IKKYU had not been feeling well for some time, but being the lovely caring person that she is, his #1 Ms. V provided him with all he needed to be able to enjoy his last months. The day I first got to meet him, he was having a really good day. I'd been hearing all about IKKYU for years, and to finally have a chance to see him in person was really exciting! When I went home, I began a sketch which evolved into my first watercolor painting in several years, I think it really captures his spirit:
I warn you other kitties out there, some of the following pictures are probably going to make you drool! One thing about IKKYU was that he was pretty much a one-person cat. There was no short-cut to winning his affection, he simply had to decide for himself how he felt about a person, and no amount of savory treats could really change his mind (although they would certainly be accepted). He let me scratch between his ears while he was enjoying the cheese I'd offered to him, and did not hiss. When I suggested to Ms. V that perhaps he did not hiss because his mouth was full of cheese, she laughed and said, "Oh, believe me, he'd hiss if he wanted to!" So it seems I was more acceptable than most! Here he is acquiring a piece of cheese:
He was WILD about ham! Ham, glorious ham! As you can see, he was very happy to accept a piece from me:
What a beautiful cat! He was an excellent model for me on the days that I saw him.
He allowed me to get very, very close to him, which was unusual for him.
You can learn more about IKKYU and what a super kitty he always was (and see more fun pictures!) over at The Poupounette today. I am so glad I was able to meet him before he took his final journey. I am sure somewhere he is waiting for the rest of us with a world of ham and cheese! We miss you, IKKYU.
He allowed me to get very, very close to him, which was unusual for him.You can learn more about IKKYU and what a super kitty he always was (and see more fun pictures!) over at The Poupounette today. I am so glad I was able to meet him before he took his final journey. I am sure somewhere he is waiting for the rest of us with a world of ham and cheese! We miss you, IKKYU.
12 comments:
Lovely post. We had just visited Sen and Tom. What a sweet cat Ikkyu was and such a gorgeous painting your mom did. What a lovely reminder of a lovely boy.
purrs Goldie and Shade
What a gorgeous fellow! Such colors. His portrait must be very precious to Ms. V.!
Thanks so much for the lovely post. I'm sure that IKKYU is purring where he is, waiting to see us all again some day.
#1
We didn't realize your mom & #1 are friends! That is very cool. What a beautiful painting your mom is really talented.
Kaze
He was most handsome! Thank you for sharing him with us.
~ Napoleon and Sara
That was a wonderful tribute to IKKYU. And the watercolor you did of him is beautiful! Thank you for sharing your thoughts about him!
Wally, Ernie & Zoey
He was a lovely cat and that portrait is stunning! We're sorry that he had to cross the Bridge, but we're glad that you got to meet him before he went.
What a wonderful portrait, Mrs. C! You are quite talented. IKKYU was a very handsome eboy!
The painting you did is beautiful. How lucky his mom is to have such a special reminder of him. He sounds like he was a wonderful friend to her.
Tiki, Tavi, Cody, Camie and Miss Jade
Very nice job on the watercolor of the Aby. I never could paint anything -- I draw the line (so to speak) at sketching.
Very lovely furs. FAZ
Lovely story. Your watercolor painting is amazing. You are incredibly talented! IKKYU was such a beautiful kitty.
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