Last Sunday morning my daughter's girlfriend's mom and her older daughter were kind enough to snap a photo of my Persian Cat Tessa and send it to me later. This old cat will be the big 15 next April. She's a silver Persian and she has out lived her companion Patrick, my other silver Persian and two children. She's a real trooper. She's proves that she's still healthy and very active by leaving half eaten moles on my porch every other day. Tessa also takes no bull from my 2 year old, 110 lb Rottweiler. Our dog respects her and knows who's boss around here.
21 comments:
Your Persian cat Tessa looks majestic and fierce. A lady not to be messed with, for sure!
Age 15 is quite old for a cat, isn't it? She seems to be the royal grandmom of your household.
I will have a look at my books about the shamanistic message of Cat and will tell you on the blog later.
Hi Olivia, I would love to know the Shamanistic message of the cat. I also have another cat. She's an orange and white tabby. Ginger is much younger than Tessa.
Anna Franklin in her book "Familiars - Animal Powers of Britain" has a lot of interesting lore on the cat:
"To the ancients the cat seemed to be the animal of the moon because of their nocturnal habits and changing eyes reflecting the waxing and waning of moon phases.
Freya, the Scandinavian goddess of the moon, fertility and love, had a chariot drawn by cats. The Celtic goddess Brighid is linked to a cat.
Also Hel, the Germanic goddess of the underworld and death, had a cat totem."
Hi Olivia, Thank you for the info on familiars. I've done some reading up on cats and some seeing them as being familiars. It's quite interesting. Cats are one my favorite animals. I've always owned at least one cat my whole life. Even when I was very young my family always owned a cat.
What a beautiful cat! I have five cats, all different, but one is a himalayn - very similar to yours - they are a cross between persian and siamese.
15 isn't old enough. :) We want them to live forever!
Hi Sue, I love hima's. I use to breed persians in the early 90's. At one time I had 4 of them. I had 2 silver Persians and 2 goldens. My friend who was also a breeder gave me a beautiful himalayn, because I was going to breed them also, but Tessa and the other cat ganged up on her continually, so I returned her to my friend a week later. I only bred Tessa for one litter, then sold a few and kept her two daughters. I then had them all fixed. I figured if I kept breeding, I would fall in love with all the kittens and have a house full of Persians.
Tessa is beautiful! I love her face with the dark markings around her eyes and the white mustache..
Hi Lydia,
so you were a cat breeder, how interesting.
Here is the shamanistic message of Cat that I promised to look up:
"Cat walks with a graceful, silent tread, alone in the moonlight. She hears every rustle of the leaves, recognises every whiff of scent, sees every shift of the light, curiously exploring her hunting ground. Then when she is certain, she pounces on her prey, swift and sure. Cat is an independent being, aloof and self-contained. Cat knows what she wants and quietly waits for the opportunity to get it, then moves like lightning. Cat also likes her comfort and knows how to take care of herself, dozing in the warmth of the hearth fire.
If Cat appears to you in a vision she is usually telling you to listen to your intuition and follow your instincts; to be aware of signs or omens. Cat also tells you to conserve your energy until the time comes for you to expend it. To walk with dignity and not to be drawn into squabbles and gossip. Follow your higher purpose and don't get bogged down in the trivia of other people's doings."
(Anna Franklin, "Familiars - Animal Powers of Britain". Capall Bann Publishing, Freshfield/Berkshire, pp. 93,94).
Hi Lynda, Thank for Tessa's complement. She was so cute when I got her as a kitten. She's a very petite cat too.
Hi Olivia, Yes,I was a breeder for a very short time. I then realized how much work it was after one litter. I also became easily attached to the new kittens and I found it hard to let go of them when their new owners came to get them. Even though I only bred one litter, it was fun and very interesting. Many Persian cats are too lazy to deliver the babies themselves, so I had to do most of it for her by removing them from their sacs, cutting their cords and getting them to breath. Tessa just watched me do everything. She did love her babies though.
Thank you for all the info on cats and their shamanistic meaning. Their meaning really does fit the way they are.
Lydia, your Tessa still looks quite alert and healthy.
I was curious about what her age would be equivalent to in human age.
The info that I found: 13-17 years equivalent to 65-85 human years.
She looks like I feel some days.
Hmm, what should I do today? Sit on the porch contemplating nirvana, or go kill a mole.
I love killing moles too, so it's often a hard choice to make.
~Oswegan
Your cat has a "don't mess with me" look. I love cats - but my husband is highly allergic to them. I love how they snuggle up on your lap - not like my big stinky border collie.
Hi Jan, Tessa is very alert. I do believe you are accurate about her age. She's a very old girl in cat years, but by the way she acts you would never know it. People also think she's young, because of her size. She's very tiny.
Hi Oswegan, That's exactly what she thinks about all day long, killing moles and leaving me a half eaten prize next to our welcome mat every other morning (YUCK).
Hi Linda, She always had that attitude. Even though she's always been the smallest of animals around here, she's always demanded the most respect. Tessa will take absolutely no bull from my huge rottweiler. I have a girlfriend who is very allergic to cats. She dreaded coming to visit me when I owned four Persians. Many times she use to have to cut her visits short with me, cause of the cats.
Hello Lydia,
your moon chart tells me that we have a black moon tonight. Here is my black moon haiku for your Persian cat:
Hunting moles at night
while the black moon is hiding -
oh, Lady Tessa!
What a wonderful cat and she is gorgeous! I have 3 cats myself, and always hate it when they get old. But Tessa sounds like she is still a young thing in every way!
Hi Olivia, Thank you for another adorable haiku reguarding Tessa's favorite hobby, hunting for moles.
Hello Jzr, I always hate when my kitties get old too. I never like to see them pass away. One of the reasons why she may be so healthy is, that we've always fed her science diet cat food, which is supposed to be very good for cats and dogs.
Wow your cat will be 15 ?
What cat food are you feeding her ? (LOL)
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