This painting was inspired by two beloved orange tabby cats I've known, my brother Dan's late cat Murray and my mom's late cat Necko Chan.
Since I was a little girl, felines have always fascinated me. There was a period, as a young adult, when I owned seven cats at one time. At the same time, I also owned two hooded rats, which to this day, have been one of my favorite pets. The rats' names were Leo and Splash. I named them thus after two horses whom I rode when I was a student at Cornell University, where I took classes in equitation for my P.E. requirement. A fellow Cornellian and good friend, Michael Hano, bestowed the rats to me. Michael was a herpetology (reptile) major. He used to feed hooded rats to his snakes.
It was remarkable to see how all seven of my cats lived in perfect symbiosis with my rats. At all times, I'd leave the top to the rats' cage open, so that they could move freely around my pad. I'd often find the rats and cats nuzzled together asleep in a loving embrace.
Ironically, these seven feline friends of my rats were avid hunters. While they respectfully treated Leroy and Splash as peers, they often brought home prey from the outdoors, dead and near dead rodents and birds. I always tried to nurse the wounded bunnies, sparrows and field mice back to life, but usually failed.
My husband and children are cat lovers as well. The two cats we have today, a mother and son pair (both neutered), are an important part of our family. They sleep in the bed with us every night, and dominate our German Shepherd who is terrified of them.
