10/08/2023
Meet the Models (Part 2) – Sylvia:
TL;DR: “Short” bio and pics of one of my favorite art models, the second cat we got, Sylvia.
We got Sylvie from one of my work friends. She had barn cats and one had had kittens recently, one of which showed potential to become a “housecat convert”. We already had Small Cat, but she was still young, and they were about the same age, so we figured it would be easier to introduce them when the time came.
When we first brought her home, she was VERY skittish. She wasn’t sure about us or her new surroundings. We had her living in our spare bathroom for about a month until we were able to get her more adjusted to indoor life (and to keep her away from Small Cat until she was ready. One thing at a time, lol). She very slowly stopped trying to hide from us and allowed us to pet her a little. Honestly, that was a HUGE win for us. I would’ve been okay if that’s as far as it ever went, but Small Cat had other plans. One day Small Cat bolted into the bathroom the second we opened the door. She wanted to know why we were always hanging out in there. I was terrified that it was going to be a disaster, but instead of the hissing and clawing battle I expected, they just watched each other calmly for a bit. And then they started playing together. By some miracle, it was love at first sight with those two.
After that, we allowed Sylvie free reign of the house. Small Cat became her tour guide and constant companion, and Sylvie continued to blossom into the sweet thing she is today.
Nowadays, Sylvia is a near-constant lap cat and she’s constantly looking for pets and scritches. Never EVER did we think she would become as lovey as she is, but we couldn’t be happier. She’s also come to show us her psychotic side, lol. She occasionally gets this CRAZED look in her eyes and stampedes throughout the house, jumping from surface to surface, knocking random house clutter around as she goes. She loves to attack and swing around on our hand towels and has made the inside of our bed’s box spring her lair. She’s a complete spaz sometimes, but she’s not too destructive, lol, and all of this has made her a great inspiration for my art.
