Catfitti Part Troix

What kind of animal do you think this is that someone drew in this dangerous alley way in Parkdale?

This “mow”ing kitty is in Milky Way between Cowan and Elm Grove. 

The Milky Way is lovely and magical because of its name and all the colorful graffiti in it, but it's also a source of Black Magic - when Kalim (my best gay shopping buddy) first moved into Parkdale, they found the severed ear of a sex worker in it.  

Whoops, there it is.

hold on to your hats - things are about to get cute.

Due to the tremendous support and generosity of my friends I now have a camera!!!  THANK YOU!  

I've been getting so many amazing Parkdale cat pix, so don't forget to remember to visit Cats of Parkdale every day!

Parkdalian / Part Alien cat mural at Queen and Lansdowne.

Catfitti

Cat memorial in Toronto, taken by Margaret Kwan.  

Cat homage in LA, taken by Michael Mouris.

Amazing cat drawrings from Maggie Vernon. 

The Life of a Cat Blogger

I do a lot of staying in! It's just so cozy in my bedroom, the all too familiar sounds of gunfire, sex worker brawls and Parkdale's own "snot rocket" gently wafting in from the street to my ears like so much sea breeze, greeting me as I recline on my bed in a stained nightie, my computer ever-perched on my lap, burning my thighs.

Rising at 12:39 to begin my grueling day of cat blogging and debating all the reality tv shows I watch with my internet friends, I start my days off with a mug of chocolate ice cream, slam two diet cokes (not because i'm dieting but because i like the taste of chemical) and suck back a Podium Blue Large King ("the cheapest smoke off the Reserve!").

Some days I'll make the arduous trek to King's Milk, the convenience store with a cat in it at the end of my driveway, to get high sodium snacks or Podiums.  Sometimes I'll see the store cat, Nabi!  Sometimes I'll see another cat and wonder what it's story is and if it will let me pet it.  I don't have a camera, so I can't share these special cats with you, and I can't prove that I use my legs.  It's true, most days I stay in bed.

After dusk, my shoulders hypoflexin', my legs threatening to go back to their old restlessness syndrome from lack of exercise and vitamins, and my mind, workin' hard (or hardly workin') from til 6 pm, and then it's ME time, baby.

I choose to treat myself by closing my bed room door against the incessant ramblings of my live-in caretaker, holing up with a bag of Cheesies and a Harry Potter Audiobook, then crackin out the paint by numbers 3 Lion kit til all heck breaks loose!  I eventually find myself getting too worked up over Harry being a whiny dumb ass, so I take a couple doctor prescribed vitamins and drift off to sleep at the same time as gettin' my solitaire game up (I'm at a 42 win percentage!).  I wake up suddenly at 4am, covered with angry red wrinkles from my solitaire night terrors and solitaire sleep apnea, and go get some compulsive nocturnal binging in.  Returning to bed I get all anxious about whether I'll get enough sleep for another big work day in bed and negotiate with myself about setting the alarm for 9 minutes later.

Here are some of the paint by numbers I've done in 2011!

Here be the one I'm working on now, you can even see my painting hand in action!

We got a wild one!

Feline Focus Part 1, an Interview with Audrey

Cat Lady of Parkdale (CLoP): Hi Audrey, and thank you for being the first kitty to take part in the Cats of Parkdale Feline Focus.  A series where we dig deep to get an inside look at the lives, loves and longings of some of the most beautiful and fascinating cats on the planet.  Welcome to Feline Focus. 

"Who, me?"

Audrey (A): Thank you, Cat Lady of Parkdale, and may I say, Waterloo just isn't the same without you.  My dear mothers Schmalz and the many members of my chosen family miss your drunken presence. 

Mother Linsday

Mama Hayley

Aunt Paris

Cousin Phil

Unky Sean

Pastor Jeremy

CLoP:  That means a lot coming from you Audrey, since I know you have your paw on the pulse of the Waterloo social scene, and that you would never say it if it wasn't deeply, deeply true. Now I'm just going to dive right in to the really heavy-hitting issues.  Tell me about it all from the beginning. Tell me the Audrey journey.

A: Well, like anyone's childhood, mine had its ups and downs. Yes, I have a great family, but people think that just because I was blessed with perfect looks that it's all been smooth sailing for me. Actually, I've had some hard knocks.  Luckily the rough times have only made me stronger and the only one who can judge me is above me (unfortunately that proverb doesn't really work in my case since everybody's above me, but you know what I mean.)

"Being so small in a big world is frightening"

"Sometimes you feel as though you're at the end of your tether"

"so often you are infantilized"

"There were definitely some big traumas..." 

"After I lost my brother things got really dark"

"I dabbled in drugs..."

"I was exhausted" 

 

"the paparazzi caught some moments that I'd rather forget"

"I lashed out at the kitties who care about me most"

"But living life in the fast lane eventually catches up to you."

"I took time to do a lot of soul searching - to learn how to live my truth."

"I came out of the closet, into the light, and onto some shelves."

CLoP: Wow Audrey, thank you so much for sharing those harrowing memories with us all.  For some reason your story really resonates with me personally.  What is your life like these days? 

"Well I learned that there's no shame in accepting a helping hand once in a while"

"I've learned to give and receive love."

"I discovered joy in the world!"

"I began exploring the world around me, while still staying safe"

"I even got my own place! Hello independence day."

"I was ready to go out there and take on the world!" 

"Now I'm the CEO of my own company!" 

"My motto is: work hard..."

"... play hard!" 

CLoP: Wow Audrey, I can't thank you enough for that story of redemption and the triumph of the feline spirit!  You are an inspiration to all of us!  Now, do you mind if I scratch your tum?

A: DO I???!!!!??? (rolls over). 

(editors note: Dear Lindsay and Hayley, thank you for letting me project my issues onto your adorable kitty.  I don't really think she was traumatized.)

child cat

a drawing of a cat I did at age seven (1989, if you must know).

Already you can see my appreciation of the weirder kitties. 

Thanks to Mama for finding this and sending it to me. 

She's a Talker

Three Best Things: Art, Gay People and Cats.

I do wish I could imbed this video, but I swear it's worth the click and watch.  "Neil Goldberg’s “She’s a Talker,” a short video which hits on the sublime by examining gay men’s relationships with their cats." Made in 1993.

Thank you to my beloved Steph and Diego for continually making this blog possible. 

Long Mother.

go long, go long, right over the edge of the earth.

the greatest dancers in the cat world

The feral Baryshnikov of Brockton

Uh oh!  Baryshnikov of Brockton ran into the Michael Jackson of Brockton!

Look at those twinkle-toes!

DAMN!  Looks like Jackson won the dance-off with Baryshnikov by default! Bary ain't even gonna step to MJ!  Forfeit! Blowing the lid off the dance world one cat battle at a time.

Maybe dat kitty ain't da best dancer, but he definitely wins the award for most lithe beauty.

Cats in Costume.

A dear anonymous reader directed me to this amazing article at the Gothamist about a Cat Fashion Show at the Algonquin Hotel.

Now, to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of dressing up cats because I don't think they like it, and I don't think they care how cute and funny they look in little superhero/jailbird/princess outfits.  And even though they're smaller than us and we can do what we want to them, they rely on us to respect their boundaries! 

HOWEVER, this event was for a good cause, and they obvi love their kits, and since these people have already dressed up these cats and I can't do anything to stop them now, let's just enjoy the cuteness of these fantastic little pageant kits!!!

Marilyn Monroe cat.  Not surprised this classic cat beauty was chosen to rep one of the greatest beauts of the 20th cent.  Look at that face!

I'm not sure if this Carmen Miranda kitty is sleeping or trying to escape her reality.  Reminds me of my last art therapy session. 

"Raggedy Ann Cat, I want you to make a pinch-pot and tell me the things that scare you."

Are you dissociating yet, hairless smoking jacket and daisy chain kitty? I am!

Suffering in Solidarity,
Cat Lady of Parkdale.