously amiable and demanding, he is a true king of felines.  He demands things go his way, he demands no one else do what he does, and he demands everyone acquiesce to his needs and wants.  His physical presence, as beautiful as it is, represents a mere shadow of his personality, a big and bold being who loves with the utmost compassion as much as he expects me to answer his every demand.  He’s a mirror of my own soul…

A close-up of al-Zill as he looks at the camera (2008_12_27_003735)

al-Zill.  The neurological damage he suffered before I rescued him ensures he’s a special case in the xenogere homestead.  Affectionate with a purr that can shake dishes off the table, he’s also a child at heart who remains at odds with the disconnect between his brain and his body.  But how he loves the other cats!  As much as he loves me, I might add.  Watching him lie with Grendel as he grooms his older stepbrother warms my heart as much as it does when he pushes his way under the covers at night, when he races to claim my lap, when he follows me everywhere while continually rubbing against me, and when he gives me kisses—sometimes incessantly to the point of pain.

A close-up of Grendel as he looks at me (2008_12_27_003745)

Grendel.  A lifetime of ailments continues to take a toll on this alpha male.  He is Sponge, the cat who can never get enough petting, who can never spend enough time with me (although Kazon gives him a run for his money in that regard).  And while Grendel remains the chief of the watch, I myself lament seeing him weaken, seeing the tremors that plague him all the time now, seeing a great predator reduced to wisps of what once was.  He looks at me with frustration in this photo because I wanted him to pause long enough for a picture, yet I could only demand so much from him before I wept and held him and spoke to him with the utmost adoration.  His time is limited, something obvious by the continued downhill slide of his body.  So many memories wrapped up in this one cat whose flesh can no longer support the soul that made him master of our domain…

Although I tried also to grab a few pictures of Loki, all of them turned out as so much garbage.  He beat me profusely during this episode of quality time.  He ran about, punched me around, argued with me, and basically left me not one opportunity to immortalize his godliness within the digital confines of a photograph.  There will be other times, sure, but I’m sorely disappointed with myself for not being better prepared for his rambunctious and assaulting interaction with me.  For all the abuse I’ve taken from him over the years, I should have known better.

Cat is the new black

Kako the cat looking down at me from her perch (2008_12_17_002476)

The divine Ms. Kako.  Don’t let the soft look in her eyes fool you.  She is the epitome of feline superiority.  Either worship her majesty or suffer the blow of her mighty, terrible, claw-filled fist.  Not to mention the constant bitching that can drive a man to drink.

al-Zill the cat looking outside as he sits on a cat tree (2008_12_17_002500)

Spirited and childish al-Zill.  Clumsy and impish (or do I mean ‘gimpish’?), his innocent visage belies a devilish spirit that stirs up trouble in all the wrong places.  But he’s suffered much and has faced the truth of a lifelong battle with a mind and body severely disconnected from each other.  Still, he embodies a single thought: shit disturber.

Vazra the cat lying on the bed (2008_12_17_002514)

Vazra.  He is the master of his own domain.  The world revolves around him, or so he feels, and he hasn’t the time to let anyone think otherwise.  This feline gives life to a single premise: Do as I say and not as I do.

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The title is a nod to Mom and Dad who last year for Christmas gave me, among other things, a throw which states emphatically: “Everything looks better with cat hair on it.”  Try having seven inside-only cats without pondering that universal truth on a regular basis…