This is Puppy the cat’s entry for the category of ‘Cat on Quilt’ in the annual Pets on Quilts Show 2015 held at Lily Pad Quilting. Please head over to Lily Pad Quilting and take time to look at other cute animals in the link up. Starting on August 27th, you can vote for your favorite.
Quilt Inspector – Preparing Lucent for a Local Fair
Puppy (the cat) is my constant companion. I honestly try very hard to keep him off of my quilts and quilting work, but he is a cuddle monster and quilt lover, so it can be a difficult proposition. He relishes his quilt inspector duties, and would love to test (nap with) every quilt I make.
Quilt Cuddler
I mean, who could resist that cute face? Certainly not me! 🙂
When I graduated from college, one of my first actions was to look for a cat companion. My boyfriend (now husband) was not keen on the idea of a cat, and to humor him I told him he could name the cat. So we jumped in our car and were on the way to a shelter. We drove by a vet that had a sign up front declaring “cat adoption today”. We turned around to check it out. It turned out that a small runt kitten had been at a kill shelter, and a tech from the vet office brought the kitten in to try to find it a home instead. Well, that tiny black and white bundle of fur attached itself to my shoulder, started purring, and it was love at first cuddle.
On the way home with our new companion, I asked what his name would be. The answer was definitive and planned: “Puppy”. Why not?! It turns out to have been an apt name as he is a very companionable fellow and gets to the door before we can if the doorbell rings. However, if we are displeased with him, you might hear us call him “Taco Head” or “Goober” or “Needy McWhiner” or other various silly nicknames.
Batting Inspector
I have several forms of cat distraction that I like to employ to keep Puppy off of quilts I am working on at his level. The first is to allow him to inspect the scrap batting when I am basting a quilt. This will tend to keep him pleased and off of the main event. But do you see that look in his eye? I think he knows that he isn’t really under a quilt after all…
Distraction Technique – Boxes!
My most employed strategy is to pull out a big box to let him play in when I need to be on the floor working with a quilt. It’s a tough call between whether he loves a box more than a quilt, but a good box with lots of strange shipping smells usually buys me the time I need.
Basting Helper – Mr. L’s Quilt
There are times I just give up and let him have a lay on the quilt. In the case of the quilt above, which is being made for Mr. L, I know it is OK and welcomed by the owner of the quilt to have Puppy on the quilt. Mr. L and Puppy have a sweet friendship, and Puppy seems to know that he matches Mr. L’s quilt very well. Besides, what cat can resist a quilt that is in the sunshine? A double win!
Juuuuuuust Right
Speaking of Mr. L, Puppy wanted to demonstrate just how well he fits on the mini quilt that Mr. L used as a quilting test piece.
Puppy (the cat) Loves Quilts
Thanks for humoring me as I share some of my favorite photos of Puppy the cat on quilts from the past year. Don’t miss out on all the other adorable Pets on Quilts! And thanks again to Lily Pad Quilting and all the sponsors for this fun linky party / quilt show / pet show!
Great post, Yvonne! Your pictures are great and Puppy looks very at home in front of a camera and on quilts! “Needy McWhiner”. . . LOL going to have to remember that one for when Nugget is standing in front of me howling his head off for no apparent reason!
BTW, I love that your husband named him Puppy!
Our cat also has all sorts of unofficial names – fuzz butt, grumpy pants, meower, etc. When he wakes us before dawn while shouting for his breakfast, the names are less than polite.
The box distraction technique is brilliant.
Great name and a beautiful adoption story. Cats on quilts are just purfect if you ask me. So so cute!
Puppy is one lucky kitty to have found a forever home with beautiful quilts for his enjoyment.
We have whingey and whiny as our not so adorable names for the furballs, oh and horrible animal – i think you can guess which one that is! Love the photo of puppy looking out from under the quilt!
lol @ Needy McWhiner, I am totally stealing that for Arden. Next time I send you a box I will have to put some sort of interesting smell on it to entertain Puppy.
There is just something about cats and quilting that cannot be explained. I think Puppy and my kitty Oliver could pass for brothers. Oliver is always in the middle of my quilting as well and I’m concerned he’s going to cut a paw off with my rotary cutter if i’m not careful. I’ve only ever made one quilt that he didn’t not mess with period. I’m convinced he doesn’t like civil war reproduction fabrics. Thanks for sharing this post. Can’t wait to check out the others in the pet show. But come on, how could anyone not see that Puppy is the cutest??
He is an adorable looking kitty! I love when cats like to cuddle, and Puppy looks like he has so much fun testing and inspecting your quilts. My best friend has a cat that spends her time hiding from people; I’ve only seen her twice in the 8 years or so that they’ve had her!
Love the Lucent quilt, what amazing quilting! What an inspiration! I can’t believe it! I am just a straight line quilter on the machine. This is really fantastic work
Your Puppy cat is adorable on Mr. L’s quilt. Great pictures to go with a fun story.
I sew enjoyed reading your blog post and about Puppy , the cat!! The pictures are adorable, and I laughed out loud about your distraction techniques! Thanks for sharing with us!
Susie
I had a cat who looked just like this! You have some great photos of Puppy here.
It sounds like Puppy is a great working companion, always alert and ready to help when needed. Who could resist testing a cuddly quilt in the sun on a lazy afternoon?
Love this post Yvonne, so glad Puppy entered the show! Love the little black smudge on his nose, and oh yes! I caught ‘the look in his eye’ under the batting, “not a real quilt, she thinks she’s fooling me, ha”. and I was thinking about those quilts just this past weekend when working on my Summer block for the hop–hey I see my piano block in the photo! 🙂
What a great model your cat is. Great name and quilt too.
Another Tuxedo who is pleased to play in a box. What a handsome lad and he looks like he is a wonderful helper.
I wanted a pet and my then boyfriend now husband bought me a goldfish
After a number of years said goldfish died , ad goldfish do , never to be replaced
The kids always wanted a pet but no go
So adorable! meow!
Puppy is the cutest quilt tester that I have seen! I think the box trick is super funny, what is it about boxes and bags with cats? Beautiful shots of your quilting companion!
Hi! Your cat is so beautiful as well as your quilt! Wonderful post! x Teje
I’m telling you, if we lived closer together I’d be inviting you and Puppy over for quilt/box playdates. I wish I’d known about this quilt show sooner otherwise I’d have entered Oliver.
Hey Puppy! I love his name, that’s awesome.
You have the cleverest cat distraction strategies Yvonne! Puppy is so charming and aptly named! Love your photos of him: especially the quilt cuddler one! It’s also fun to see your quilts in different views!
Hahaha I love all of Puppy’s other names! I don’t think a single animal out there has only one name. 🙂 There’s even an xkcd on it (of course there is. There’s always an xkcd on something.) https://xkcd.com/1535/
Kita is: bean, sweep (short for sweetpea), fuzzybutt, floofypants, “your cat”, and a few others. And I’ve tried boxes and other things, nothing keeps her off the quilts.
Mishka is: boo, moose, boobear, floopy face, lazy butt, and moosiegoosie. (and probably some others, too!)
Thank you for sharing! 😀
What a cool name, your husband did great naming him. He’s so handsome too, I’m glad you saw the sign and found each other.
Puppy? I thought our rescue cat had a goofy name. Her name was Tara from the shelter but the guys insisted on Turbo. They have a thing for speed. I call her Tubolina. The dogs know her as Kitty Buddy. Your top photo was a bit of a shock. Without Puppy for scale I would have pictured that quilt as a mini.
Love the colors in the first quilt. Cut cat.
I want to vote for #47 for Cats on Quilts.
Brava Puppy!
Puppy is just lovely. What a great model on your quilts. I love the quilt in the first photo.
I love the freckle on Puppy’s nose!
Your quilts are gorgeous and so too is your kitty! Beautiful photo shoot!!
You have some purrfectly beautiful quilts here.
What a great story about Puppy LOL!. I really love your Lucent quilt.
What a great idea for a quilty party, and very cute photos, Puppy looks gorgeous. Our cat loves a quilt when it’s on a bed but doesn’t seem too interested if being worked on on the floor, so we get along OK, good distraction techniques over there though!