Animal Prints!
Spots and Stripes Forever
Spots turning into Stripes? Some research suggests that spots came before stripes, rosettes and swirls. Both Sancat and Sasha, brother and sister, have a row of small round spots on each side of their spinal dorsal stripes. Their mid sections, legs, necks and faces show "tiger" stripes. Under their eyes, both sport war paint markings.
Magic markings render the cat, wild or tame, and other creatures nearly invisible outdoors. They blend with leaves, twigs, shadows and sun shade dapple patterns of nature. Unless they move, we and others may not spot them.
Fashion Statement, "My spots, stripes, and swirls go with everything!"
Prints Charming:
Orange, our newest and youngest cat, is the color of a newly minted copper coin. He sports tiny webbed feet. Orange has a short thick, sleek coat. He feels like a densely woven cotton blanket. His muscles bound and leap like steel springs. When you pick up Orange, he feels like a solid steel ball.
Orange's swirls look like patterns in solid marble. He has a corkscrew tail and curls it like a prehensile tail found on ancient furry mammals. Did Orange's ancestors hang from trees by their tails? Orange's swirls resemble Valicotherium, a furry mammal in the Jurassic Period, who resembled today's flying squirrel. Orange's back recalls SW Native American art, like viewing a totem pole from neck to tail. He has moth-like figures complete with eye spots at base of neck, all "painted" in fur.
Orange is very active~ready to accelerate into high gear from a resting state. A steak of orange in the yard, he is here, there and everywhere all at once.
Balancing Act
Orange reminds me of a Sumatran rainforest tree climber mixed with British cats. Orange was up our giant oak tree last week. I helped coach Orange down and encouraged him by talking to him in "Cat" language. I got a bit of food in a dish and said, "Row" like a cat. "Row" (rhymes with "now") means "food or dish." All of our cats say it! We trilled at each other, making sounds of confidence and safety.
He carefully looked for a way down. But instead of leaping the great distance to the ground, he studied the tree. We both studied the tree. Orange found the best branch for his descent and climbed onto it carefully. Then Orange realized one hind foot was tangled in a smaller twig. Still poised to leap, he slowly unwound his foot by rotating his hip joint outward, like a Tai Chi/Yoga move. He now carefully placed the hind foot securely on the branch. Looking downward, he bent forward, again like Tai Chi/Yoga, leaning and stretching forefeet head and neck at an angle down on the tree trunk. His hind claws were still hooked firmly onto the branch. Orange pushed off the trunk with his forefeet, sprang back at the tree with his leaping steel spring hind feet. He was airborn! Orange had safely and gently leaped to the grass!
We both celebrated the event in our warm home with much purring.
Reptilian
Sasha, our dark tabby, waves or slashes he tail quite a bit. Sasha is a Triceratops! Sasha is a Stegosaurus! Sasha is a dark leopard cub! Little leopard cubs encourage their tree resting mother, to get up and hunt for them by "beating" her with their tails. She yawns and stretches. When Sasha wants food, we get a similar treatment along with pleading kitten screeching noises to stimulate us into action.
A Clouded Leopard has markings similar to a boa constrictor.
Snow Leopard's body and tail have rosettes. Their tails also can look reptilian with patterns resembling a snake's head. Snow Leopards have snowshoe feet and extra thick coats for protection. Their ice patterned coats of gray, black and silver match their high mountain homes.
Tom, our grey wolf in cat's clothing, has a white tail tip, an 11 million year old "tale." Tom, has fine barring under his coat, visible in certain lighting similar to a Bobcat. Prehistoric three toed donkey like animals have the same grey-tan pattern with leg barring like Tom! Tom has a Cheetah tail with rings and white tip, however Cheetah is a separate genetic line of cat. Domestic cat line (small Felids) and Cheetahs developed on Earth at the same time. Lions, Tigers, Panthers etc. came later, branching off from the small cats.
A Tom Cat in A Pear Tree
A purring lap cat comforts itself and you at the same time. Cat's Purr has healing frequencies. Cats sound different, some, like Tom and Sancat, are thunderous purring machines. Others like Orange and Sasha purr quiet and mighty. When one chooses to sit on my lap, the vibrations stemming from each cat feel different. Orange vibrates out of his tiny strong foot pads while Sancat's purr center is his mid section.
A Cheetah's purr is very loud, but at a much lower frequency than the domestic cat.
Phoebe, A Norwegian Forest Cat
Unicorn Tapestries have fanciful animals similar to ancient cats.
Thousands of Years Ago Cats Were Worshiped as Gods,
Cats Have Never Forgotten This.
Blog Search, Key Word Cats
Related Posts:
Enter Extra Orange, a story of rescue and wonder
The Invisible Cheetah "There's got to be a Cheetah attached to that tail."
Mrs. Harris is a Sand Cat and Fully Present
Creature Teachers
Escape Artists
Stars and Snow, Spirit of Phoebe
Resources:
Book of Cats, illustrated by Reader's Digest, history of coat color and family tree of cats plus markings and breed descriptions.
How to Speak Cat, The Essential Primer of Cat Language by Alexandra Sellers
"Imagine"
Unicorn Tapestries
Fanciful Creatures
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Images by Dahlis
Sun Dappled Sancat, here San's stripes and spots appear like swirls in the lattice of sun and shadows. Photo by Dahlis
Orange Poses
Sasha all curled up and Tom, poised to leap, photos by Dahlis
Oil Painting by Dahlis
Stars and Snow, Spirit of Phoebe
