contributors
Page #
Susan Anderson 16-19 Ivy Arnold 32-33, 48 Dave Banks 58 Caroline Bercier 8-9 Steve Bonini 10-11, 20-21, 28, 50, 56 Kathleen Brown 19 Taylor Brubaker 20-21 Victoria Faker 52-53 Erin Fuller 6 Eugene Good 54 Rhys Hallett 6, 57 Matt Howe 49, 57 Chuck Landvatter 15 Scott Lendhardt 35 Connie Lorentzen 7 12-13, 27, 32-33, 34, 48 *Jen Lorentzen Cheyenne Malcolm 42, 57 Travis McKenney 7 Cameron Meek 44-45, 57 Erin Nations 14, 24-25 Jessica Raddatz 38-41 Devin Ryan 42-43 Brett Satterlund 8-9 Mike Scheidt 26, 31 6, 23, 50 *Jennifer Sherowski Lisa Shook 6 Jason Sturgill 59 Tui Thompson 28 Amy Vining 6 Evan Wilcox 46, 55, 57 Rachel Wills 22
Photo: Brittany Arnold.
Mittens and me for show and tell.
Special thanks to the ladies at *Clutched Key Collective, Copy cat and the team at Anders Printing located in Portland Oregon.
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Letter from the Editor Where the hell has the last year gone?! After releasing Bobcat 2, I promised myself I’d spend the next year painting, writing, and collecting photographs for Bobcat 3 so I wouldn't be hustling at the end. Yet somehow here I still am—hustling to finish it! I guess you could say that life got “too busy,” but I don’t think that’s a very good excuse— and my friends have been voicing similar notions lately. I prompted a longtime college friend to do a painting for this issue, and some days later as he was painting he said, "Friends don't let friends not paint.”
VIP of the month. Not much has changed.
It really stuck with me. Probably because it summed up why I enjoy making Bobcat so much—because it kicks my ass to do the things I love. And sometimes we all need a little reminder. Hopefully my little kick in the ass becomes a little kick in the ass for my friends, and friends of friends—a way to bring together a community of artists and cat lovers, and remind ourselves how much fun it is to create things (and of course how much we love our furry friends!).
Photo: Amy Vining.
Photo: Rhys Hallett.
wye t h & p i g e o n
Photo: Jen Sherowski.
He decided he would rather be our barn cat than the neighbor's house cat. He showed up one day and never left. We called him Muggles (Ă la the Harry Potter stories) because he is more like an earth person than a supernaturally powered cat.
Photo: Lisa Shook.
Muggles jack
Photo: Erin Fuller.
Wyeth, noticing Pigeon for the first time inspired a smile, and we knew we had a brand new cat lover in the family.
PENNY c a p ta i n
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Photo: Jason Davis.
On a recent September evening, Engine 62 and many other units were dispatched to a house fire in Federal Way, Washington. After the main body of fire was knocked down, Firefighters Boone and Cromwell searched the house for victims. That’s when they came across Bubbles the cat. There was heavy black smoke and heat all the way to the floor. They found Bubbles lying on the threshold between the house and garage—he was probably trying to escape to the relative safety of the garage. Bubbles was disorientated— breathing shallowly, and heavily drooling. He was in such bad condition that he didn’t put up a fight when Cromwell picked him up and quickly rushed out to the house to the front yard.
Photo: Don Roberts.
CAT RESCUE
M ITTE N S
It's washing machine delivery day... when the two delivery men spy Mittens and abruptly sit the machine down in the middle of our living room and rush out of the house; saying, "We ain't delivering no washing machine in a house with a panther running loose." Cat in the bedroom... machine delivered to the basement. Crisis averted!
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That September day was Bubbles’ lucky day, because Emergency Pet Rescue Masks had recently been donated to the fire department. Just like human oxygen masks, they provide supplemental oxygen to animals, with a longer, cuplike shape that fits perfectly over a dog or cat snout. Bubbles was quickly revived and is reportedly back with his owner enjoying another one of his nine lives.
Miso traveled:
essentials for the cross country cat. Photos and Story: Brett Satterlund and Caroline Bercier. Recently a couple of my friends had to relocate from Seattle to New York City with their dog, Kaylie and cat, Miso. Which got my wheels turning. How exactly do you travel across the country with a cat? So I shot off an email asking for more details. Here's what they had to say.
I feel like we got lucky with Miso, because she's already pretty chill. Also, a friend of ours who watched her would walk her around Queen Anne on a leash, so she had previous harness experience and adapted to it quickly. The best was to see the looks on people's faces seeing us walking a cat on a leash—right next to a dog, no less!
For the trip we purchased a small crate from Petco, which was plenty big enough for Miso. We kept the front cover off it while we drove so she felt comfortable going in and out while we were driving.
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We also bought a Clevercat top-entry litter box. It worked out really well because it was easy for her to access it in the back while we were driving, and it was easy to pack and unpack every night at the hotels and Air B&Bs.
We were also recommended Rescue Remedy drops, which we've use before on the dog and didn't really work, but they seemed to help for Miso.
And lastly, we just brought one of her really soft blankets from home that we stuffed between some backpacks in the very back. That seemed to be her favorite spot on the drive. Most of the time she would just stare out the back of the window.
As for toys, her favorite is a crinkled up piece of paper, so we would make it a point to get her all jacked up on kitty nip and let her chase around paper every night and try to play a bit in the morning before we took off.
Big Kitty. Photo: Steve Bonini.
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LA ROUX
! D E S EXPO
MORE PHOTOS >>>
? R E H N E E S HAVE YOU OME IS FUCKING AWES E SH , G N SI IS M SHE’S NOT
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SCANDAL HITS HOME IN IRVINGTON The neighborhood fell for this tough gal all outfitted in black. Neighbors are now shocked to hear that La Roux is actually so clean and chaste underneath. “She cruises the streets like she owns the place, throwing that ‘Pet me!’ attitude at whoever crosses her path—it was such a surprise to find out that under the dark overcoat she’s all soft and pristine white!”
“She had us all fooled” What would make her hide it? Why would she go to so much trouble to keep us – and her fur, in the dark? Sources say she struggled for years on the westside to find an identity that people would take more seriously than pink collars and a boufant of white.
HER UNDERCOVER MOVES HAVE FOOLED MILLIONS!
UNMISTAKEABLE GREEN EYES
THE LA ROUX, OR DISGUISE
BLACK PAINTED FUR
EXPOSED WHITE CHEST
Since returning to the eastside she’s kept it up, and been diligent in building a new fan base. INSIDERS TELL US IT WAS HER HUMAN WHO LEAKED THE PHOTOS!
The pressure has been building, everyone knows her as “that soft fluffy black cat” and all of them think she loves them most.
Maybe it was an act of jealousy? You never know who to trust, and now she’s been outted as the white Fancy Feast lover she really is. Maybe now she’ll spend more time on her own porch.
GUISE ANOTHER DIS KS??? IN THE WOR OTHER RISKY BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN THE PAST
Art: Erin Nations.
Art: Chuck Lanvatter.
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THE FOG COMES ON LITTLE CAT FEET. IT SITS LOOKING OVER HARBOR AND CITY ON SILENT HAUNCHES AND THEN MOVES ON
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FOG. Story by: Susan Anderson.
I must think of the poem FOG ten times a day. And each and every time, I just shake my head, because Carl Sandburg clearly never met my cats. When The Boys, as we call them, get to running throughout the house, Genghis Khan and his thundering hordes have nothing on them. Our previous cat, Styx, died just a month shy of his 15th birthday. We went catless about a month and a half before bringing home two kittens from a barn-born litter. Who knew that a couple of kitty boys could capture our hearts so quickly and fill the gaping hole I believed not fillable? The little gray was only two and a half pounds when we got him, but he was all affection and cocky attitude. We named him Mojo, because he had magic in spades. The black and white tuxedo was nearly twice Mojo’s size but was shy and reclusive, so we named him after Boo Radley from my all time favorite book, To Kill A Mockingbird. From around corners he would watch us with big solemn eyes, and only rarely could we coax him into our laps. But he liked to be picked up, loved to be stroked and soon began settling as near to us as he could get without actually climbing aboard. It’s still uncommon for him to sit on our laps, but he likes to sleep with us and has turned into a regular little lover. He’s a head-butter and has a purr like a Kenilworth truck. Mojo has a soft purr and if curiosity truly does kill the cat, that boy’s a goner. Unlike Boo, he spends half his time draped over us. Yet we never know whether he’ll let us pet him when he’s not on our laps and he prefers sleeping out on the wingback chair on the landing. I find those contradictions within each cat fascinating. Before adopting Boo Radley & Mojo I’d only owned one cat at a time, and I’ll never do that again. I didn’t realize how social cats are, and mine spend a lot of time together, even though their personalities and interests are more and more dissimilar the older they get. But getting back to my thundering hordes of kitties--frankly I love the noise they make. It reminds me I’m not alone. And trust me, between my work and my husband’s travel schedule for his work, I spend beaucoup time by myself. So I’m here to tell you: the company and entertainment that the Boo & Mojo show provides me is no small deal. To see photos of Boo Radley & Mojo flip to the next page.
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Mojo & Boo Radley. Photo: Susan Anderson.
Art: Kathleen Brown.
HEY GIRL
Poncho, point of contact, moment of freak out. Photo: Taylor Brubaker.
Big Kitty. Photo: Steve Bonini.
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FELINE NUTRITION BASICS
Protein sources low in allergens.
Protein sources high in allergens.
simple dietary guidelines By: Rachel Wills, Owner of Happy Feet Cat Grooming.
Even though cats are complicated creatures by nature, their dietary requirements are quite simple. There is really only one thing you need to know. Cats are carnivores. They only require a protein source and a fiber source. In the wild their protein would consist of rodents, snakes, insects and birds. Cats do NOT have the necessary enzymes to properly digest vegetable matter, so it isn’t recommended to add grains, fruits or vegetables in their diet. However, in the wild they will eat grass and small amounts of other plant material. That fiber source is needed to help with processing or regurgitating the indigestible parts in their diet. However, since more and more cats are living indoor only lives and cannot get their food outside, we have to make or purchase their food for them.
Dry diets
It's difficult to add grass to current cat food diets, but certain vegetable matters are allowable in their dry food to aid in digestion, such as brown rice, oatmeal, and potato flour. As long as these ingredients are low on the list, most cats should do well on those diets. Bottom line, cats should be treated as individuals when assessing their dietary needs. Each cat has its own allergies and reactions to different formulas, so trial and error is always best. Duck, turkey, rabbit and fish are prime protein sources and typically low in allergens. While chicken, beef and veal can be higher in allergens and typically cause more issues with sensitive tummies. If you start with low allergen formulas, you should be able to feed that formula to your cat for the duration of its lifecycle.
Canned or raw food
Good fiber sources for indigestion.
Same rules apply for protein sources. Start with a lower allergen source and make sure the Taurine levels are above .05%. Taurine is an essential Amino Acid and HAS to be ingested by cats and MUST be present in their diet for them to survive. If you aren’t sure what your Taurine levels are (such as feeding home cooked or raw diets), you can add Taurine to their diet as a supplement. It's sold in most pet stores or health food stores. For proper dosage, ask your veterinarian.
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Cougar. Photo: Jennifer Sherowski.
Art: Erin Nations.
Art: Mike Scheidt.
Art: Mike Scheidt.
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Billie Jo Presley. Photo: Tui Thompson.
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Big Kitty. Photo: Steve Bonini.
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Birds, fucking birds, fucking stupid birds, fucking stupid ass birds, fucking stupid ass bitch birds, fucking stupid ass bitch titted birds, fucking stupid ass bitch titted song birds. My pyramid of hate will show you no mercy fucking stupid ass bitch titted song birds, fucking stupid ass bitch titted birds fucking stupid ass bitch birds fucking stupid ass birds fucking stupid birds fucking birds FUCK! ~ Cat
Poem: Mike Scheidt.
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IVY’S TIP’S COLUMN
understanding your cat's
Most people associate purring with being happy and content. However, it can also mean they are anxious or sick and they’re using their purr to comfort themselves. Tips by: Ivy Arnold. Critter owner and care giver of critters for many years. Tips come from experience and volunteering at animal shelters.
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Here are a few common feline body languages. Each cat is different, though—pay attention and you’ll soon recognize different behaviors specific to your cat. Ears
• Upright = happy and alert • Backwards/flat = upset/scared/anxious • Swiveling = listening to everything
Lip Curling Your cat has something called the Jacobson’s organ which is located on the roof of her mouth and is connected to her nasal cavity. A cat's sense of smell is very important to her wellbeing, and by curling her lip and even opening her mouth slightly she can get a stronger sense of the smells around her and possible dangers.
Body
Tail
• • • •
Kneading Paws
Rubbing her face
• Upright = happy • Fur standing on end = frightened/angry • Between her legs/low = frightened/anxious
This can sometimes be unpleasant for you as an owner, but she is very happy. As a kitten she would knead her mother to make the milk flow and this is a throwback for her as something which made her really happy and eased any anxious moments.
Arched with fur on end = angry/scared Arched with her fur flat = ready for attention Lying on back and purring = happy/content Lying on back and growling = very upset (and if you attempt to touch her she is likely to leave you bloody – best to give her space)
Does she rub her face against you, is this a sign she is happy and loving? In some ways yes, but she is also marking you as her territory. She will also rub against furniture, a door or anything else in the house to allow other cats to know this is hers.
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Pan Pan. Art: Scott Lenhardt.
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Billie Jo Presley.
Francis Whiskers.
Guys, are you ready for this?! Temporary cat tattoos! Yep, you heard me right. Seriously! Cat tattoos! Or if you’re Jessica Raddatz, “Cattats.” Interview by: Katie McKenney. Answers and photos by: Jessica Raddatz. I like to refer to my (real, not temporary) cat tattoo as a “cattoo”—but seriously, where has this chick been all my life?! Why hadn’t I heard about Cattats before?! Well, have no fear, I chatted with her by email and learned all about her. Read on to get a glimpse into the life and mind of graphic artist/mastermind behind Cattats, Jessica Raddatz.
“Rambo Tambo.” We never actually made the “band” part happen, but I drew up what would My full name is Jessica Raddatz, although I’ve been making artwork for the past decade under have been our “mascot” for the band almost immediately. It was a cat. a long time nickname, JesseHectic.
Who are you and what do you do?
Explain to me what inspired you to become an artist, graphic or otherwise?
When I discovered snowboarding as a teen, I also discovered and became obsessed with the ever-evolving creative culture around action sports. Beyond that, art school exploded my perspective on the creative industry, and the rest is history.
What made you choose cat themed temporary tattoos? do you want to pursue any other themes?
The “cat” project was born in a 2-fold way. Ages ago, a girlfriend and I joked about starting an all-female, rogue, flash-mob style tambourine band. We wanted to call ourselves
I also during this time had made a New Year’s resolution to send more snail mail to longdistance friends and family and started jokingly drawing all my friends similarly - as cats. After showing some of those pieces in various art shows over about a year and a half, I realized the original pieces weren’t very accessible to the market I was trying to reach. This eventually led to the epiphany of turning the art into temporary tattoos. The medium was/is perfect for a much higher level of social interaction, which I really wanted, and the sassy/slightly inappropriate content of the art fits well with “tattoo” culture and my personality.
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What makes you angry? What makes you happy?
I’m pretty laid back, but I guess I get a bit annoyed when I see younger designers who display a sense of entitlement but don’t put in the effort to actually make their work good or make work at all for that matter. I also get annoyed when good art is hung crooked or poorly framed anywhere. Happy times: Running, riding my bike, geeking out on art and design books, surprising people, fluorescent pink, making art, making out, and anything un-ordinary.
What are your other hobbies?
SO many. Maybe too many. I’ve been trying to work on less projects this year in order to make them better, Cattats included.
What jobs have you done other than being an artist?
My jobs prior to becoming a full-time designer have been weird, wonderful, and everything in between. Take-n-Bake pizza company, tanning salon, hotels, Costco, Old Navy, it’s really spanned the gamut.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Specifically for Cattats, I have met more crazy "cat people" than I could ever have imagined. One lady I met recently owns 12 cats!!! I have also been asked multiple times if the tattoos are FOR cats. I’m starting to wonder if there’s some weird untapped market there?
I’ve been sewing some of my own clothes lately and experimenting with jewelry making. Professionally, what’s your goal with Cattats?
To keep doing it as long as it stays fun, I feel I can keep evolving the work, and it continues to be well-received. Beyond that—I honestly don’t care or have any projections for how big I want it to become.
What are some community projects/events you've participated in?
This summer I took Cattats to lots of street festivals in Portland, along with a few different Renegade Craft Fairs on the west coast.
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I also met a great group of fellow cat-lovers in Portland, who own a cat-bow-tie business called Business Catual and have been selling my tats down at the Saturday Market. I love your type (esp in "nothin' but net") is it all handdrawn by you? Whats your technique?
It is. Every tattoo started out as an original piece of art. It starts with a sketch that I then refine using my light table and the computer sometimes, always ending up with a handrendered master drawing.
Is there something you are currently working on, or are excited about starting that you can tell us about?
I’m planning my 1st self-induced 10-yearsabbatical and heading to India and Nepal for the next year. I’ve been out of college working as a designer for a decade now, and realized it’s time to step away from the desk for a minute in order to get inspired and refocused again. I couldn’t imagine a more visually and spiritually stimulating place for a trip like this.
What mediums do you work with?
For this project—black ink on paper and computer magic.
Words of wisdom?… a motto, favorite quote?
"You gotta be kitten me right meow!" Haha.
Everyone has been telling me I’m going to get a parasite on this trip, so I decided to name my travel blog “A Firm Stool.” Right now I’m leaving the concept real loose (vs. firm) but I think this will house the bulk of my journey while traveling. More after the drop (all puns intended) hahaha.
For me, it has always been super important to find and nurture a safe place for creating. I tend to like to “live with” LOTS of inspiration, which means needing space to hang and tape and curate constantly. I am also a self-diagnosed craft hoarder and like to have tons of materials, tools, and scraps of things at an arms length at all times. It’s nice to have options to create all sorts of different things with. For me, that’s what keeps it fresh and new.
First ever Rambo Tambo drawing.
What does having a physical space to make art in mean for your process? I know you mentioned currently being between spaces right now.
It’s been a good challenge, though, in the last month of moving, to attempt to create in a less creatively stimulating place. Definitely a work in progress. I have created rituals like burning incense and compiling art-making music playlists to try and get in the zone.
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Art: Devin Ryan.
Sophie. Art: Steve Ruiz. Photo: Cheyenne Malcolm.
Art: Devin Ryan.
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Photos: Cameron Meek.
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Art: Evan Wilcox.
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Bird. Photo: Erin Fuller.
Big Kitty. Photo: Steve Bonini.
BeSides Mousing, Other Uses for a Cat Written by: Jennifer Sherowski.
Heater: Whilst they sleep the night in the crook of your knees—cats can be used for warmth just like the hot-water bottles of old. Garden gnome: Some people prefer those spritely statuettes as sentinels to their flowers, but I use my cat—who during the summer does nothing but lay about in sun-dappled garden shades. Alarm clock: Lest you plan to sleep in past dawn, your cat will cry directly into your slumbering face—a reminder that it’s 5 a.m. and time for them to go out and explore/prowl/hunt/be fed from a pop-top tuna can.
For feng shui: I read somewhere that a sleeping cat brings a sense of peace into a room. And it’s true.
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Hospice kitty, Dirty Nose Bob, comforts Grandma Meyer.
Photo: Victoria Faker.
Goo. Art: Eugene Good.
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Kabuki. Photo: Evan Wilcox.
a fingerprint is to a human as a nose is to a cat
d e t s u b
Big Kitty. Photo: Steve Bonini.
FRANCIS 'WHISKERS'
'BUBBLES' BLUE
'DAPPER' DOT
'Sweet Cakes'
'SLY' GUS
'CRAZY EYES'
Otello 'The Shark'
Fedele 'The Quiet'
'Hot Shot’ JONES
'SKETCHY' NANDO
TONY 'THE SPLITS'
'THE MOUTH'
'GROOVY' GROVER
FREDDY 'FANGS'
BUSTED BENNY
JACK 'SOO TOUGH'
'Angel Eyes'
CHESTER 'Nine Lives'
'The SIren'
'SALTY'
'BIG KITTY'
'DIRTY' BOB
'CRICKETT'
JOE 'Two Toes'
'The Menace'
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Art: Dave Banks.
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Cheetozilla. Art: Jason Sturgill.