Monday, February 11, 2013

Cat Artist/Cartoonist Extraordinaire: Gary Patterson, "Better than a batch of fresh catnip"

Many of you who have been following Cat Chat for a while, know that I come from a family where the patriarch was a gifted and brilliant Editorial Cartoonist.  Having an artistically gifted father was so much a part of my life, that at the tender age of five I glared at a friend's father with disgust, when after I asked him to draw me a picture of Mickey Mouse he stated that he couldn't. I was aghast. What did he mean he COULDN'T? Didn't ALL fathers know how to draw? I guess not.
"Bee-Wildered"

When I was contacted a few weeks ago via LinkedIn by a gentleman named Sean Patterson asking if I would be interested in viewing his father's work, the first thing that touched me was this proud son, who possessed the passion of wanting to share  his father's artistic gift with the  world. I could relate. He had piqued my interest.

Sean emailed me samples of his father's work and links to his website. To say that I was captivated is an understatement. I was mesmerized, smitten, I fell head-over-heels (or should I say paws) in love with the creations of Sean's father,  Gary Patterson, "Creator of Smiles".


I nodded in recognition when I visited Gary's website and discovered that Gary wanted to be a professional artist for as long as he could remember. Gary's father was a cartoonist for the Navy and the Los Angeles Fire Department and he used to stand by his father's  drawing board watching him draw and wanted to do the same. As a little girl, so did I. My dream was to "draw like my Dad" and write and illustrate a children's book, but for me, life went in another direction. Let's be honest here, if I had one iota of the talent that Gary Patterson has I would have written/drawn 50 books by now!
Gary Patterson
from his website


Gary's style reflects what I can only WISH that I could do.  Drawings/cartoons that are not only hilarious, but to me, are visual perfection. They fill my heart with delight.

Gary's depiction of cats are now my absolute favorites. The comical expressions on the faces of the cats that he draws are often cherubic and  chubby. One of many things that I love about Gary's drawings of cats is that it isn't just black or white cats that are featured. He draws orange cats, tabby cats, gray cats and every cat in-between! Gary is spot-on in his drawings of cats because he captures what makes cats, CATS, their essence their "purrsona". Other than being incredibly gifted, Gary probably is better able to capture the essence of cats,  because he is "owned" by 2 cats. He has a cat named Bandit who "likes to walk in the rain on a leash" and "enjoys riding in the car with his head out the window like a dog". 
"Dogs Eat, Cats Dine"

 I could sit and look at his work for hours. They make me smile, they touch my heart. They don't call Gary the "Creator of Smiles" for nuthin my friends!

"Boo"

While viewing Gary's work you will notice the presence of another creature: a MOUSE! Sometimes you have to look closely, but he is always there!  The mouse is named "Boo" and Gary first "met" him in 1982 when he was "sitting at his drawing board on New Years' Eve" trying to finish a deadline and was feeling lonely. Out of nowhere a mouse appeared and sat by his drawing board. The rest is history. 

After agreeing to feature Gary on Cat Chat, I was sent the most incredible box of goodies that I could ever imagine! I received a precious magnet, note pads and a book that Gary illustrated called Cat Laughs. (you can view the magnets, notepads and so much more on Gary's online store by clicking here)

From Cat Laughs: "Enjoy funny stories and quotes and this laugh-out-loud collection of cartoons. And only here will you discover the top 10 things cats do when you aren't looking."

This  book may be pint-sized in stature, but that is the only thing SMALL about it. It is jam-packed with quotes, stories, humor, it is the purrfect gift for any occasion for the cat lovers in your life. Mine is signed by Gary and will have a place of honor, not just on my book shelf in my office, but on my desk. It's THAT delightful.
Happy Valentine's Day

Guess what? Because WE LOVE YOU and because Sean is incredibly generous and Valentine's Day is this week, we are having a GIVE-AWAY!!!

TWELVE PEOPLE from the U.S. and/or Canada will be chosen to win a copy of Cat Laughs for themselves! (A $9.99 value). The winners will be chosen by www.random.org. THE GIVE-AWAY BEGINS NOW and will END at 5pm Monday, February 18th. Winners will be announced WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20th.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment telling me what it is that YOUR cat does to make YOU laugh. Be sure I have a way to contact you should you be one of the lucky 12 winners!

Good luck and enjoy a couple of snippets from the book to tide you over:


"They say the test of literary power is whether a man can write an inscription. I say, "Can he name a kitten?" Samuel Butler

"Cats love one so much-more than they will allow. But they have so much wisdom they keep it to themselves." Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

To purchase Cat Laughs click here

In full disclosure: I was not compensated for this post or give-away. Gary's son Sean sent me the items listed in the blog post as a thank you for featuring his Dad on Cat Chat. It was my immense pleasure to do so!












68 comments:

  1. WOW - I'm very impressed with his cartoon work also. What a talent. I'm going over to check out his site after leaving here.

    Mario makes me laugh when he comes to the bathroom sink and sits in it until I go in and fill it with water. Now keep in mind, he has a drinkwell in the kitchen which is always up and running. Silly boy.

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  2. Hey MOM!!!!! Come here and look at this drawing of these cat trees... or should we say "blueprints"... you and dad better get to work. We don't that look is funny at all... but His pictures are!

    Tipp makes me laugh by the way he will "hunt and kill" his feathered wand toys, then bring them back to me and drop them at my feet to play again. He could do it for hours!

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  3. Oh my gosh, I love Gary Patterson! Cool stuff!

    My Leo makes me laugh when he acts like he can't jump up on something! Mostly it's the upstairs bathroom counter. He looks at it, stretches up and practically puts his chin on it, but will not make the jump. Even though he jumps on the downstairs bathroom counter, (same height) and his cat tree, (a touch taller!), he just wont commit! He's my goofy boy and I love him!

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  4. Oh my those drawings are incredible!
    Every morning in one of our rituals Abby does the little circle dance around me to get me to feed her her "morning treat'. It is so adorable and it is impossible not to smile at her happy dance.

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  5. LOVE LOVE LOVE the drawing Dogs eat , Cats dine :)
    You can count me out in the Give-away since I live on the other side of the pond in Sweden :(

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  6. What great work! Yay, as a Canadian I can enter a contest.

    My cats are getting older now, but when Nin was a kitten, he would spend days staring at the fridge, he just stared and stared and stared. Then one day we came home and he had removed all the fridge magnets. That is right, they were all gone. He did it one other time and then he left them forever.

    Nin also use to make us laugh when he could find his tail. Once a day, that tail would sneak up on him and he would need to "get it".

    Have a great night,

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  7. I really think sometimes Gary was watching Rosie when he sketched LOL!! The OOPS or OH CRAP faces...that would be my girl Rosie when she is a little too curious..or FAT for something she thinks she can balance on :)..I get one of his calendars every year because they are so cheery and fun! May be drawn...but they are TRUE to LIFE!!! This is an awesome giveaway and I would love it..but since I was lucky enough to grab a Cody Coffee mug...please draw another if you get my name. Gary rocks and so do you Caren and Cody!!

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  8. My goodness, that is some incredible talent!

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  9. Oh my, I am in love with Gary's artwork. The one of the cat lady could be me although I don't have quite that many cats, almost but not quite. It was fun looking for the mouse in each one. I will be checking out his website.

    One of my kittens likes to hide under the covers on our bed. If I walk into the room and see a lump I call her by name. She will pop out and the look on her face always makes me laugh.
    squirrelqueen2001@gmail.com

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  10. Enzo makes me laugh in delight at his antics when he tries to catch the cat catcher.

    milene_hollon@yahoo.com

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  11. I love these cartoons! I wish I could figure out something that my roommates do that make me laugh, but right now I am mad at them for trying to steal my treats! I just had a smack paws and hissing session with them!

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  12. Love Gary's artwork! You just get a nice feeling inside when you look at it.

    Brulee has the quirkiest personality, even though she is a luxurious Persian. Every time I look at her little furhorns, I start laughing.

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  13. OMC, Gary is so talented! Thank you for this post all about him and his work. :)

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  14. We just love his drawings! We'll be looking for Boo, now that we know about it. Please count us in.

    What about our cats makes us laugh? So many things, but the sweet, trusting look on Oui Oui's face just warms our souls and makes us laugh. Nothing is better than that.

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  15. These artworks are really cute!!! Great blog post =^^=

    Pudding & Parfait
    http://puddingparfait.com/

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  16. We love Gary's artwork! After you mentioned about Boo the mouse, we had to go back to all the pictures to look for him. :)

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  17. My first read of the day and it is your wonderful post. I can't stop smiling. I love Gary's work! Drawing cats is harder than herding cats, and he gets it. His cats are real and alive and in charge.
    Scooter makes us laugh when she goes into her upside down world - on her back, arms and legs going every which way, and head tilted just enough to make eye contact and watch us laugh.

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    1. I usually try not to comment on give-away posts (makes it harder for me to count them lol) but I have to THANK YOU. First, for being your FIRST "read" of the day today. That means so much and to have started off your day with a smile makes ME smile. LOVE how you said that Gary's drawings of cats is "real and alive and in charge" Love it!

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  18. His cartoon just makes me smile, it's soo cute ! A kind of something make my mind giggle : )
    I know I'm not eligible...tee..heh... But I don't care... I love to chat ; )

    Mom always laugh at me when I pretend she is chasing me ( actually she only walks in slow motion ) and I run real fast ( bullet speed ). Mom said I look like a black fur ball. And some time, I run fast and I didn't think, I run to the wall...tee..heh
    Or
    In the evening about 7 pm. I always have deep sleep . Daddy love to come to rub my belly so I do lay on my back. And then my dad just left me like that... And I just stay belly up for hour !

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    1. Oh Puddy thank you so much for sharing those adorable stories! I wish everyone were eligible but shipping gets expensive and it was so generous of Sean to have 12 winners!! You and Cody LOVE showing your bellies!! xoxo

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  19. Dogs eat, cats dine! Brilliant. Very talented. Have a terrific Tuesday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  20. I love Gary Patterson's art. We'll be featuring him on The Conscious Cat soon!

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    1. I need to play the lottery today eh? I actually featured something BEFORE you? xoxoxo

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  21. Those cartoons are terrific. I would love to have that book.
    Two Two has a certain kind of furry wand toy that she carries all around the house and sings while she is carrying it and she always puts it back behind her chair. Thanks for this great review.

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  22. I have been a devoted fan of Gary Patterson for YEARS! We have his cat calendar every year for about many many year, and used to get his dog ones too. We have a set of his coasters too. BIG FANS! OUR CATS MAKE US LAUGH DOING THE THINGS HE DEPICTS IN HIS DRAWINGS! Playing with bugs, sitting on our heads to wake us up, begging for food, chasing each other...we would love, love, love to win this. He is our favourite. Thanks for the chance.

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    1. you know it dawned on me. I KNOW I had seen Gary's work before this but it slipped my mind. I think next year his calendar has to be on my MUST have list. So glad you enjoy him too!

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  23. Oooh, Gary Patterson! You're so lucky to be able to feature him on your blog. I love his work.

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  24. Greetings and Salutations my Wunderpurr Furriends!

    Good mews awaits mew at my blog - come see what I have for mew!

    http://bionicbasil.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/mewll-never-believe-it-but-i-got.html

    Bestest purrs

    Basil x0x

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    1. thanks my furiend! Have a dentist appt so will be over later! xoxo

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  25. I know like Mr Puddy we aren't elegible but just wanted to say how much we admire Gary's work! It should be known far and wide, so will share this.

    Austin makes me roar with laughter when I am putting on makeup in the bathroom and he comes and meows at me very loudly and continuously!! Just goes on and on ...... Dunno what he is saying? Then he stops and starts to copy me by cleaning his face!! If you can't beat 'em .... lol

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    1. thanks so much my furiend! Maybe he wants you to use a different brand? xoxoxo

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  26. Those are all so cute, we love the first one. Hugs and nose kisses

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  27. I love these prints! Definitely brought a smile to my face. Can you tell me where I might find the above print with the woman surrounded by cat trees? Is it in the book "Cat Laughs"?

    Thanks for featuring Gary Pattersons work!

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    1. you are most welcome! I just looked through the book and no it isn't there......check his website which I linked to in the blog post

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  28. Gary Patterson has been a favorite of my Mom's for a very long time. He so totally captures all the wonderfulness of cats (so says Mom) and one of her favorite framed bits of art in her studio is a cat greeting card depicting one of Patterson's fabulous cats sleeping on a quilt. Looks a bit like me (only tubbier). Mom says I make her laugh when I'm doing my "routine maintenance" - getting into all kinds of contortions to make sure I look fabulous and neat at all times. I guess I do look pretty funny when I'm bent over backwards or almost standing on my head to reach a certain area! Anyway, please count us in!

    Kitty Hugs, Sammy and his Mom

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    1. Sammy and Mom my Mom had bought the same cards!! Are you sure she didn't send it to you? :)
      Mom didn't realize it til she was going through the book and saw that print! She KNEW his name sounded familiar!

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  29. wow love it. Wonder if he likes doggies too
    Benny & Lily

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    1. Psssst....go to his website (I linked to it throughout the post) He does :)

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  30. I love Gary Patterson's artwork!

    Timmy is almost 13 years old, but he still loves to chase his tail. I never get tired of watching him, it always makes me laugh!

    Kallie has a favorite toy, a furry leopard print catnip mouse that she carries into my bedroom each night. It is the only toy she carries around like that, and it's especially cute when she meows with it in her mouth! Every morning, I put it back in the living room just so I can watch her carry it back to the bedroom.

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  31. I LOVE Gary's work! I have been a fan forever, I gave his Golfer Book to the hubby! And have gotten his calendars for years
    I think the funniest cat was Licorice. He loved to climb the screens and you would hear him meowing to come in. When you opened the door, there he would be at eyeball level and a huge smile on his face!
    Thanks Caren

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    1. you know what? I didn't realize til I looked at the book that I had bought Christmas cards a year or so ago that had Gary's artwork on them! Duh! I KNEW his name was familiar!

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  32. cody, this post...ROCKS....& R mom bee WAY gel us...gary haz talent her could onlee HOPE for in a bazillion yeerz...her majored in art thru school N her stuffz doesn't even come... CLOSE !!!! does he haza blog peepul can follow, due ewe noe ?

    best fishes ta all de enteeez ....thanx cody for sharin !!

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    1. Thanks so much!! I linked to his website but I don't believe there is a blog there. I have various links throughout the post. So glad you liked it!

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  33. Beautiful artwork! Thanks for sharing. Gary is generous to brighten someone's day with this free giveaway.

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  34. When I saw your email notification first thing this morning, I could not wait to read this post and look at all the cartoons…. I am just finally now getting a break so I can sneak on the computer, and wow, Gary’s work is so many words that I can’t possibly do justice, so I will just name a few – the cartoons are charming, sweet, adorable, endearing, whimsical, funny, darling, captivating, and exquisite. In essence, I love them and would be honored if I could win a copy of his book.

    How wonderful for you, Caren, to meet someone that reminds you so much of your beloved and talented Dad. Oh, and the kitty with the cans of food... reminds me so much of my Harley!! xoxo

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  35. Wow, that's amazing! What talent.

    Oink oink,
    Katie and Coccolino the mini pig

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  36. Oh my mouse! I LOVE Gary's work! I think I'd be over the moon if they contacted me like that..

    My cats make me laugh at almost everything they do.. sometimes you have to laugh because otherwise you might strangle them - like when they decided to play with the carbon monoxide detector last night.

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  37. oh my CAT this is awesome!! We love love LOVE "Bee-wildered!"

    You can just tell he's a cat guy & that he GETS it!

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  38. Oh boy, we would love our mom to win that. She loved all the art you shared. She always wanted to write a children's book as well. But she can't draw a lick. Just this morning we made our mom LOL which probably wasn't good at her age and under the circumstances. When she got up, she went into the bathroom to use the potty, but she had to wait in line while Misty May, Astrid and Lisbeth all had a drink. MOL, purrs and hugs, the kitties at www.thecatonmyhead.com, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Josette.

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  39. I have enjoyed Gary's images for years. Always good for a feel good lift or just a giggle. We have been lucky to have quite a few cats in our married life and I with even more growing up. It is hard to choose which one was the most comical, but our last kitty loved to "wear" plastic bags as gowns! she would stick her head through one of the handles & always have her tails up proudly to show off her latest lovely gown. what a fun giveaway, thanks for hosting.

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  40. Such a nice review Caren! His work is so charming, I love it! The cat lady picture is adorable. My cat used to do all kinds of things to make me laugh... one of the things she did was on only very rare occasions. She would all of a sudden run across the room and start clawing the couch. That's how she usually told us she was hungry in the mornings. But this was different and pretty silly. Thanks for sharing this!

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  41. What a generous giveaway thank you! I smile when my cat "talks" to me when it's time for his breakfast.
    crichmanfreebies@gmail.com

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  42. What an adorable book!!! I just love his illustration style. ...his name is really familiar too, but I can't figure out why.
    So, what does my cat do to make me laugh?
    Well, with Waffles Too, what DOESN'T he do to make me laugh?!?

    Katie and Waffles BOTH make me laugh though when they pause in the midst of a chase, sit really close and just give each other the stare-down. Both tails whapping on the floor. Waffles' ears are pinned back and Katie is all stoic with her, "you're kidding me, right?" look on her face.

    : ) GG

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    1. I was the same. You probably bought his work too and didn't realize it. I didn't realize that the Christmas Cards I had bought a couple of years ago were Gary's until Sammy's Mom mentioned the cat on the quilt! His name was familiar to me and then I remembered!

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  43. Hi Caren.

    You told me I should check out your post because the artist was fantastic. You were right. He's very talented. I loved all of the cartoons but especially appreciated the one with the woman in the chair grooming the cat with all the other cats and cat furniture around her. Maybe it's because it reminded me a little of my house...LOL. Anyway, thanks for the introduction to Gary's work.

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    1. Hi Lorie! I told ya! So happy that you stopped by, his work is just amazing!

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  44. Everything we do makes mom laugh. But the funniest is probably how EK drinks from the fountain. He puts his paws on top and leans over to the far side to drink. Boy, does he make a mess!

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  45. Benjamin's latest game of catch Gracie's tail has caused me to burst out in hysterical laughter despite my new indoor water dilemmas. Thanks for bringing this great book to my attention. No matter what, I will most likely have to add it to my growing feline literature selection.

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  46. the funny cat in our family of 10 cats is Purry. He analyzes and figures until he has started opening the door to our office. if you could have seen his face when he jumped up to open the door and we had locked it. it was just too funny.

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  47. Cloon's Human: Wow, what great illustrations! Please enter me. Well Clooney is very entertaining, he is a bit of a busy body and sometimes looks for mischief, when I follow him, he doesn't run but instead struts away very fast which always makes me laugh.

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  48. I have a Gary Patterson calendar hanging in my office and just felt like googling his name so I stumbled upon this article. I would love to enter this contest. My cat Snuggles is fourteen, soon to be fifteen. He's my little boy and I love him so very much. He has a few quirks, which I love about him and makes me smile and laugh. Sometimes he sits outside my bedroom door hitting a wooden door decoration hanging on the handle with his paw. He is trying to tell me that he is hungry or wants into my room to cuddle. Sometimes he even sits outside my bedroom door and waits for me to come out or let him in. Several times in one day, he will jump onto my lap and begin kneading or simply lay down on my lap. When he was a kitten, I taught him to sit on my shoulder. Now he does it whenever he wants so I have to watch out. I can also turn my head and give him kisses. As soon as I get home from work, sometimes he spots me right away and will then proceed to follow me throughout the house. He does that to tell me that he is hungry or wants to cuddle. Before I got a laptop, I used to use a desktop computer. He used to jump up onto the desk and poke me with his paw to tell me that he was hungry. Before I got him, he was a farm cat from my friend's farm. I used to ride my bike to her house and as soon as I stopped my bike, he would be climbing my leg.

    Here is a picture of him. Isn't he cute?

    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=7677915693&set=a.5502265693.17099.634440693&type=3&theater

    I have never had a cat that love me so much. It's incredible. He's incredible. :)

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