Life stages of Seurat 🐈‍⬛

It all started with Nala. She was a cat mama I fostered over a year ago. Her litter of 6 was born the night of my birthday.

The rescue I volunteer with, likes to name kitten using themes. Thus, kittens were named after famous painters, Picasso, Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Seurat. For days I couldn’t keep their names straight as 1 was calico, 2 were black and 2 were tabby. Sadly, 1 black kitten did not make it. The momma cat must have felt something was wrong, as I found it dead the next morning.

Small kittens are very quickly adopted. They are cute and who can say no to a kitten. Well, many black cats aren’t as lucky. Many superstitions attached to their beautiful fur coat, makes black cats the most vulnerable to abuse, much more likely to end up in the shelter, and less likely for adoption.

Seurat was one of them. A black kitten with blue eyes and a white neck patch, also called a “kiss of an angel” which is likely a remnant of artificial selection during the Middle Ages. Europeans used to believe that black cats were an accessory to evil, a witch’s trick. Many would burn at stakes together with hundreds of innocent women. However, cats with a white patch were spared. Unfortunately, many such ideas persisted in modern society.

Seurat was the hardest kitten to photograph. Constantly moving, easily distracted, and always ready to play. His fur color did not make it easier. Even cameras are biased for black kittens.

He would start knitting very early, making me know he was happy and content.

Seurat is a claw master. Since kittenhood, his claws were needle sharp and regardless of all my attempts at making sure she gets used to nail trims, I failed miserably. Even today it is a circus.

As I look back at the images, I think she likes to display her claws for admiration. If the Wolverine needed a double, she would be a perfect candidate.

Kittens tend to grow at a slower pace than most dogs. Seurat took that into heart. Since she was about 7 months old, there was very little additional height added.

There is a period in the life of kittens, when they remind me of teenagers. They grow in bursts, looking slightly awkward. Long slender bodies, but a kitten head. They would be tiny and out of nowhere they would double in size.

Seurat is obsessed with toys that have feathers. At first it was a fascination, but as she grew any toy that had feathers would be destroyed in minutes. I had to stop buying then, as she would eat every bit of it.

There were also many cute moments. For example, she would fall asleep on my chest or when she wild fall asleep by my computer.

Or got into all kinds of trouble. That usually involves lots of paper and plants.

From very early age, Seurat was the dominant cat. She would sit on the highest cat tower shelf and would hiss at intruders. Definitely not the nicest attitude.

As time went by, she became a part of the family.

She bonded very strongly with my other cat Cooper. They both share adventurous souls.

Today, Seurat reminds a tiny cat with a BIG attitude. Little diva. She’s sweet and kind, as long as you aren’t trimming her nails or taking away her food or feathered toys, then a little monster emerges.

I know she is safe with me, and I cannot imagine it any other way.

Foster if you can. Always adopt your pets. Never buy animals from breeders.