Red Hook

Red Hook

Aisha Awadallah, Tigger Oscar Wilde, Xena Warrior Princess & Alexander the Great

“I’ve been a cat person for as long as I can remember, I had the childhood companionship of the most regal and temperamental Burmese cat since I was a baby and have never really felt complete without a feline friend in my life. I like to think that I was a cat in a […]

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“Both kitties have emerging meowdeling careers. Vivian is in the Cats of Instagram book and this year’s calendar, and Meech had his first shoot with NYC photographer Bea Helman in December 2017 and he has been featured on GetLeashedMag.com (not as BDSM as it sounds). @duchessvivian Persians are a brachycephalic breed prone to respiratory issues because of that pushed-in snout and narrow nostrils. To make sure the airways are clear I wash Meech’s face twice a day and often massage around his nose, which he loves, to ease congestion. He used to scratch at the door when I’d shower, so I now leave it open and let him have a little steam bath. (A humidifier is also key in winter.) It frustrates me that some people just see an exotic-looking cat and don’t realize the difficulties they suffer from our breeding them this way and the amount of daily care they require. If your heart is set on a snub-nosed kitty, know what you’re signing up for, and adopt! There are specialty rescues, but you might also get lucky like me. Meech was pay-what-you-wish from the humane society.” @krisannemadaus @duchessvivian KrisAnne Madaus is a writer and holds an MFA in creative writing (fiction) from The New School. She’s currently finishing her novel, and her work has been published by the National Book Critics Circle, The Chicago Review of Book’s Arcturus, Spring Gun Press, VanityFair.com, and is forthcoming from [the Same] and No New Music. #girlsandtheircats #persiancat #catsofinstagram #catlady #adoptdontshop

“Dmitry (Meech) and Vivian are both rescues from the Wisconsin Humane Society. Meech’s previous family surrendered him because they were moving, but he, Vivian and I journeyed as a happy trine from Wisconsin to New York so that I could attend grad school. 15 hours in a rental car with no problem on the road. Well, almost. Free from the restraints of his carrier, Meech managed to roll down the back window and tried to make friends with the toll booth attendant. There was a moment, as I struggled to close the window, when I thought he’d jump out and I’d lose him, but I was able to get him back into his carrier and turn child lock on. As soon as I could, I pulled over for a Jesus-Take-the-Wheel breather, and then accelerated onward into the city. We made it just fine eventually. I think everyone assumes Meech is my favorite because I take a lot of photos of him. I mean, that face. Smoosh! How can I resist? While I maintain that I don’t have favorites, I do have a very specific relationship with each cat. Vivian, resplendent with her silky gray coat, is my chic little soul sister. I got her as a kitten and we are intuitively on the same level. I don’t want to sound too Karl Lagerfeld and Choupette, but I can blink at Vivian from across the room and she’ll run to me. She’s an affectionate cat to people and other pets alike, but I’m her person. Meech, though he’s dependent on me for morning eye washes and grooming (I DO SO MUCH FOR YOU MEECH! YOUR HAIRCUT IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN MINE!), prefers the attention of a crowd to mine. That is why his summers are spent going for walks in his stroller (to be seen!) and why he’s the one with the big themed birthday parties. The two have a yin and yang thing going on and though they’re very different they both devastate me every time I leave the apartment. I love their company and find that on a hard day, they snuggle up next to me on the couch, one on each side, and I am renewed.” @krisannemadaus @duchessvivian . . #girlsandtheircats #adoptdontshop #catlady #cats #cat #newyork

It’s National Cat Lady Day! (???) Yeah, I didn’t know that was a thing either, but apparently it is. (google it) The first ever National Cat Lady Day was celebrated last year. So tag a deserving cat lady who needs a pat on the back today. 💕😽 . . Illustration of me and my cat by my lovely friend and cat lady @annakatrinabak #nationalcatladyday

Did you see this article in The @guardian yesterday? They asked me a bit about my project and why I’m not a fan of the crazy cat lady trope. What are your thoughts? Why do you think the stereotype persists? ———————————————————- From the article: 🐾Claws out! Why pop culture clings to the crazy cat lady. 🐾 🐾And Girls & Their Cats, a sophisticated series of photographs of women and their feline companions, was created by Brooklyn-based fashion photographer BriAnne Wills to help dismantle the stereotype. “It just wasn’t representative of any of the cat ladies I personally knew, who are all independent, cool, career-driven women who really love their cats,” she said. “Also, there are more than a million cats euthanised each year so if women (and men) are afraid to adopt because of negative stereotypes it definitely hurts cats in the long run.” So is the notion of the crazy cat lady over? Wills believes there is still work to be done to change perceptions, but she hopes that her photography project will help. “It is 2018,” she says, “and women are tired of defending themselves.” And their love for their cats. 🐾 *note: my stat was not accurate. the most recent data suggests number of cats euthanized each year is closer to 860,000. #catlady #cats #girlsandtheircats

“They both have very distinct personalities and are major weirdos. Personality wise, I feel like they represent two different sides of me — I like that they are super different. I’m lucky because I live in a fairly big apartment in Crown Heights and there’s enough space for them to not feel cooped up. It’s been super chill having them and they definitely do bring down my stress because they are so bizarre but cute. Fish likes to sit next to me when I’m on work conference calls on my laptop, and sometimes will start eating my hair. Bug likes to be left alone during the day and she just lurks like a little panther on a corner couch behind a big tropical plant in the apartment. They go wild for a laser pointer. And if they eat too much catnip and are high out of their minds, they chase each other like they are running a marathon. I’m a deejay by night, so sometimes if I’m blasting music or working on a mixtape or a set on my equipment at home, I’ve noticed they stay pretty close to me and just listen/watch me. I kind of wish I could bring them to the club when I deejay so that they could just sit by me like guard panthers. That would be epic- and maybe makes me the ultimate cat lady?” @ty_ushka Thanu Yakupitiyage is a Sri Lankan born, Thailand-raised, Brooklyn-based activist, cultural organizer and deejay. . . #girlsandtheircats #catlady #catsofinstagram #blackcat #adoptdontshop

“In the first month that we had them, we thought Fish maybe didn’t know how to meow because she was so terrified and just hid in the bathroom. Eventually she came around. Before we had them spayed, Bug was the friendlier one. She would curl up and sleep under my neck (because she was so little). Fish hated being picked up and hissed a lot, until she became more adjusted. They were so tiny that they would climb our sweatpants to try to reach their food on the kitchen counter. After they were spayed, it was a whole 360. Bug became more reserved -- the only person she really trusts now is me and she still sleeps with me in bed. But she hides when other people come over and does her own thing. She also needs special food- so I joke that I ended up with a gluten free cat with trust issues. Shockingly, Fish has become the well adjusted cat who chills at dinner parties like she’s another guest at the table. Every morning at 6am, she lunges onto the bed and butts her head against mine to get fed. It’s annoying as hell.” @ty_ushka . . #blackcat #catlady #adoptdontshop #cats #girlsandtheircats