Anna Cone, Esme & Florine
Anna & Esme
I adopted Esme (nee Lily) in Winter 2013, and was completely enamored with her at first sight. A friend of mine was fostering her because her landlord rescued cats and would give her and her roommates a discount if they helped foster. Her roommates decided that they didn’t like sharing that responsibility and didn’t want to take on fostering anymore, but my friend was attached to Esme and wanted her to go to a good home. For some reason she settled on me, even though I’d never had a cat before and never really thought about adopting one. My cousin had a really temperamental cat named Stormy growing up, she would bite us all the time. My mom was allergic so we always had dogs, and I thought if I got a pet it would be a dog. Which is kind of hilarious because I’m such a natural at being a cat lady! But, my friend invited me over for a meet and greet and I loved Esme from the moment I saw her.
The next week she brought her over and the rest is history. She thought she might hide or be nervous at first but she just plopped on the couch as if to say, “this will do.” I thought (and still do) that everything she did was perfect and adorable, and my camera roll quickly filled. When my alarm goes off she will run and jump in bed with me (if she isn’t there already), like “oh, were you getting up?” She loves watching true crime and movies with horses. She has a zest for mealtime and her catbod is my favorite thing about her! When I come home I say “show me the tum” and she rolls around to greet me. She is the absolute sweetest. I call her my little kitty angel sent straight from kitty heaven. She's the most amazing emotional support animal, confidante, and best friend. She always knows when to crawl into my lap if I’m having a bad day and she has such calming and supportive energy.
Florine & Anna
After five years of bliss, I became worried Esme was lonely since I was home less and less. Turns out she was NOT lol, but I had already hit up Petfinder and found little Florine (nee Hannah). Her description said that she was a sweet beta kitty and would get along well with other cats. Another lol. The week I decided to foster her the agency told me she had an issue with another cat, but maybe it was just that one. The diagnosis was that most likely she and Esme weren’t going to end up cuddling. I decided to try it anyways and their intro did not go well! I was seriously contemplating throwing in the towel, but Florine developed ringworm. She was already quarantined in my bathroom and I got her treatment regiment from my vet, so I wanted to see her get well and thought maybe buying time would help them get used to each other. In the process both Florine and I got super attached and after six weeks of treatment, I really wanted to make it work. It took a year of behaviorists, therapists, cat reiki, small victories as well as setbacks, but we finally got to a point where they tolerate each other, and sometimes—I daresay—have fun (though they hate to admit it). They like to play and be near each other, but will get snippy if one gets too close. The progress has seemed so slow, but it’s really a huge difference from where we started and I think will keep getting better.
“We have all gotten so close in quarantine. I live alone, so I’ve just been so grateful for them.”
Florine is hilarious. She has a huge personality and keeps me laughing constantly. She is very precocious, opinionated and vocal and loves to chat. Her favorite perch is on the tippy top of pillows. She will yell at me if I’m up cooking or bustling around too much because she would like me to relax, please. I’ll just sit on the floor and she jumps in my lap for a few minutes and then she is recharged and good to go. She has the most adorable fluff between her toes . She is a total diva and loves to strut in on my zoom classes, ideally to applause. She also loves to groom me and definitely thinks I’m her cat mom. She is so nuzzly and will lick me to death if I let her. She was found abandoned in an apartment after the old owners moved, which breaks my heart to think about, and I think where many of her anxieties come from.
We have all gotten so close in quarantine. I live alone, so I’ve just been so grateful for them. They’ve loved having me home, and our move to Newburgh was good for everyone. Back in Brooklyn they had assigned quarantine seats and Florine would get upset when I wasn’t in mine! But they love having more space and perches, and also love being the center of attention in my art installation. They fill my heart every day and I definitely cannot imagine life without them.
Anna Cone is a Newburgh-based photographer and installation artist. She is stimulated by psychic readings, 70s vampires and witches, old master paintings, surrealist films, 19th century Spiritualism, radical women and the body.