Cat in Window
Comments: 19
This cat seemed nervy and kind of unhappy. I got the impression it was an outdoor cat spending its life as an indoor cat — a piece of furniture, to be exact.
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Posted to Photographs • 2003.02.27 (Thu) • 12:35
Comments
Posted by Kurt 2003.02.27, 14:59
jh, nice framing (or cropping)….i get the impression that cat often looks at the facing mansion (apartment building) viewable in the reflection off the windows, and wonders if the cat food is more delicious on the other side of the figurative fence.
Posted by frazer 2003.02.27, 22:28
That poor cat! owwh:( it looks depressed too. FREE THE CAT! I hope that, at the least- the food it recives is good. Not that it would feel much better i guess.. frazer hey jh- hows the PB?! :)
Posted by vis10n 2003.02.28, 02:17
Um. As an owner of an exclusively indoor cat (except for when we go for walks—and he’s on a leash), I’d have to say that trying to interpret the inner life of a cat is damned-near impossible.
The most you can say is that his coat looks healthy, he’s at a good weight, and his eyes are bright… so chances are that he’s in good shape, as stress is often reflected in a cat’s physical condition.
Posted by vis10n 2003.02.28, 02:20
Hey! What happened to my em-dash!?
ack
Posted by Mr. X 2003.02.28, 06:45
“I’d have to say that trying to interpret the inner life of a cat is damned-near impossible” so, in doubt, let’s just lock them forever in tiny apartments for our personal pleasure…
Posted by natalie 2003.02.28, 07:16
this cat looks introspective rather than sad.
I have an indoor cat, and live in a tiny two bedroom apartment.
He is tatooted, microchipped and desexed. He goes to the vet every year for a check up, and every time my vet comments that she has never seen a more healthy cat.
his eyes glow, his coat is so shiny he can blind you when the sun hits him, and he is incredibly playful.
In one corner of our living room we have set up stinky pants corner (that’s his name, stinky pants). His toys include, a 6ft tall scratching post with rotating and adjustable platforms, a 3 ft post, a half dozen assorted toy mice, three balls with bells in them, a piece of string with a feather tied to it (his favourite for the past year), a plastic bag (which he likes to sleep in, and ambush us from, some rolled up tinfoil (his second favourite).
While he is confined to the tiny world of our apartment, I dont think all apartment cats are unhappy. The onus is on the owner to spend a minimum of an hour a day in full-on kitty playtime, as well as regular grooming of their cat. It is also important to ensure your cat is introduced to new smells and different playthings regularly to keep interest.
The cat in the window looks a little scruffy, but that may be because he is a long haired cat.
ps: our cat loves to watch golf on the telly, and motorsport. he just loves rally!
Posted by vis10n 2003.02.28, 07:57
Or, Mr X, we could let our domesticated companions run free—-to decimate local wildlife, catch/spread disease, not to mention be the possible victim of feral cats, cars, or the local Geoffry Dahmer-in-training.
Nah. I think I’ll keep my cat inside, play with him lots, take him for walks on a leash, and otherwise treat him as the beloved companion animal he was bred to be.
Posted by Nathan 2003.02.28, 08:28
On loading the page, the first thing I looked at was the photo, and before reading thought to myself, “that cat sure does have the life!” I mean, come on, he’s got his own window that he can almost turn any direction and see outside.
Most indoor cats would KILL for that kind of perch.
Posted by Peter 2003.02.28, 09:01
I enjoyed this. Very precisely cropped. I guess you are an obsessive Photoshopper. It has me wondering whether the building has antasis or (more likely) the lens has pincushion distortion.
What sort of camera/lens did you use, Jeremy?
Posted by jh 2003.02.28, 12:17
Kurt, Peter —- Just using the CoolPix 990 here with the standard lens. The photo is indeed cropped and then I used the perspective distort in Photoshop to square up the lines. The window was on the second floor, so you can imagine what it looked like originally.
As for cats being indoors versus outdoors, I didn’t mean to suggest that they should all be outdoors (in fact no cat should be outdoors unless it’s wearing a bell to give the local wildlife fair warning of impending strikes). This cat in particular looked kind of unhappy to be where it was but, not being a cat person, I was quite possibly insensitive to the nuances of its darting eyes.
I’ve known a lot of cats who didn’t seem to want to go outdoors at all, so as long as your animal is well cared for and happy, what’s to complain about? (Cat hair all over the furniture, I suppose, but maybe that’s just me.)
Posted by Kurt 2003.02.28, 15:55
jh, thanks for divulging your methods so to speak. peter noticed it, but I only subconsciously did, that the perspective had been “fixed”. but now I realize that perhaps even more so than the cropping/framing, I was thinking, how in the hell did you get level to that window to take the picture, without your reflection being apparent! thanks for clearing that up.
I myself am a cat person, so like others I didn’t automatically assume he was unhappy, but at the same time, I know how my cat sits in front of the window for hours (seemingly) on end, just staring out the window. Perhaps I’m projecting, but I feel fairly certain if she had her druthers she’d be out there and not in here. (Actually, it’s kind of funny in the morning, she sits in front of the window even before the shutters have been opened, as if she’s telling us, “Uh, helloooo, I’m sitting here waiting for you to open the damn shutters, now get a move on so I can enjoy my view!”)
Posted by tomas 2003.03.01, 00:34
My GOD, people, you think you can adequately tell how that cat feels about his life by looking at his facial expression?
Applause to vis10n, shame on the rest of you!
Posted by vis10n 2003.03.01, 01:50
Jeremy,
I’ve never thought about the bell idea… that’s a great one if you’re committed to letting your cat roam.
Tomas,
You’re too kind.
Posted by Mr. X 2003.03.02, 04:24
hey guys, don’t mind my previous comment. I realize I’m not normal… People always look at me weird when I talk about this stuff. Last one I can remember was when I went on about how sad it was to see all those Christmas trees dying on the pavement (in NYC) just a few days after 12.25. People would say “they’re just trees!!” (the idea was so foreign to some of them that they couldn’t believe I was serious) That “just” part REALLY bothers me… Just like “companion animal he was bred to be” gives me horror goose bumps… Even if it’s true, the fact that humans actually breeds animals to be their “companions” is really disturbing to me. So, anyway, I didn’t mean to offend people, I was just in a bad mood I guess. Didn’t mean to start a troll or anything like that. Great blog…
Posted by Anonymous 2003.03.06, 06:08
Where can I get a bigger copy of that pic? I want it on my desktop!
Posted by jh 2003.03.06, 11:32
I can probably work up a desktop pic of that over the weekend. Just need to get a signed release form from the cat.
Posted by sallyanne 2003.07.16, 11:30
It is a nice photo. It is safer indoors for a cat or any animal - but it is sad. Yes, I feel sort of anguished when trees die, too!
Posted by George Butler qx 2004.04.29, 23:19
A distressing case indeed. I’ve reported it to the Cat Liberation Front. The liberators will be on their way shortly!
Best regards, George
Posted by Anne-Renee 2005.09.26, 22:33
There’s something “Rennie MacIntosh” about this picture - and I love it! Thanks to resizer and photoshop elements (I am only an amateur…) it is now my desktop background - allthough a slightly blury one…
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