I really don't know the first thing about cats, never having owned one as a pet, but I have gleaned that when people love cats, they really care for all cats, never mind the size, shape or color. (Dog lovers, in notable contrast, seem to be very particular about breeds.)
But I had never associated cat adoration to any particular culture until I went to Japan. There, it struck me, cats are not just loved, they are revered. Cats - images of cats - are found: in art, in cartoons, on posters, and all over consumer merchandise, from clothes and fashion accessories, to stationery, to giftware and home decor. Cats, in short, are everywhere!
It wasn't surprising to me then to see this young woman spend significant effort to capture these presumably stray cats in a park, totally oblivious to my capturing her.
Kyoto, 2009
15 comments:
I can certainly understand why the young woman wanted to photograph these cats, Francisca. The tabbies are adorable and the white ones with ginger ears and tails are possibly "Turkish Vans" -- a breed I recently read about online.
You're right, dog-lovers are often more breed-specific than cat-lovers, but there are quite a few cat-fanciers who like certain kinds of cats best.
Kay
Alberta, Canada
and what a fun setting for them to be in! I have read about the total adoration of cats from some other Japanese blogs - it still would take you by surprise to see so many cats outside.
Hi, I'm visiting blogs today, traveling all over the world.
You're right, I do remember seeing lots of cats in pictures from Asia. I'm a dog lover myself...
That is an interesting analysis, Francisca. I adore cats, but like dogs, too - the verbs are deliberate. However, as with my appreciation of humans, I prefer my animals to have erratic breeding.
I wonder if the feline adoration in Japan is of a recent vintage. Cats are easily drawn, and the anime culture could have influenced the plethora of images.
There are many many stray cats in Roma, too.
I like the way you are presenting your images at the moment. I encase mine in a table within the html of my chosen template. I have adjusted the sizes of the elements within the template to enable me to have images that are either 640, 320 or 160 pixels in width.
I appreciate your kind words.
That's funny, we just had a mother have six kittens in our backyard...and our dog was not very happy! :) But we found a home for them. I love the leaf "carpet" in these shots.
I hadn't really thought about it but we do seem to like cats...including Hello Kitty! I love your photos of the girl and cats, surrounded by beautiful colored leaves! :-D
Funny, and interesting about dog breeds vs. all cats. I'll have to think about it. Wonderful colorful leafy groundscape.
As for the paper, yes, it's scanned paper. At the moment, I wouldn't think of doing real art on a computer, but now that I've said that, watch me do it (or not). I do plan to get my hands involved in more paper, though, and maybe even some canvas.
Ah, I think I understand the love of all types of cats, since we are Cat people at our house. I think we love cats because of their attitude! And that they look so regal, regardless of their breed.
Wonderful pictures!
I admit to being very fond of cats...but I also like dogs a lot. :) Actually, I like most animals, one reason I enjoy taking photos of them.
Very nice cat photo, I lke.
pleace looking fotobog Teuvo Images
www.ttvehkalahti.blogspot.com
and pleace your comments
Thank you
Teuvo vehkalahti
FINLAND
We love cats and dogs in our family.
I always loved the look of the Japanese Bobtail, imagining it to be a slight, slender animal like so many Oriental cats. Then I met one and she was beautiful - but big! I was astonished.
What really amazes me is the colour of the ground and the stiil remaining leaves on the trees. That's an awesome general background on this post!
A nice set of photos, with a very nice bench in the last image. (And a slightly 'uncovered' photographer...)
What a lot of cats all together - and all different. I too like the leaf carpet - it has the effect of unifying the series of pictures.
We have been both a cat family in the past, and now a dog family. We loved our cats, they were friendly, beautiful quiet companions, though many do not see them that way. We did not "replace" our last cat, sadly, too many of our friends have allergies to them. Your photos are wonderful
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