BLOGGERS + CATS...

I was tempted not to tell you who the owner of these cats was and let you guess. (The feet are a good clue.) 

It's not really accurate to call Maria just a blogger. Art director, stylist, photographer, writer, printer, publisher, online and print creative visionary powerhouse or something might be getting closer, but isn't very succinct. You can probably tell I've been a bit of a fan of MAV's for a really long time, but through seeing her inspiring projects and collaborations, I didn't really realise she had cats until I saw them in the new issue of 3191 Quarterly. So of course I had to ask her, you know, not some really probing questions about her creative process or how the light in Portland, Maine affects her work like a normal person would, but all about Charlie and Scotch. I should have known that despite her claiming to not be a cat person at all, her cats have a pretty sweet life. Thank you MAV!

Charlie and Scotch

What breed are they, how old, how did you come to live with them, why did you call them Charlie and Scotch?
They are both short haired cats. I think they are tabby cats but I really have no idea. I am not a cat person at all! I got Charlie when he was 10 weeks old; he is now 9 years old. I got Scotch about 4 years ago. I was volunteering at a cat shelter and there he was. I had just lost my beloved Raven (the black cat on the orange couch in the photo below) and was not feeling like I would get another cat but there was Scotch. I couldn't resist! I'm not entirely sure why I went with Charlie as a name ... I just remember liking it. Scotch was named by my boyfriend. We both love to drink Scotch so voila!

Raven and Charlie

How would you describe their personalities? Are they friends?
Charlie is a complete pain in the ass. He's demanding, rude and bossy. He's in my face all the time! But he's also beautiful, soft, great company and very smart. I love him so much. Scotch is ... well ... he's sort of dumb! He's sort of skittish and also very, very sweet. Both cats are very friendly and always out. They *never* hide. They are like dogs. And yes! I would say they are friends. They are like brothers ... snuggling most mornings and then fighting a few hours later. I love that they have each other. Charlie is definitely in charge but Scotch shows him the business sometimes too! It's a great combo.

What are their respective favourite foods?
Chicken, chicken, chicken. And they also both love cheese and butter (but they don't get those unless they sneak up on the counter).

Do Charlie and Scotch have preferred lounging locations? Any signature poses?
Their favorite locations change but right now they are loving baskets with wool blankets. For a while they were fighting over one round basket but now I added a second one and they seem to each love having their own. They both love to curl up into a ball. They both love to be warm. Oh and Scotch will lay on any paper in the room. He'll jump up on our table and lay on our papers. He loves papers!

Charlie

What is a day in the lives of Charlie and Scotch like?
Wake up at 6AM, demand food by jumping on MAV. Eat excitedly! Charlie goes for a nap immediately and sleeps till 2PM. Scotch follows me around until about 10AM. He's my shadow. Sometimes he even follows me into the shower! Then once I start the shower he scatters but he waits by the door for me. He likes to sit on my lap while I have coffee. So yeah. They both get up around 2PM and wander around for a bit, sit in the sun, get into trouble. Then they nap until 4PM and then are back to demanding food. They eat dinner around 6PM and then it's back to napping and wandering. They are ready for their evening treat at 10PM and then to bed. They are *very* into their eating routine! Their days are much the same every single day and they love it.

Do you have any amusing/weird/cute Charlie/Scotch moments or stories you'd like to share? Well Charlie likes to sit at the table with me when I eat. It's pretty cool. I pull a chair out for him and he sits right at the table with me when I eat dinner, lunch or breakfast. It's pretty funny.

Scotch

Quickfire round: 

Birds or mice? Birds for Scotch. Mice for Charlie.

Sunlight or radiator? Sunlight for sure!

Tap or bowl? Neither. These cats don't drink water. Odd, right? They get wet food.

Lap or laptop? :) Laptop!

Snuggling or stretching? Snuggling. These guys are pretty good about snuggling.

Cats or humans? Humans! They are like dogs, I'm telling ya!

Scotch

{All photos © MAV}