Arthur the Wondercat (1983-2010)

A Lifetime of Cats: Arthur

It's hard to know where abouts in "A Lifetime of Cats" to include Arthur as her remarkable long life made her a contemporary of so many, and she outlived 14 others. Originally named "Diamond", she lived rough for several years before moving in with my family and being renamed "Arthur" after the famous Kattomeat cat.

Her years as a stray had taken their toll, and that well over a decade she battled against skin cancer. Unbeknown to us, she was already almost 25 years old when we made the difficult decision to have the tips of her ears amputated. She made a remarkable recovery and the operation certainly increased her life expectancy.

A great 'grumpy old woman', Arthur continued to climb trees, catch mice and entertain over 400 Facebook fans right up to the end. She finally lost her fight against the cancer in August 2010.

You will be able to learn much more about Arthur in my forthcoming art memorial book, "A Lifetime of Cats".

A Lifetime of Cats (The True Stories Behind the Art)

A Lifetime of Cats (The True Stories Behind the Art)

This work in progress will feature stories and paintings of every cat I have ever owned. I was just two years old when 'Uncle Ron' gave me my first kitten who became imaginatively known as 'Ginger'. Since then, apart from two years at art school, I have never been without a cat and I guess that Uncle Ron is largely to blame for my image as a 'Crazy Cat Lady'.

This portrait required a lot of artistic license as the original photo shows me sat outside in front of an unattractive brick wall and a badly peeling drainpipe. A google search gave me the 1960's wallpaper (I remember similar colours) and a familiar looking wall clock. I also changed the colours of my clothing so they don't clash so much. I wonder why, if it was so cold that I needed a thick hand-knitted jumper, why am I wearing shorts?

Ginger lived to be around 5 years old. He was a remarkably tolerant cat and put up with my early attempts of veterinary care when I covered him in sticking plasters.

There are many more cats to come, but I hope to publish in the first half of next year. Watch this space for more cats and more true cat tales.