September 30, 2014 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 26

It’s celebration time!

Welcome back cat lovers! Another day and another group of cats that needs introducing! Our celebration continues and we are having a meow time of our lives! Olympia is sending her best wishes and her hello’s as well. She is incredibly humbled by all your comments, views and shares on Facebook and she is hoping that she is choosing the best pictures to portray each kitten.

If you’d like to view the previous entries, here are the links. We know the list is getting longer and longer but this is what our project is all about. So many countries, so many cats and so many blog entries! We have been collecting cat figurines for a decade now so we have a lot of things to write about.

This week is a bit special as we have included two hand made kittens that normally would ‘t be included into Kat-a-log. Please read on – the stories are amazing and worth being recorded!

Kat-a-log Feline no. 116
Three sides of a cat: Looking grumpy, Two heads are better than one and How to disappear
Country of origin: made in the UK and bought in Shannon, Ireland – given as a gift in September 2014

Grumpy cat with a mouse – this is an official name for this beautiful kitten sculpted and made by Oak apple Designs. Oak apple team is a small family run business located in Sheffield, UK that specializes in manufacture and production of mould making and resin casting. They are the only company in England with an unique permission from the Deans and Chapters of the cathedrals to take copies of magnificent ecclesiastical carvings that can be found on altars, pulpits, sculptures and choral stalls.

Our kitten is 8 cm tall (3 inches) tall and its serial number is SKU-oak-159. It is a part of Church mouse and cat series. This figurine has been produced in the UK but was bought in Shannon, Ireland in a local parish gift shop by Erin, Rita’s colleague from work. You can buy your own copy through Oak apple Design website – it will cost you about 12 pounds.

Entire gallery can be seen here:
http://www.oakappledesigns.com/Church_Cat_with_Mouse_-_Reproduction_Carving_-_Cat_Ornament/p645787_5265580.aspx
Oak apple Designs on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oakapple-Designs-Ltd/295400887221453?ref=br_tf

Now let’s listen to what the artist has to say about this particular kitten:
“This brand new addition is known as the Church Cat with Mouse. All churches and Cathedrals have mice just like the ones we produce but not all the Vicars and Vergers like them as much as we do, and so the Church Cat was brought in to catch them. However apart from the odd stray here and there, this cat does not catch many, in fact he’s good friends with most of them. The Vicar of the church is not too happy with this cat’s performance as a mouse catcher and as you can see this is a sad and grumpy looking cat with not too much to be pleased about living in the church. He’s hoping for better things in life and a new home away from the Church, he prays for your help. Could you be his saviour and new keeper? ”

Looking grumpy

Two heads are better than one

How to disappear

Kat-a-log Feline no. 117
Three sides of a cat: Decorating cars, Is it Christmas yet? and Hanging by the gate
Country of origin: UK, bought as a holiday souvenir in July 2013

Not much is known about Kat-a-log kitten number 117. It was bought by a family member as a gift during his holiday stay near Widemouth Bay in Cornwall in July 2013. There was no sign or a card and we don’t know who made this very unusual cat. Maybe it was some local artisan who sold his or her creation to a beach souvenir store? Maybe it has been made in a factory somewhere else and then imported to the UK as a home decoration item? If you could help us – we would be very grateful for any information.

As you can see, this is not a figurine but a hanging decoration in a shape of a cat. It has a metal handle decorated with a bow, a wooden frame filled with a fabric and a small wooden mouse that is attached to the frame with a spring. Olympia hung the cat in the kitchen where it can be admired by the visitors.

Widemouth Bay on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widemouth_Bay

Decorating cars

Is it Christmas yet?

Hanging by the gate

Kat-a-log Feline no. 118
Three sides of a cat: Chasing swans, Marina guardians and Gimme a fish!
Official names: Mel and Issa
Country of origin: UK, made by Rita in August 2013

Mel (the bigger cat) and Issa (the small one on top of Mel’s head) have been made by Rita using self drying clay, glue, silver metal artistic chain, metal beads and acrylic paints. The figurine was a present to Olympia after she complained that Rita has been selling her cat figures to others but hasn’t made one for Kat-a-log yet. It took Rita nearly 4 days to complete this figure and it is very heavy – almost half a kilogram of a kitten!

The photo-shoot was taken in Diglis Marina in Worcester: http://www.bwml.co.uk/marinas/diglis_basin_marina

Chasing swans

Marina guardians

Gimme a fish!

Kat-a-log Feline no. 119
Three sides of a cat: Riding a boat, Welcome to the Cafe and Breakfast on the water
Country of origin: UK, bought in Hereford and painted by Rita in August 2013

Kat-a-log feline number 119 has been given to Olympia as a gift at the same time as Mal and Issa. The figurine made from papier-mâché was originally purchased by Rita’s friends in Hobby Craft in Hereford and then given to her as they didn’t know what exactly to do it with. Instead of using it for decoupage (an art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects and gold leaf ), Rita decided to paint it with blackboard paint turning the cat into an artistic surface. You can now use a colorful chalk to paint on the cat! Chalk can be removed by a wet cloth and you can start decorating the cat again!

We kindly were allowed to photograph the kitten at lovely Cafe Afloat – a true cafe on a real boat!
Official site: http://cafeafloat.withtank.com/

Riding a boat

Welcome to the Cafe

Breakfast on the water

You can buy the paper mache figurine at Hobby Craft using the following link:
http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/mache-extra-small-walking-cat/563824-1011

The basic paper mache cat made for Hobby Craft

Kat-a-log Feline no. 120
Three sides of a cat: National Trust treasure, Tintern Abbey has a cat and Beauty shot
Country of origin: Tintern Abbey in Wales, November 2013

Tintern Abbey, a picturesque ruin of the Cistercian monastery is located in the village of Tintern at the boarder between Wales and Gloucestershire. Founded by the powerful de Clare family in 1136, this gargantuan church has been destroyed after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 on orders of King Henry VIII.

Kat-a-log is not really a history lessons so we will skip all the highly interesting architectural details but we are planning on writing a full blog for One Castle a Day column pretty soon. The ruins are now under the protection of CADW (Welsh equivalent of National Trust) and we have visited this extraordinary site in November 2013.

A visit to Tintern Abbey store ended in adopting a super-cute looking kitten made entirely of fabric and decorated with sequins and golden trimmings. Sadly, we have not a clue who made this cat. There was just as short note on the packaging saying that the cat was produced locally and the store assistants could not name the artist. If you have any information, please contact us as we would like to give proper copyrights to the maker!

Tintern Abbey official page: http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/tinternabbey/?lang=en
Tintern Abbey store: http://www.tinternvillage.co.uk/shop/tintern-abbey-shop/

National Trust treasure

Tintern Abbey has a cat

Beauty shot

Kat-a-log Feline no. 121
Three sides of a cat: Green and crazy, Visit to the Well Cottage and This building belongs to me
Country of origin: Sydney, Australia – bought as a gift in March 2014

If you are looking for crazy cat stories, here is one of them. It could only happen to people like us – a very bonkers family of three ladies behind the Kat-a-log project!

Last year, Rita has been working with a lovely lady named Tracey. Her brother Mark sometimes would come to the office around closing time to help with moving the heavy equipment around (believe us, a server can weigh nearly 30 kilograms). Rita would often make Mark a tea and a coffee and one day just before Rita changed the jobs, he said that he owned her something for the hospitality. Rita asked him to bring her a cat if he ever goes to some exotic or interesting place. Mark kept his word when he went to visit Australia with his fiancee in March 2014. The colorful metal cat is actually a light holder and it has been purchased at the art market in Sydney. Then he traveled to resort town named Ulladulla for a a 7 days stay (aboriginal for Safe Harbour) and wandered alongside the coast until he reached Melbourne. Fantastic road trip!

The journey finally ended in Poland and the kitten now is proudly hanging from the kitchen lamp. Sadly, we don’t know the name of the artist, but we will keep on looking!

Green and crazy

Visit to the Well Cottage

This building belongs to me

Kat-a-log Feline no. 122
Two sides of a cat: Elegance in clay and Fine cat indeed
Country of origin: UK, Worcester given as a gift in February 2014

Kat-a-log kitten number 122 is not a figurine but a decorative tile made of clay. This beautiful hand sculpted piece has been made by acclaimed artist Philippa Threlfall and was given to Rita by Eva, her colleague from work as a good bye gift when Rita was changing her job in February 2014. It has been purchased from The Commandery museum store in Worcester during a group day out to celebrate a change of management 🙂

Educated at Cardiff College of Art, Phillipa and her partner, Kennedy Collings have been working together since 1960’s and completed over 100 huge ceramic and stone murals all over the UK and oversees. They are also owners of Black Dog of Wells, an art business specializing in terracotta tiles named after the Blacke Dogge, an ancient cider house in Somerset.

Elegance in clay

Fine cat indeed

The fine cat comes with a message from the artist – Philippa Threlfall

Philippa Threlfall official site: http://www.philippathrelfall.com/

Picture of terracotta artwork by Philippa Threlfall

You can order your own copy here:
http://www.blackdogofwells.com/cats_and_do/tile011_fine_cat.html?sid=01b79d3a872b8fa3cf280eeb8e5acb27&catid=1001#

Kat-a-log Feline no. 123
Three sides of a cat: Dinner is served, A true lady and Simply stunning
Country of origin: UK, given as a gift in March 2013

The last kitten in this edition of Kat-a-log is something very unique. White, elegant and timeless, this kitten is actually a small clock made by William Widdop. Widdop Bingham was founded by William Widdop in Brighouse in 1883 as a retail jewelers and watchmakers. The company quickly rose from its humble beginnings to becoming one of the leading wholesalers of gift-ware, baby gifts, wedding gifts and other fancy goods.

Rita has received this clock from a friend (who would like to remain anonymous) after her trip to Oxford in March 2013. We have been allowed to photograph this truly ladylike kitten inside the Castle House Hotel in Hereford.

Widdop Bingham official page: http://www.widdop.co.uk/about.aspx
Widdop Bingham on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/widdopbingham
Widdop Bingham on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WiddopBingham
Castle House Hotel official page: http://www.castlehse.co.uk/

Dinner is served

A true lady

Simply stunning

There is also a black version of the same clock. You can find it on Amazon. Please hurry up as both kitten are no longer made and you can only buy them through collector sites or on auction on Ebay.

Black cat version

Black cat version: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wm-Widdop-Miniature-Clock-Cat-Black/dp/B0062JYETQ

Wow! That entry took us a long time to write!
Enjoy yourselves and please return soon as we still have many tails to show you!

Have a splendid day,

All the best from
Rita, Mal and Olympia Dabrowicz

September 29, 2014 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 25

Kitty, kitty, kitty!

Hello cat lovers! What a beautiful day it is today! We are celebrating two years since the Kat-a-log project has been established! Balloons, chocolates and confetti are awaiting and the party will be starting off very soon. There is also another reason for us to happy – we have just reached 25th edition of Kat-a-log on Vanadian Avenue! How cool is that?

As usually, we list all previous editions right here and right now. Please feel free to scroll down and read on! Half of our collection is already photographed and described. If you are looking for heart warming stories and cat pictures – this is a perfect place for you 🙂

Our readers are our biggest treasure. We have received many different tips and leads from them and we are truly grateful for every comment or piece of information. Kat-a-log would never be as good as it is now without your input, so please don’t hesitate to contact us. The best way to reach us is to send an email to Rdabrowicz@yahoo.com

All right, here come the newest additions to Olympia’s catilicious collection. Let’s give them a big cheer!

Kat-a-log Feline no.111
Three sides of a cat: What did you say??, Thinking hard and Won’t tell a soul
Official name: Say No Evil
Country of origin: Indonesia, given as a gift in 2013, Hereford UK

Hand carved from a piece of acacia tree, this sitting cat was given to Rita by a friend in January 2013 who no longer wanted it. Apparently it was a late Christmas gift and to make things even worse – a completely unwanted one as well. The figurine is about 12 cm tall, very light, polished and painted. At the beginning, we didn’t know much about it, but the cat’s pose was very interesting. Looking visibly stressed, the feline is putting its paws to the mouth, almost like it is refusing to speak. This is a typical pose for Iwazaru, one of the Three Wise Monkeys from Japanese tradition. Olympia embarked on a quest to learn more about this figurine but for a long period of time, she was not successful. And then, a breakthrough happened! Scrolling through hundreds of items on Amazon and Ebay, Olympia noticed a similar looking three figurine set from Landon Tyler Natural Interiors, a popular British wholesaler specializing in gift-ware imported from Indonesia and Africa. Bull’s eye! Say hello to cat equivalent of Iwazaru – the Say No Evil kitten!

Three Wise Monkeys on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_wise_monkeys

What did you say??

Thinking hard

Won’t tell a soul

Kat-a-log Feline no.112
Three sides of a cat: Libraries can give you a headache, Red Alert! and The world is too loud
Official name: Hear No Evil
Country of origin: Indonesia, bought online in 2013

Once Olympia learnt that the Kat-a-log kitten number 111 was not a separate figurine but a part of a set, she was working hard to locate the two other missing cats. It wasn’t an easy task as the set has been released nearly 6 years ago and it is now hard to find. We had a bit of luck and Hear No Evil kitten has been found in July 2013 on Amazon. A week later, the cat arrived in Worcester and Rita took it to Hive, the biggest library in town for a photo session. We had a great time taking pictures there! The Second cat in the set is cat equivalent of Kikazaru, a monkey that covers the ears not to hear all evil things people are talking about.

Libraries can give you a headache

Red Alert!

The world is too loud

Kat-a-log Feline no.113
Three sides of a cat: Nothing to see here, Blinded by the sun and Refusing to look
Official name: Speak No Evil
Country of origin: Indonesia, bought in 2013

The third and final cat has been found in October 2013 in a charity store in Cheltenham. It has been abandoned by previous owners and needed a new home. Rita found it by accident on her way from the hospital and thought it was her lucky day! The kitten is a bit damaged (the paint on the base and around left ear is slightly peeling off) but with a lot of care and proper conservation, it was well preserved and now leads a good life on a shelf in the living room. This is the cat equivalent of Mizaru, the monkey covering its eyes.

We don’t have a picture of all three cats together as they arrived at different times, but next time we are in Poland, the picture shall be taken. Also, Landon Tyler do not have an official website or Facebook profile, but their collections are easily available from the gift-ware and home ware stores.

If you’d like to own an older version of the set (released around 2005) described here, please use the link below.
The set is quite rare these days but you can still find it in stores.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wooden-Decorative-Ornament-Evil-Speak/dp/B004CRMFS2

Nothing to see here

Blinded by the sun

Refusing to look

Kat-a-log Feline no.114
Two sides of a cat: Sparkle, sparkle and Fashion accessory
Country of origin: China, bought in the UK in April 2013

Extremely popular 3D Pointiage crystal pendants have been popularized worldwide by Swarovski. Kitten number 114 has been made in China and the gems used in it are not real crystals, but it truly doesn’t matter! Every cat is cool and they all can find their own place in Kat-a-log. This is a key ring pendant with two moving parts: the hear and the body. Rita bought it in Worcester as an Easter gift for Malicia and this sweet creature has been shipped to Malta. Sadly we don’t know who made this cat as the store owners had absolutely no idea! Please let us know if you have something similar and know the maker! Thanks in advance.

The cat was bought in Crown Gate Shopping Centre in Worcester from a small fashion and handbag stand on Angel Walk.
Official website: http://crowngate-worcester.co.uk/friary-walk/

Sparkle, sparkle

Fashion accessory

Kat-a-log Feline no.115
Two sides of a cat: I know, I’m cute and Magnetic personality
Country of origin: China, bought in 2013 in Birmingham

Do you want to support a noble cause? Do you want to adopt a cat? Do you like cute, little things that make your house all neat and beautiful? If you answered YES three times – welcome to the club! Mal and Rita just cannot walk past a charitable event without getting involved or at least supporting it. If we would, then this beautiful kitten would never make it into Olympia’s collection! Last year was not very good for Rita as she was struggling with thyroid problems and had to have an operation. She was flying back and forth between Poland and UK, and the closest airport to her is in Birmingham. Returning from the operation, she stopped at New Street Shopping Centre where she found a Wind Horse Gift Shop.

WindHorse started in 1980 as a market store and grew quickly. Today the company hires more than 100 people and are one of the biggest importers of gift ware from Asia, Indonesia, China and Africa. Their catalog contains over 1000 products and new items are added on daily basis. Ethical trading is very important for the company and they support local artisans and their communities. The cat you can see below on pictures have been made by group of artists located in central China that are collecting money for constructions of schools and workshops in rural parts of the country. Each sold item helps to fund those goals.

Please visit their website and help today!
http://windhorse.biz/cat/ethics/

I know, I’m cute

Magnetic personality

All right kittens! The celebration continues tomorrow as we have so many new kittens to show you! Have fun and please come back as soon as possible!

Have a good day,
xxxx
Olympia, Rita and Mal Dabrowicz

July 18, 2014 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or kat a log part 24

Ahoy kittens!

Meow to the lovely weather outside! What a joy is to finally have full fledged summer! Long days, warm nights, fighting for the territory at 3 am, singing at the top of your loungs – a true cat’s dream!

Kat-a-log team had a little break (we need holidays as well!) but we are coming back with an excellent summer collections of kittens, cats, strange felines, old companions and newcomers – everything in one splendid edition of your favorite cat-friendly collection!

A big thank you to all readers and visitors! Some friends of ours claim that Olympia and her cats will one day end up being featured on BBC’s show called “Collectaholics” but that would be too good to be true! If you know anyone working for British Broadcasting Corporation, please send them a link to our blog. We will buy you a beer! In the meantime, you can use the links below to read previous editions of Kat-a-log:

If you have anything to add, don’t forget to contact us at rdabrowicz@yahoo.com. We will be forever grateful for any information about makers, models or links. You get a full credit and Kat-a-log can be as precise as possible.

Now ladies and gents, please welcome today’s guests!

Kat-a-log Feline no.106
Three sides of a cat: How high, Fade to grey and My own reflection
Country of origin: UK, bought as a gift from Download Festival in June 2014

Hey kids rock and roll! The first cat in this edition of Kat-a-log, has been bought at Download festival in June 2014, just before the Linking Park concert and it is literally made of metal! If you look closely, you will notice that this is not a figurine but kitten shaped picture frame! And the kitten is wearing a bow tie. Bow ties are cool!

This beautiful and very cute frame is only 10 cm tall but weights quite a bit. A small, passport size photograph can be displayed inside, but caution is advised when the thin glass cover is removed. Rita nearly cut herself while trying to take it out! The frame was mass produced in Hong Kong and is distributed in the UK by Flame Homeware.

Official site: http://www.flamehomeware.com/rsm/5/about-flame-homeware
Flame of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flamehomeware

How high

Fade to grey

My own reflection

Kat-a-log Feline no.107
Three sides of a cat: Tree Trunk Hotel, This way, I know the short cut and There you are!
Country of origin: Ibiza, brought as a gift in July 2014

Kat-a-log kittens no.107 and 108 can be purchased as a set or separately, that’s why we decided to give each cat its own number.
Let us introduce you to the gentleman first – this absolutely adorable Siamese cat is not a figurine but a pepper pot! Designed by Sass and Belle of London (gift ware company), the pot can be refilled by removing a small plastic seal placed on the underside. The male cat is slightly bigger that the female and his measurements are 11 cm x 12cm x 8cm.

Tree trunk hotel

This way, I know the short cut

There you are!

Kat-a-log Feline no.108
Three sides of a cat:Reaching up, Now you see me and now you don’t and Weekend out of town
Country of origin: Ibiza, brought as a gift in July 2014

The lady is a salt pot and just like her partner, it can be filled by removing the seal at the bottom of the figurine. Both kitten are made of good quality ceramics and have a high gloss finish. Placed next to each other, the kittens are embracing in a very cute fashion that will melt your hearth. Placing them at your dinner table is highly recommended unless you have a real cat that likes to jump at the table. Both cats are very delicate and should be handled with care.

Reaching up

Weekend out of town

Now you see me and now you don’t

And now both cats photographed together sitting at hand carved bench in Symonds Yat Park:

Three sides of a cat: Selfie!, Let’s dance and It’s better to be together

Despite being designed and made in the UK, both felines traveled a long way. They have been bought on the island of Ibiza by Rita’s friend who spent her holidays there in June 2014. They were spotted in a gift shop at the hotel and acquired straight away. Now they are awaiting their ticket to Poland where they will be employed in Olympia’s kitchen.

You don’t have to fly to Ibiza to purchase them. The set is available online at Sass and Belle official site:
http://www.sassandbelle.co.uk/product.php/4189/siamese-cat-salt—pepper-set
Sass and Belle on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sassandbelle

Selfie!

Let’s dance

It’s better to be together

Kat-a-log Feline no.109
Three sides of a cat: Can I have a hug?, Pinball wizard and Rock and Roll kitten
Country of origin: Hereford, UK, bought in April 2013

Say hello to Buttons Kitten! One of the biggest plush mascots in Olympia’s collection. Buttons has been bought in April 2013 by Rita and currently resides in the UK. He is spending his days sitting on Rita’s bed and keeping Smudge company (described below). As you probably know, Rita had some problems with her thyroid and underwent an operation in October 2013. Buttons kitten was purchased in Hereford Hospital after biopsy results proved to be quite bad. Luckily everything ended well and Rita is now fully cured and back in action. If you don’t feel well, a big black and white cat will keep your spirits up!

Buttons Kitten is still in production and can be purchased from the official website of Humatt Ltd and Perkins Group Services Ltd at: http://www.buttonsbearandfriends.co.uk/products.php?id=16
Buttons on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Buttons-Bear/145488225471785

He comes in two colors (grey and black/white) and in four different sizes (small, medium, large and x-large). Rita is a proud owner of extra large kitten, that measures 32 cm in length and weights 340 grams. His pictures have been taken during May Day 2013 celebration in Hereford.

Official picture of Buttons Kitten

Can I have a hug?

Pinball wizard

Rock and Roll kitten

Kat-a-log Feline no.110
Three sides of a cat: Garden Adventure, Stuck on Magnolia tree and Befriending a Bluebell
Official name: Smudge
Country of origin: Indonesia, bought as a gift on 14th of February 2012 in Hereford, UK

This beautiful fluffy kitten is an extremely important part of Kat-a-log. He is one of the cats kept by Rita in the UK, but is still counted among Olympia’ menagerie. Rita remembers the day she was given the cat very well – it was 14th of February 2012 and the mascot had something wonderful attached to his left paw. A small blue box contained her engagement ring!!! Rita fell in love with Smudge straight away and he is sitting on her bed every single day. This is how you make a crazy cat lady happy: give her a ring and a cat 🙂

Smudge has been made in Indonesia for Keel Toys. He measures 30 cm in length (12″), weights 8 ounces, is made from super soft quality plush (as described by maker) and comes with European safety certificate and a name tag. Sadly, his line (Keel Toys Cats) is not longer continued but you can purchase Smudge on Ebay and Amazon without any difficulties. Smudge’s photo session was taken in Queenswood Country Park and Arboretum in Hereford and the magnolia tree he has climbed is Magnolia Atlas native to New Zealand.

Keel Toys website: http://www.keeltoys.com
Keel Toys on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Keel.Toys.Ltd

Official picture of Smudge by Keel Toys

Garden adventure

Stuck on Magnolia tree

Befriending a Bluebell

We hope you have enjoyed the 24th issue of Kat-a-log as much as we did writing it for you. It is always so much fun trying to remember where did we get the cats from and then investigating different leads online. We love collecting cat figurines and we dedicate a lot of our time and energy to make our hobby look professional and interesting for virtual passer by’s.

Please do us a favor guys and put out some water and food for stray cats (and any other animals too), especially in this hot weather.
This doesn’t cost anything but can save many lives! A big THANK YOU in advance!

x0x0x’s
Olympia and her faithful sidekicks: Rita+Mal

April 25, 2014 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or kat a log part 23

So good to see you!

Welcome again to another Kat-a-log issue and Happy Easter! The weather is lovely, the sun is out and all cats in our neighborhoods are sleeping outside without a care in the world. It’s a rare treat for the UK to be getting so much sunshine, we are going for a walk as soon as this entry is ready and published online! Don’t worry about Malicia, she is living on Malta and they enjoy beautiful weather there at least 320 days a year. It’s only poor Rita that has to be careful not to freeze off her backside in the middle of April!

Big thanks to everyone who visits us often, we seem to be getting more and more hits with each entry. We are pleased to announce that the Kitchen special was one of our most popular blogs – all thanks to you dear readers. We are truly grateful and please don’t stop visiting. Pass the word around, we have enough kittens to share with you (and with the whole wide web) for another 20 editions or so.

All comments, tips and links are greatly appreciated. As you know, we are unable to identify all figurines and you have to help us. All fan-mail and kitten crunchies can be sent to rdabrowicz at yahoo dot com. Our cats especially like a certain brand that starts with letter P (we are not telling ya, you will have to guess!) so each donation will be quickly and dutifully eaten 🙂

Previous edition of Kat-a-log can be found below. Just click on each link and the article will open in new browser:

As we are celebrating Easter Holidays, we decided to show you the newest additions to our mom’s collection of cats. The newcomers have joined the rest of the gang just days ago and they haven’t been even shipped to Poland yet!

Ladies and gents, please welcome the new kids on the block!

Kat-a-log Feline no.102
Four sides of a cat: Hello, I am a cat, Waiting for you, Garden of Eden and On a hot tin roof
Country of origin: UK, bought as a gift in late April 2014

The newbie with a number of 102 is a cute ceramic white kitten so fresh as a bun in the bakery at 4:00 am in the morning! It was purchased in Cardiff just few days ago and photographed on the spot at the lovely Oriental Garden located at Atlantic Wharf waterfront in Cardiff Bay. We went to Cardiff to visit The Doctor Who Experience (we cannot recommend it highly enough!) and on our way to the car, we noticed a small arts and crafts event taking place right at the waterfront promenade. You know us very well so it it easy to predict what has happened next: Rita and Mal delayed the decision to go home and went off cat hunting. And it was a very good decision as we would never met a very talented artist named Sadie Hurley. Sadie is proud owner of small business called Sadie Hurley Ceramics that specializes in making beautiful earthenware items. She is an award winning artist with an excellent reputation in Wales and beyond. Sadie is a frequent exhibitor at the International Ceramics Festival in Aberystwyth, so please visit her if you have a chance. She is open for commissions and runs a popular ceramics workshops several times a year.

Our white fella is a small bisque (unglazed) figurine, 6 cm tall, weighing about 300 grams. It can be painted with acrylics but we decided to leave it as it is – he is perfect! Rita took only four pictures and Olympia decided to include all of them in this issue for your enjoyment.

Cardiff Bay official website: http://cardiffbay.co.uk/
Sadie Hurley Ceramics Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SadieHurleyCeramics
Sadie can be reached at sadhurley57@gmail.com or by the phone at: 02920309456, mobile: 07518210570.
Say hi from us if you are going to give her a call!

Hello, I am a cat

Waiting for you

Garden of Eden

On a hot tin roof

Kat-a-log Feline no.103
Three sides of a cat: Carry on through it all – he’s a waterfall, I was promised a fish and Swimming on a Sunday
Country of origin: China, given as a gift in April 2014

Everybody loves blue-green colored cats and we are no exceptions. We cannot decide if this color is actually cyan, teal or maybe even turquoise, you will have to be the judge. One thing is for sure, a cat number 103 won Olympia’s heart in an instant and she wants this figurine delivered to Poland pronto. It was a gift from Jenn, Rita’s co-worker and it was bought during her trip to Brighton at the beginning of April 2014. Jenn loved this figurine herself and she had a hard time parting with it, we feel really sorry for her! You will have to believe us, this figurine is not a fluffy little thing but a properly heavy piece of a fat cat! It weights about half of a kilogram and Olympia can employ him as a paper weight.

This figurine has been made in China but it was shipped to the UK by Joe Davies, the oldest British Independent Retailer and Wholesaler under their own brand Shudehill Giftware. Shudegill collection consists of nearly 40.000 items and each year about 5000 new gifts and collectibles are introduced on the market.

Vibrant watery photo-session has been taken in the gardens of Witley Court near Worcester just before the holidays.
Official website can be seen here: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/witley-court-and-gardens/

Joe Davies official website: http://joedavies.co.uk/about-us/shudehill-giftware/

Carry on through it all – he’s a waterfall

I was promised a fish

Swimming on a Sunday

Kat-a-log Feline no.104
Three sides of a cat: Sitting at the top of the wall, Canal cat and City hunter
Country of origin: Vienna, Austria, given as a gift in April 2014

Another cat and another gift from Rita’s co-workers. Crescent headed cat was bought by Ali on her trip to Vienna at the beginning of April 2014, almost at the same time when Jenn got us the kitten described above. Sadly, we do not know much about it. The figurine came without any tags or labels and Ali doesn’t know where it was actually bought. She remembers only a small art gallery/souvenir store near the famous Opera House which is located at Opernring 2 in the city center of Vienna. She is convinced this cute cat is not an unique work of art made by a local artist but a mass produced figurine as there were many other cats looking exactly like this one in the store.

Unique or not, we appreciate any feline given to us. Olympia thinks the design is really beautiful and cannot wait to put this figurine on a shelf. she has found a purrfect spot for it already!

Sitting at the top of the wall

Canal cat

City hunter

Kat-a-log Feline no.105
Three sides of a cat: Walking on the moon, Space stare and Spaceman
Country of origin: South-East Asia, bought as a gift in Sorrento, Italy in April 2014

What can be made from several pieces of driftwood, two long springs, 43 wooden beads and four thin metal wires? The answer is simple: a very strange looking cat. Olympia’s collection is filled with unique creatures, but this feline is simply out of this world! This wooden figurine (or maybe a sculpture) is 20 cm tall (just body) and 29 cm in height if you count the tail. Hand carved driftwood has been polished, painted and covered with a nice amount of wood varnish giving the cat a nice smooth finish and lots of glow in the sunlight. It has been made in South East Asia and was brought to Europe by fair trade organization known as Leaf Gifts. Their headquarters is based in Nottingham (United Kingdom) but the Leaf Gifts import their stock to other fair trade stores in Italy, France and Germany. Our figure has been purchased by a friend in Sorrento in Italy during his spring holidays.

You should see Olympia’s face when she saw this remarkable pet on Skype for the first time! Her laughter could be heard for a few miles, we are absolutely sure about that. And once she stopped laughing, she said this cute oddball is every cat collector dream come true. That’s what collecting is all about – finding rare and curious items before anyone else does!

Leaf Girts official website: http://www.leafgifts.com
Leaf on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Leafnottingham
Leaf on Twitter: https://twitter.com/leafgifts

Walking on the moon

Space stare

Spaceman

We nickname this cat Spaceman as he reminds us of Babylon Zoo’s lead singer. Jay Mann is known for having amazingly blue eyes that could see through you like an X-ray machine. Here’s the video if you haven’t heard this superb cosmic rock anthem before:

Photo-shoot for the space kitten was taken on Malvern Hills several days ago and it was a true nightmare as his head would not keep still. We have taken hundreds of shots and only handful of them were not blurry. It’s hard to work on a hill top fighting strong gusts of wind and escaping hordes of tourists. Eh the sacrifices we make for this projects!

Thank you kindly for reading Kat-a-log issue number 23! Please come back again shortly and don’t forget to rest.

Have a wonderful holidays!
All the best from your Kat-a-log editors:
Rita, Malicia and Olympia Dabrowicz

April 7, 2014 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 22

Hello Kitties!

Who would have thought that the spring will come so soon this year! Last time we checked, it was rainy cold weather outside and now the trees are blooming and ducks are fighting for territory at the local marina. UK, Poland and Malta are getting some serious sunshine treatment and even the Easter Holidays are getting closer and closer.

For us springtime usually means one thing: a big cleaning! Olympia is washing the windows, Rita is painting walls and doors and Mal is running errands buying presents and preparing parcels. Despite being so busy, we still found some time to prepare this special edition of Kat-a-log. Just keep on reading and you will be surprised what can be found in your own house when you open all the cupboards and closets!

If you’d like to take a look at previous entries, please use the links below to about cats featured so far:

If you’d like to contribute anything to our kitten project, please do so! We love hearing from our readers and each tip about the figurines is greatly appreciated. After so many years of collecting, we are unable to identify the maker or simply we cannot remember how certain figure came into our hands. So far, we have received several great clues and we were able to add some truly inspiring information about artists, creators or companies who made the figures.
Please send all correspondence to: rdabrowicz@yahoo.com We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Now, this special issue of Kat-a-log has been inspired by a friend (or rather an acquaintance) of ours who once tried to convince us that it is impossible to collect anything in the kitchen. He was sure that collecting items should be only limited to those parts of the household that are usually presented to friends or guests during official visits. A proper way he said, would be to have an entire collection displayed in a showcase in living room under lock and key. He made an exception for stamps or coins which, according to his words, could be kept in special containers on shelves in bedrooms or even under the bed. But how on earth can you have a full collection in the kitchen? He even attempted to laugh at us by suggesting that there are maybe people out there who collects plates or spoons but they cannot be serious, right? Who in their right mind would be collecting plates??

Well, we love proving people wrong. There is nothing more satisfying in the whole wide world than watching people’s faces drop as you kill their silly arguments with few easy examples. You don’t even have to try hard – it took us 15 minute on Google to find several British societies dedicated to decorative plates collectors and several big auctions on Ebay specializing in silver spoons. You have to be pretty rich to collect those, we tell you! Some beautiful items were being auctioned off for thousands of pounds.
Collecting cats seems to be quite an inexpensive hobby it seems!

All together now, say MEOWW

Another battle won, but the situation has got us thinking. People in general know so little about their own family members/friends/co-workers/other relations that they are incapable of telling what their hobbies are. Even worse, when they discover something by accident, they simply belittle the collection or interest by branding it childish, silly or immature. In reality people can collect anything: postcards, vinyl records, Daleks (Robert Hull from Doncaster is the Guinness World Record holder for the biggest Dalek collection in existence), porcelain plates, cutlery, dolls, stamps, beer coasters and chocolate wrappings! Every collector should be able to enjoy their hobbies without guilt trips, name calling or having to resort to silence and secrecy. Olympia is very open about her hobby and doesn’t care what others think but it takes a lot of self esteem and dedication.

So, for the first time in Kat-a-log history we are opening the doors to our kitchen and present you with a unique collection within a collection – a small selection of feline inspired cups, mugs and tea pots!

Kat-a-log Feline no. 90
Three sides of a cat: It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, Kitty in a cup and Time for a tea
Country of origin: France, bought as a gift in 2011

Yay! We hit the big 90! This lovely bone china porcelain teapot with a tea cup has been in Olympia’s possession since December 2011. A gift from Rita’s former co-worker, the pot has been purchased on a ferry traveling between Dover and Calais. Before going on a short city break to France, she promised to bring a cat souvenir so it could be featured on the blog. However the promise soon became a real burden as the poor girl had serious troubles finding any cat figurines at all. Paris is usually a cat friendly place, but this time all figurines and sculptures were gone and the friend grew desperate. In her last attempt to keep her word, she purchased a teapot with big fluffy black and white cat painted on it and brought it back with her to Hereford. Giving it to Rita she was quite displeased with the whole experience and vowed to take it back if we didn’t like it.The porcelain teapot has won our hearts straight away and it became a beautiful Christmas present for our mom. It has “Paws for Tea” written around the cap and two Miaows near the handle and sprout. It was been made by Price and Kensington company, now part of Rayware Limited. According to official stats it weights 662 g and the catalog number is 0057.281.

P&K official website: https://www.facebook.com/PriceKensington
P&K Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PriceKensington
Buy your own here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Price-Kensington-Paws-For-Tea-Cat/dp/B0045IKZC6

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

Kitty in a cup

Time for a tea

Kat-a-log Feline no. 91
Two sides of a cat: Mocha Dominquez and Pawprint
Country of origin: UK, bought as a gift in Tallinn in 2009

This superb collector mug designed excursively for British/American company Lang and Wise Fine Gifts in 2004 has been bought in Tallinn, the capitol of Estonia by two of Malicia’s co-workers who spent their holidays there in winter 2009. They found the mug in a small store close to British embassy and thought that this was an excellent opportunity to present her with an unique cat related gift(the price was 10 pounds). The picture on the mug is part of an original painting by American artist Lowell Herrero entitled “Mocha Dominquez”. The mug is exactly 4 inches tall, perfect for hot chocolate and has a lovely paw print inside. If you are interested in details, the mug’s official Lang and Wise catalog number is 0501049 (LH#17).

Lowell Herrero’s official website: http://www.lowellherrero.com
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lowell.herrero
Lang and Wise official website: http://www.lang.com
Lang’s Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelangcompany
Lowell at Lang’s website: http://www.lang.com/collections/lowell-herrero.html

Mocha Dominquez

Pawprint

Full picture of the Mocha Dominquez artwork

Kat-a-log Feline no. 92
Two sides of a cat: Mirror match and Twin cats
Country of origin: Poland, bought by Olympia in July 2012

Many cat figurines from Olympia’s collection come from far away countries like Israel, Malta, UK or Estonia or from different continents even (Australia, Hong Kong or Japan) but mug number three (or Kat-a-log feline number 92 if you prefer) didn’t have to travel far at all. You see, Olympia found this little gem in a local supermarket store and decided to treat herself. The distance between her kitchen and the store is less than 1 mile! This proves that sometimes you don’t have to look far to find a spectacular item for your collection. This strange looking mug is known as Twin cats and has been made by Ravi Prestige in 2010, Polish gift and home ware company. Since 2012, the company has changed its name to Ravi Limited and now has two major ranges of products : Ravi Simple Solution (cleaning and packaging) and Ravi Decor (home ware).

Company’s official website is only available in Polish:
http://www.ravi.pl
http://www.ravi.pl/decor/

Mirror match

Twin cats

Kat-a-log Feline no. 93
Four sides of a cat: High Rise Cat, I’m Blue, My name is Yellow and How may I serve?
Country of origin: Poland, received as part of payment in 2010

Rita officially admits: she is responsible for bringing this huge Ravi Prestige coffee mug home in late May 2010 from Katowice. She has just returned from a 4 month delegation abroad and she didn’t have any loose change on her. Please remember that Poland is the only country in the world where the store might run out of coins and they will happily inform you at the till that they are not able to give you all your money back. Yes you have heard it right, we got used to it somehow but the foreigners are quite shocked when that happens to them. Anyway, usually the store lacks some tiny coins like one penny so you just wave it off and leave the store one penny poorer. What happened on that lovely hot day was, the store clerk admitted that it was too hot for her to go look for a change and asked Rita is she would like to chose something from the store that cost exactly 8 PLN (about 2 pounds). Being in a hurry, Rita grabbed the mug and was on her way home reflecting upon the idiocy of this sad affair. Nonetheless, Olympia had a good laugh about it all and kept the mug. And they all lived together happily ever after (minus Rita who decided to move out to some normal country). The End.

High Rise Cat

I’m Blue

My name is Yellow

How may I serve?

Kat-a-log Feline no. 94
Two sides of a cat: Let’s hunt and Little tiger
Country of origin: Poland, bought as a gift in 2009

Kat-a-log feline number 94 arrived into Olympia’s hands in late October 2009. It was an early birthday gift for Rita from one of her co-workers named Suzanna. Sue is a big animal lover and in her spare time works as a volunteer in local animal shelter. This fantastically cute dolomite tea mug was made by Polish company SABA around 2007 and sadly is not longer available through their shop. It has been hand painted and covered with two varnish layers for extra protection and some serious shine. The mug is part of Colorful Animal series and is designed for kids, but what the heck, adults might enjoy them as well!

Please visit SABA’s official page at: http://sabakatowice.nazwa.pl/sabakatowice/web/
Colorful Animal series can be found here: http://sabakatowice.nazwa.pl/sabakatowice/web/produkt/2/515
Saba on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SABA-Sp-z-oo/447622035269567

Let’s hunt

Little tiger

Kat-a-log Feline no. 95
Three sides of a cat: My contented cat, My cuddly cat and My sad cat
Country of origin: UK, bought as a gift in March 2013

Rita’s favorite tea mug! This absolutely delightful white porcelain mug comes from the award winning Contented Pets series made by English company Rayware. Rita found it in Tesco in Gloucester while shopping and she had to add it to her cart. We can see some readers’ faces at this moment. Tesco? Yes, indeed. Sometimes we are being asked why we put such information online and the answer is always they same – because this is what happened and that’s how we found a certain item. Buying in Tesco isn’t probably glamorous but they have a very nice selection of mugs and home ware that are of top quality. If you come across something you like, just buy it and don’t regret it, that’s our philosophy. You do not have to pay lots of money to enjoy a truly wonderful present. The price was about 4 pounds and we are more than happy to tell you when we got it from. Contented pets series can be found in many other stores including Marks and Spencer Home, Amazon, Very.co.uk and Ebay.

The mug weights about 400 g, is 4.25″ tall with a 3″ diameter and contains 12oz (about 340 ml).

Official website: http://www.reyware.co.uk

My contented cat

My cuddly cut

My sad cat

Contented pets logo

Kat-a-log Feline no. 96
Four sides of a cat: Morning coffee, Upside down, Happy happy cat and Fish-bone for tea
Country of origin: unknown, bought as a gift in January 2012

In direct contrast to previous mugs presented above, Kat-a-log feline number 96 is a bit of a (silent) enigma to us. We do not know where it was made and by whom. The most believable theory is, it was made in China and then bought by Polish company named PERFEKT. Perfekt Limited are not the makers, they are distributor of various gifts and kitchen ware from Asia to European Union and their logo has been pressed at the bottom of the mug. This is a standard procedure among Chinese producers – European or American clients are choosing items from a catalog and the Chinese company adds their client’s logos or name to the products before shipping it to where the items will be sold. It is a bit sad that we are unable to tell you who the real maker is or that we do not even know the name of the artist. If you know Polish, you are free to visit the website of the Polish company who brought this cute cat collection to us: http://perfekt.co/page1.php

Morning coffee

Upside down

Happy, happy cat

Fish-bone for tea

Entire collection of mugs

Kat-a-log Feline no. 97
Five sides of a cat: Meow Part 1 ,2 ,3, 4 and5
Country of origin: China, bought as a gift in May 2013

A real panorama of cats! The last mug in today’s special edition of Kat-a-log has a very similar history to that of number 96. All we really know is this super cute mug has been made in China and traveled all the way to Poland where Rita and her dad found it in a supermarket and thought it will be a great way to cheer Olympia up. at that time, Rita was awaiting thyroid operation and Olympia was very afraid. We can proudly report that Rita is now perfectly healthy and Olympia loves to drink cappuccino from this very mug and purrs like a real cat each time she is given one (especially chocolate and vanilla flavored). If anybody from our dear readers knows the real maker please send us a line!

Meow part 1

Meow part 2

Meow part 3

Meow part 4

Meow part 5

Kat-a-log Feline no. 98 and 99
Two sides of a cat: Catalog and Dinner at Tiffany’s
Country of origin: UK, given as a gift in 2013

We had teapots, cups and collection of mugs already. Do you know what’s missing? Tea towels!! Olympia decided that since she runs a cat friendly kitchen (in a cat friendly household) she needs to add some cat related accessories. the tea towel have been bough by Rita in April 2013 in Hereford in her favorite cooking shop called Cook Mate. Sadly the owners of this small business retired and the store has been closed. But before their doors have been closed forever, Rita managed to sneak in and found two puurfect tea-towels. We decided to put the two items together but each will receive a separate Kat-a-log number.

Number 98: the tea towel has been designed by Helen L Smith, a widely known artist that makes wonderful comical illustration about our beloved pets. The illustration is called Catalogue of Cats (how appropriate!) and the tea towel has been made by McCaw Allan. The tea towel number is 781U.

Helen L Smith’s Official website can be found at: http://www.helen-l-smith.co.uk
Catalog picture can be seen here: http://www.helen-l-smith.co.uk/Tea_Towels/files/page5-1003-full.htmlMCCaw Allan McCaw Allan website is available at: http://www.mccaw-allan.com/#!tea-towels/masterpage_2

Helen L Smith’s Catalog

Number 99: This cotton tea towel is entitled “Kittie’s Dinner” and has been made by Samuel Lamont Group – Northern Ireland. Like the previous tea towel, it measures exactly 78 cm x 48 cm and weights about 120 grams. Its unique number is B0529. Both towels have been on the market since 2012.

Samuel Lamont Official website: http://www.samuellamont.co.uk/
You can see both tea towels in the official company’s catalogue at:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/3aebcf_16a9c862db21018422aac2feaaa9398e.pdf?d..

Tabby cat and his fish

Well kids, another great update to Kat-a-log project is now done!
Please keep visiting as we will have another issue of your favorite cat magazine just before the Easter!

Have a great day,

XXX
Olympia, Rita and Malicia Dabrowicz

February 28, 2014 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 21

Kitty, kitty, kitty!

Awww, time flies when you have a cat! And if you are dealing with an entire collection, it doesn’t just fly, it miraculously disappears!

It’s been two months since we had any update to Kat-a-log, but don’t despair, today we have another great issue for you to enjoy! And that’s not all! We have been working especially hard in the last weeks to bring you something very special dedicated to the collections so come back pretty soon if you are interested. As the old proverb says, curiosity killed the cat, so we know our readers are as curious as the felines themselves.

If you have any comments or information about certain figurines, please contact us at rdabrowicz@yahoo.com Thanks to our readers’ help, we managed to identify the makers of few unknown figurines so we are truly grateful for any tip or hint. Each contributor receives a full mention on the blog (unless they prefer to remain anonymous) and gain a title of Kat-a-log kitten for life 🙂

Below you can find all previous issues, so let’s get get crazy and start reading:

Now let us introduce you to six new kittens. Meow!

Kat-a-log Feline no. 84
Four sides of a cat: Glass and sunshine, Glass and wood, Glass and metal and Glass and stone
Country of origin: Malta, bought in Sliema in October 2010

Kat-a-log feline number 84 is one of the most unique cats that can be found in Olympia’s collection. The most important thing here is that Olympia has chosen this cat herself, which is a very rare occurrence. Usually the cats are given to her as presents or are brought to Poland as souvenirs by her daughters’ work colleagues, family friends and various relatives.
If you look closely at this magnificent kitten, you will notice that it has been made from colorful glass. The cat has a long tail, long ears and sharp muzzle. However, it doesn’t have any whiskers, eyes or legs. This design is very abstract yet absolutely captivating. Some has speculated that this could be a fox, but they are missing obvious feline qualities here: gracefulness, typical pointy ears set far apart, large oval head and the sitting position. The figurine is quite heavy and can serve as a paper weight 🙂

If you’d like to own a kitten like that, please visit Mdina Glass, a family run business that produces the best decorative glass items on Malta for at least three generations.

Mdina Glass official website: https://www.mdinaglass.com.mt/
Mdina Glass on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mdinaglass

Each figurine made by the company comes with a sticker places at the bottom with Mdina Glass logo.

Glass and sunshine

Glass and wood

Glass and metal

Glass and stone

Kat-a-log Feline no. 85
Two sides of a cat: Games of thrones and Let me tell you a story
Country of origin: UK, bought as a gift on 14th of January 2011 (Friday)

We remember buying this kitten like it was yesterday! This colorful cat sitting comfortably in an armchair has been hand-made by local artist in Ludlow, an ancient town in Shropshire, famous for its ruined castle. We found it in a souvenir store on Church Street and we were told that the figurine represents a local tale about the King of Cats.

Before we tell you about the legend, we need to say a little bit about the kitten. It is very light, made of wood and according to the souvenir store clerk, the cat wears a traditional 16th century vest. The cat sits on a chair with two roses that symbolizes two powerful English dynasties: The House of Tudors (red rose) and The House of York (white rose). The two houses have been engaged in a bloody conflicts known as the War of The Roses. The war only ended when Henry VII married Elizabeth of York on 18 January 1486 in Westminster Abbey.

Now Henry and Elizabeth marriage is the beginning of the most fascinating tale. According to tradition, future parents were told by a seer that their first child will bring the gold age to the world. Upon learning that Elizabeth has given birth to a boy, Henry ordered him to be named after the mystical King Arthur of Camelot. Prince Arthur was a very unusual child. He was not interested in battles or court games, but spent his days reading books and learning. His teachers commented that the young prince loved Greek mythology, memorized The Oddyssey and various philosophical texts, and found a great pleasure in history and ethics. He was also an accomplished archer, a good dancer and was extremely good looking. His servants found him to be wise and kind and he was universally loved throughout the land. It seemed that the prophecy was indeed coming true – Prince Arthur received the title of Prince of Wales (heir apparent to the throne) and was engaged to the beautiful Catherine of Aragon.

Arthur was said to have a special love for animals, especially the cats. The Prince protected them and they were always feed at his court at Ludlow. He even allowed them to use all royal properties in his kingdom as their own and many cats were seen sleeping by the fire or lounging in the sunshine in front of royal coaching inn near the castle. People were gossiping that the Prince knew their language and that the cats were bringing him interesting information about the world. Arthur passed away only at 15 years old, killed by sweating sickness and was buried in Worcester Cathedral. During his funeral procession all cats from Ludlow came to the streets and meowed sadly as the coffin passed them. Prince Arthur has never became the king but his early death didn’t remove the royal edits given to cats. All Ludlow cats have the right to be treated with the highest respect and can use all royal properties. Each year on the longest day of the year, the King of Cats comes to Ludlow and sits before the inn on a special armchair. You can talk to him if you are lucky. His name is either Tom or Peter. The royal coaching inn in now a popular pub known as The Rose and Crown, located on Church Street.

You can read another story about the King of Cats here:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Folk-Lore_Journal/Volume_2/Two_Folk-Tales_from_Herefordshire#The_King_of_the_Cats

The Rose and Crown is open every single day and they offer a wonderful service.
Their address is:

8 Church Street

Ludlow

Shropshire

SY8 1AP

Telephone (01584) 872098

Game of thrones

Let me tell you a story

Rose and Crown Inn entrance

Kat-a-log Feline no. 86
Two sides of a cat: Salute! and I’m a philosopher
Country of origin: Malta, rescued in 2007 from Birkirkara

Honestly, we do not know much about the feline number 86. This cat is a real enigma, but we love it non the less. Olympia has personally rescued it from an old flat that Malicia has been renting in Birkirkara, long time ago. In 2007, Rita and Olympia came to Malta for the first time to visit Mal. She was living in a beautiful house of character with a very weird flat mate near St. Helen’s Basilica, in a front of a bar. The house was not in a top condition, it needed a lot of love and renovations, especially the kitchen. Since Malicia has been working long hours, Olympia and Rita prepared all meals and cleaned a little bit. During the cleaning, Olympia found a cat shaped magnet lying behind the cooker! Poor little creature was not only extremely dusted and dirty, also one of his paws was damaged. We have asked the owner of the flat if the magnet belonged to her but she was not interested in it and Olympia took it to Poland with her. She restored this little beauty to his former glory and now the cat is attached to Olympia’s fridge. This is, ladies and gents, what we call a story with a happy end!

Salute!

I’m a philosopher

Kat-a-log Feline no. 87
Two sides of a cat: Madame Butterfly and Diva
Country of origin: UK, bought at Camden Market in February/March 2009

In February – March 2009 we have spent two weeks in London. We have already mentioned about that incredible time on our blog as we have covered the trip to Tower Hill in our One Castle A Day corner. But London is not only about places where heads were rolling. Large amount of time in the capital was spent arts and crafts shopping. Our stay in Camden was very fortunate because we were just few minutes away from Camden Lock and The Stables Market. We got our mom two items for her collection there. One was an amazing painting from Kenyan seller; the other was a fridge magnet from the Rachael Hale brand collection.

We will write about the Kenyan painting some other time, let us tell you about the lovely magnet. We found it in a curiosity shop, full of extravagant gadgets on 23rd February 2009, on the outskirts of the Camden Lock. The shop had a beautiful black toaster in the window and we absolutely fell in love with it. Unfortunately, it cost a small fortune, so we had to skip it, but we left the store with a bunch of feminist post cards (they were later sent as late Valentines), jewellery and the mentioned magnet. We don’t remember the name of the lovely store but here’s the window picture; if somebody recognizes it; drop us a line and a proper credit will be given.

Rachael Hale brand is known to be the home of “the world’s most lovable animals”. It started out as a family business of a female photographer based in Auckland, Australia around twenty years ago and soon became one of the most recognizable brands that use stock photography on wide range of accessories. The magnet we bought for our mom has a beautiful black cat portrait on it – mom loved it as it reminded her of her cat Salem.

Rachel Hale is flagship part of Dissero Brands – a rival of Swedish Ikea on the home décor front. Over the years, they have worked with many photographers and designers and it’s quite hard to tell who, was the artist behind the photo on our magnet.

The original photographer is now known as Rachael McKenna. In 2007 she has left the company and moved to France to work again as a freelance artist and book author. She is currently in NYC working on her new project “The New York Dog”. You can visit her LinkedIn profile here:

fr.linkedin.com/pub/rachael-hale/18/127/926

You may also want to see the links to her previous company:
http://www.disserobrands.com
http://www.rachaelhale.com
https://www.facebook.com/rachaelhalebrand/
Or visit her official page at: http://rachaelmckenna.com/

Madame Butterfly

Diva

Camden gadget shop where we purchased the magnet. If you know the name of it, let us know!

Kat-a-log Feline no. 88
Two sides of a cat: Classic tea-set (with a cat) and Reflections
Country of origin: Poland, bought as a gift in 2009

Slim, sleek and shining – this beautiful kitten was bought by Rita in March 2009. We have mentioned this before in an earlier issue of Kat-a-log, that Rita has spent 8 months working for a video game company in Wroclaw. During her stay, she discovered a shopping gallery with an entire floor dedicated to hand painted Polish pottery. Sadly after so many years, we do not remember the name of this store, but Rita recollects that it was located somewhere near the main square. This particular cat figurine is known as a “mother cat” and could only be purchased along with another porcelain feline, a small kitten. Meant as a set for the customers, those two figurines are not a true match – they represent two different styles and probably have been made by two different companies. There are no signs or names on the bottoms and we cannot give you full details who made them. If you recognize the maker, please contact us and we will be able to investigate further. It is worth mentioning that figurines painted in blue, with dense patterns like those you see on the pictures below, were traditionally made to decorate kitchens and dining rooms. Rita did some research online and this pattern could be ether fleur de lis or a peacock. What do you think?

Classic tea-set (with a cat)

Reflections

Kat-a-log Feline no. 89
Three sides of a cat: Grand champion, Royal pottery and Time is eternal
Country of origin: Poland, bought as a gift in 2009

Now, we will take a closer look at the baby kitten that Rita was forced to buy. Don’t get us wrong, the kitten is lovely and has been placed in Olympia’s kitchen along with its “mom” described just above. To tell you the truth, it was a lucky coincidence that somebody decided to match both cats together as Rita probably would have never purchased two very similar looking figurines that day. The baby kitten is obviously smaller, lighter and sounds hollow. Its blue floral pattern covers the entire figurine except for the cat’s face. It has blue ears and tiny whiskers. Again, there is no name or a logo on the bottom and we cannot determine who made this figurine. Both Kat-a-log kittens (number 88 and 89) has been photographed at Marianne Dabrowicz’ house (our grandmother) and she demands a mention on the Internet in return for her kindness. Antiqued silver mirror tray, tea set, decorative plates and clock used in this photo-shoot are from 1950’s. Marianne has turned 90 this year so let’s have a collective “Helloo!” in her name.

Grand champion

Royal pottery

Time is eternal

Wow! What a great update it is! And a long one as well.
We love telling stories behind each figurine and we hope you enjoy reading them.

Please come back very, very soon as we have an excellent special edition of Kat-a0log coming right up!

Have a pleasant day and don’t forget to pet your own kitties.

XXX
Olympia, Rita and Mal Dabrowicz (with Marianne as a super-special guest :D)

December 24, 2013 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 20

Hey, hey, meow, meow!

Happy Holidays everybody! Today is the Christmas Eve and according to Polish tradition, whatever you are doing today, you will be doing a whole year. Which is perfectly fine with us as we intend to continue writing the blog, collecting the cats and create more editions of Kat-a-log!

The entire team behind this artistic project would like to wish every visitor, reader or a feline a very Happy Christmas, lots of presents under the tree, lots of catnip toys, things to chase and play with, great adventures, boxes to sit in (that’s very important part of cat’s life!), great food, lots of health (visiting a vet or a doctor can be stressful and we don’t want that) and may all your human or cat dreams come true!

As usual, any comments, reviews, news, gossips and meows can be sent to our dear Rita at rdabrowicz@yahoo.com. No spam please or she will hiss at you. You can also read previous edition of Kat-a-log below by clicking on the links:

Kat-a-log Feline no. 79
Three sides of a cat: I’m on my way, Gate keeper and The most beautiful cat in the world
Country of origin: Worcester, bought as a gift in November 2013
Official name: Bell (The Lady)

The fist two cats of this Christmas edition of Kat-a-log have been made by the same artist and purchased at the 19th Annual Christmas Victorian Fayre in Worcester. We are very sad to say, we do not know the name of the lady who makes those beautiful beads artworks, but she was Chinese and had problems with understanding us. All we managed to find out was that she is the owner of a small, two-person business called Genie Beads Crafts and has a shop on Mealcheapen Street in the city center of Worcester.

The cats are made using only artistic beads and copper wire. The beads are made from high quality hardened plastic, diamond shaped and cut to resemble a gem stone. They are multicolored (white, black, red and purple) yet semi transparent: you can see the wire going through the beads and even notice the small bell rotating inside the artwork. The white cat is a girl named Bell, and she is a true lady – she wears a collar and a bow around her right ear. Looking a bit like Hello Kitty, this lovely feline was photographed outside the Brecon Cathedral in Wales.

You can learn more about the Christmas Fayre by visiting two official websites:
http://issuu.com/visitworcestershire/docs/christmas_fayre_programme_2013

I’m on my way

Gate keeper

The most beautiful cat in the world

Kat-a-log Feline no. 80
Four sides of a cat: What’s on the menu? Very berry, Do you love me? and Cats and Dogs
Country of origin: Worcester, bought as a gift in November 2013
Official name: Tramp

Kat-a-log kitten number 80 is the partner of Bell. His official name is Tramp and the pair has been named after the famous Disney move “The Lady and a trump”. In direct contrast to the snow-white Bell, Tramp is jet black and wears a red cravat. He as well has been purchased at the 19th Annual Christmas Victorian Fayre in Worcester and was photographed on the grounds of Brecon Cathedral. The first picture entitled “What’s on the menu” was taken inside the Pilgrims Tea Room located on The Cathedral Close. We have to say that the waitresses loved Tramp and even allowed him to jump into a sugar bow! And they serve a delicious bread and butter pudding there! Oh, if you are wondering about the additional picture, we can only tell you that Tramp has a bit of an attitude and wanted to send a clear message to our readers about his thoughts on dogs. This is his own opinion only and it’s not associated with our views. We might have our favorites but this is a bit of an exaggeration 🙂

Please visit their official website at: http://www.pilgrims-tearooms.co.uk/index.php

What’s on the menu?

Very berry

Do you love me?

Cats and dogs

Kat-a-log Feline no. 81
Two sides of a cat: Under the palm and dreaming and Spiky spiky world
Country of origin: USA, bought as a gift in September 2013 (Bulgaria)

This cat has been bought in September 2013 in a gift ware shop at the Sofia airport in Bulgaria. One of Malicia’s co-workers was visiting home and just couldn’t help herself when she’s seen this little creature. Even the price of 20 EUR did not scare her off – she thought it was a suitable present. She was informed that this was the last of the figurines in the series that the shop had and therefore there would be no official box. She asked how many the shop had and the reply was somehow strange – the figurines of this sort were selling like hot buns in the morning and were considered highly collectible. Whatever the stock was, it would sell within few months and new order had to be made. The cat was given to Malicia with words: “do some investigation; there should be interesting story behind it”. So that’s what we did, we did our research.

There is a story behind this figurine, Hallmark movie like story to be exact: Meet Priscilla Hillman, artist, painter, beloved children’s author and marine biology specialist. She was raised in New England with her twin sister Greta and a brother named Rick. They would spend idyllic years on Cape Cod, fishing, playing out doors and painting in the kitchen. The extraordinary childhood gave Priscilla foundations for her artistic endeavours in the future. When recovering from a serious back injury that confined her to bed for months, she created illustrations that would become her first series of collectible figurines “Cherished Teddies”. She approached the manufacturer Enesco with her idea in the late 80s and this led to a cooperation that lasts now for three decades. For Enesco, Priscilla created other series like “Calico Kittens”, “My Blushing Bunnies”, “Priscila`s Moust Tales”. Priscilla collaborates with her siblings on her collections (like the limited edition figurine named “Priscilla and Greta” for Cherished Teddies created in 1995). She is completely self -taught. She and her husband live now in a self – restored 1771 colonial house, filled with antiques and local artisan products. For many years Priscilla has been battling Lyme disease which has nearly make her blind, but she is recovering and continues to correspond with her fans.

But amazing story of Priscilla is only a part of the bigger picture. Enesco itself is also a fantastic subject for a movie! The company was created in 1958 and for 40 years has been a leader in gift ware and collectibles in US, Canada, UK and France. That quickly ended at the beginning of the economical crisis. In 2007 after the crash on the collectibles market and stock – selling scandals, Enesco had to file for bankruptcy. It is slowly raising itself – pretty much like Priscilla fighting and changing the way it has been managed. If you – like us – love art, artisan products and gift ware, you will have another reason to hate The Wall Street. They nearly killed a blooming business that has been supporting artists for generations. But back to our little fella. The figurine is part of “Calico Kittens” series which was produced between 1993-1993. It is now discontinued (or retired as it is said in the business) and considered highly collectible item! It is usually priced between 25-50 USD and usually comes with a neat box designed by Priscilla and a certificate. Unfortunately, the pieces that still remain on the market, especially in Europe, come with no box and this lowers their market price to some 20-30 USD per piece. However the demand seems to be rising and we don’t know if the series will be back into production. So hear out Olympia’s advice and grab the figurines as soon as you see them.

Artist: Priscilla Hillman
Manufacturer: Enesco
Composition: Hardened hand-painted ceramics
Official name: “Always Paws For Playtime”
Serial number: 254959 / 6C4/028
Year: 1996
Series: Calico Kittens (1993-1996) – discontinued, considered vintage
Official website: http://enesco.com/
https://www.facebook.com/enescollc

Under the palm and dreaming

Spiky, spiky world

*UPDATE* As you know, our little fella, has been purchased without an original box and leaflet. You can find the original packaging sometimes on Ebay it looks truly wonderful! We wanted to show you the box, but we were unable to find any promotional artwork released by the company. We have contacted Enesco with a request for any marketing materials they still might have, and we have received a reply! Enesco wrote: ” We have attached the only documentation we have on the line. Hopefully this will work for your needs. Thank you for your business and support!”
They have sent us two scanned pages from Gift Gallery – a very rare catalog that listed all company’s figurines from 1998! We are probably the only blog who has those pictures, so no stealing kids 🙂

Here they are for your enjoyment:

Cover of Gift Gallery – scan provided by Enesco. Thank you so very much guys!

Callico Cats collection in 1998. Those beautiful figurines are now considered vintage and very sought after.

Callico Cats collection in 1998. Those beautiful figurines, now considered vintage, are very sought after.

Kat-a-log Feline no. 82
Three sides of a cat: Just like Cheshire Cat, Hide and seek and Nice trick!
Country of origin: Wroclaw Poland, bought as a gift in 2009

Would you believe us that feline number 82 is probably the heaviest cat in Olympia’s collection? This grinning cat weights about 5kg (or 11 pounds), and is made out of two big chunks of thick ceramic, well four if you count the ears. It has been bought in 2009 in Wroclaw during the International Art Festival organized on the main city square. Rita remembers that she found the cat on a ceramic stand among garden statues of frogs and turtles. The artist who made the cat was either Australian or New Zealander and she needed to dance for the cat to be sold to her! The local customs of the artist requires the buyer to give the artist something else than just the money, so Rita decided to make few pirouettes. The price was 45 PLN (Polish zloty), the equivalent of around 5 pounds. As you can see on the below pictures, the cat has a long metal tail, perfect for hanging from the tree branches. We have to admit of breaking at least two or three of them, this fat feline is really in need of a diet!

Just like Cheshire Cat

Hide and seek

Nice trick!

Kat-a-log Feline no. 83
Three sides of a cat: Careful, the leaves are falling, Watching the skies and Fall festival
Country of origin: Bedzin Poland, bought as a anniversary gift in 2011

Cat number 83 is yet another kitten given to Olympia as a present by her husband. We have described several of them already: Kat-a-log Feline number 66 (from 17th edition), Kat-a-log Feline no. 58 (from 15th edition) and Kat-a-log Feline no. 60 (from the 16th edition). They come from the same place and were purchased in Black Red and White superstore in Bedzin. The most important quality of that store is they try to be very unique and deliver only one-of-a-kind goods to their customers. Their strategy is to order only few copies of their home decoration items and if they sell out, that’ s it – you cannot get another one. Each Black Red and White store also has a different stock , that’s why it is a good place to look for a rare gift for your loved ones. And Olympia likes adding truly special cat figurines to her collection. This particular cat has one serious fault we need to mention here. His legs are not part of the figurine – they are attached to two small metal rods and screwed into the ceramic body. This makes it impossible for the cat to stand still and the figurine keeps sliding to the right. Other than that, it is perfect and incredibly cute! The autumn photo-session was taken in local park not far away from Olympia’s flat.

Careful, the leaves are falling

Watching the skies

Fall festival

Please excuse us but we are incredibly hungry now and the Christmas dinner is waiting! Once more, have a peaceful, lovely holidays filled with joy and a lot of presents. Don’t forget to give a nice treat to your furry friends as well.

All the best for the new year!
xxx and ooo’s
Rita, Mal and Olympia Dabrowicz

December 14, 2013 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 19

Meow again!

Calling all cats and cats lovers! We cannot believe it has been nearly 4 months since the last Kat-a-log issue! We are truly sorry for such a big delay, and we promise not to disappoint our readers again. It is December now, the last month of 2013 and we think it is a purrrfest time for a long, big special entry about our favorite furry friends.

Holiday season is a great time for the cats to play. Christmas trees to climb, very interesting decorations to investigate or chase around the room, presents waiting to be shred to pieces… Every person sharing a house with a feline can tell hundreds of funny stories that usually involve a cat, Christmas tree and a lot of mess. Rita and Mal are happy to report that Michael once decided to admire the living room from the top of the tree. Of course, he couldn’t get back down so he meowed loudly, waking up the whole neighborhood! He also fell of the tree on several occasions and broke one in half – fun times! Salem being a real lady does not climb the trees. She usually hides among the presents and attacks the poor souls who try to steal her possessions! She is also helping herself first to the turkey or a fish and is very angry if you try to stop her! Few years ago Rita got hissed at just because she foiled a very elaborate plan to devour a whole steak in one, single bite.

If you’d like to read previous issues of Kat-a-log, please click on the links below. As usual, we welcome all comments, reviews and stories about your cats. Please send them to: rdabrowicz@yahoo.com

Kat-a-log Feline no. 73
Four sides of a cat: Sunshine, Over the fence, Feeling good and Going green
Country of origin: Bangladesh, bought as a gift at Roskilde Festival in 2004

Kat-a-log cat number 73 is not your typical house kitten. It is not even a kitten at all! This beautiful hand made adult lion (just look at his impressive mane) has been made in Bangladesh by female artisan association for CORR the Jute Works Foundation as a part of the fair trade movement to activate local communities and provide its people with a chance to gain new skills and earn money. CORR foundation has been established in 1973 and has close ties to CARITAS. Fair Trade mascots are incredibly popular especially in Scandinavia where ecologically produced toys and unique design are high demand. Rita and Mal have purchased the lion at Roskilde Festival in 2004 at the Fair Trade Market near the Pavilion stage. The cat has been made from juta plant fibers that have been woven into stiff material (resembling raw linen) that is generally used in construction and traditional crafts. The material may be a bit rough to touch, but is incredibly flexible and strong. Lion’s mane has been colored with natural mineral paint made from red clay. It also used to glow in the dark, but after nearly a decade, the luminous pigment has faded and the glow is now barely visible. The lion is practically indestructible. It survived several trips aboard (Rita took it to America and Berlin), house re-decorations and still looks brand new. It was quite expensive for a poor students on a budget trip to the Roskilde Festival (nearly 120 Danish kronen), but worth every penny

If you’d like to own one of these, they are stiff being made and can be purchased through CORR online store: http://www.cjwbd.com/Details/Toy/TOY-LION

Fairtrade Denmark official website: http://fairtrade.dk/

Sunshine

Over the fence

Feeling good

Going green

Kat-a-log Feline no. 74
Four sides of a cat: Where do we go? Autumn is here, Tall grass and Mysterious look
Country of origin: Poland, bought in 2007

Ladies and gents, meet one of the biggest cats in Olympia’s collection! This huge cat shaped money-box stands at 75 cm and has a great back-story. This is the first cat featured in Kat-a-log that has been spotted, chosen, purchased and photographed by Olympia alone. Olympia is extremely proud of her cat hunting skills and proudly displays her trophy at the top of a wardrobe in the master bedroom. Despite looking like a massive, heavy figurine, this cat is extremely fragile and has been made out of delicate clay. It had to be wrapped in protective bubbled foil to be taken outside for a photo shot. This majestic cat was purchased during a religious/arts and crafts market organized on Sunday 24th of June 2007 in Rita and Mal’s home town of Piekary Slaskie. We are truly lucky to remember the date so well, but a simple trick comes handy in refreshing our memory in this particular case! Rita and Mal used to live in St. Peter and St. Paul parish and the market is always organized on the Sunday closest to 29th of June which is celebrated as the day of martyrdom for both apostles. Celebrating the martyrdom might look a little gloom, but the annual market is filled with food, busy stalls offering toys, large crowds of people and music. Nothing morbid, just a pure, old-fashioned family activity.

Where do we go?

Autumn is here

Tall grass

Mysterious look

Kat-a-log Feline no. 75
Three sides of a cat: Playful kitten, A cat and a tree and It’s awesome to be a big yellow cat
Country of origin: Poland, bought in 2009

Kat-a-log cats number 74 and 75 have a lot of common: both were bought in the same place, they were chosen, purchased and photographed by Olympia alone and they are the biggest pieces in the entire collections. This massive, yellow cat-shaped monster is known as Sunshine. He is heavy like a ton of bricks but extremely cute, with a large grin that would make the Cheshire cat jealous. Olympia bought him on Sunday 28th of June 2009 in Piekary Slaskie, at the same market organized to commemorate the martyred deaths of St. Peter and St. Paul, the patrons of the parish where Rita and Mal have been born and lived before escaping abroad J Sadly we do not know who made the cat, but as far as we remember, Olympia has picked him from among other felines at the artist’s stall. It is safe to assume, that this gorgeous giant of a kitten has been made in Silesia. Have we ever told you that we like big hand bags, big cats and small dogs? Now you know! 😀

Playful kitten

A cat and a tree

It’s awesome to be a big yellow cat

Kat-a-log Feline no. 76
Three sides of a cat: Hi to the world, Whatever you think I did (it wasn’t me) and Sun & shade
Country of origin: Worcester, bought as a gift for Halloween 2013

Rita has spotted this black beauty on the High Street in Worcester exactly on 20th of October 2013 while shopping for birthday cards for Mal and Olympia. This very delicate, china porcelain cat was displayed proudly in the main window of Clintons Cards as a part of their Halloween decoration. It was a bit expensive, being initially priced at 25 pounds. As the time went on and Halloween got closer, the price for the cat was successively lowered, first to 20 and later to 15 pounds. At that moment, the black cat figurines (and candle holders) literally started disappearing from the store. Rita has been given the cat on 29th of October as a b-day present and it was the last item available for sale. Photo shoot for the kitty has taken a place in Hereford on 3rd of November during the Flavors of Hereford Food Festival in a secret garden on the grounds of The Cathedral School. The garden is usually closed for the public but it was opened during the festival and housed a large collection of naturalistic sculptures. While being a part of the Kat-a-log collection, the black kitten will remain in the UK in residence in Worcester

You can visit the Clinton’s Cards official website here: http://www.clintoncards.co.uk

Hi to the world

What ever you think I did (it wasn’t me)

Sun & shade

Kat-a-log Feline no. 77
Three sides of a cat: Scratch, scratch, Am I handsome? and Ready for a jump
Country of origin: Poland, won in 2010

Now, this is a story that hasn’t been published yet in any of the previous editions of Kat-a-log! A strange hybrid of metal, fake fur and ceramics, the kitten number 77 came into Rita’s possession through gambling. Yep, you have heard it correctly – to become a new owner of the cat, Rita had to participate in an annual charity lottery. The lottery ticket was priced at 5 PLN (Polish zloty) or £1 and the participants had to answer several questions correctly to win anything. Rita was very competitive and she fought like a lion to get her share. This unusual behavior attracted the attention of her c0-workers who jokingly nicknamed her “The Gambler”. As the prizes were prepared by the organizers (Altus Building management in Katowice, where Rita’s former employers were once located), we are not sure where the cat was made and by whom. A funny thing worth mentioning about this figurine is that the cat’s head is attached to a spring and it moves rapidly up and down every time the figurine is moved. Sadly, it is not visible on the pictures – what a great shame. Olympia is very fond of this incredibly weird looking cat and considers him her personal All right kids, we hope that you have enjoyed this December issue of Kat-a-log! Please stay tuned as Malicia and Olympia are working really hard to choose and edit new pictures from our archives. The next edition of your favorite cat collector magazine will be delivered shortly.

Scratch, scratch

Am I handsome?

Ready for a jump

Kat-a-log Feline no. 78
Three sides of a cat: How did you manage to find me?, Time to rest and Curious soul
Country of origin: Poland, bought as a gift in 2005

The last cat in our December special is very unique indeed. It is not a figurine, but a real (yet small) metal sculpture of a cat. The sculpture has been purchased by Olympia in early May 2005 during a family trip to Cracow. We do not remember the name of the art gallery or the name of the artist, who made the cat but the gallery was located near the Consulate General of the United States on Stolarska Street. Nobody was planning to go cat shopping on that day, as the trip was organized to help Rita apply for a business visa to the old, goode US of A. Since the visa was denied, the entire family felt that they needed a bit of feline retail therapy. Do not worry, Rita got her visa in the end and two months later she went off to NYC for a glorious three weeks of work and sightseeing. Olympia happily added another kitten to her ever-growing collection and to this day, the kitten reminds her of the social injustices her daughter had to go through 😀

The sculpture is made of cold cast aluminum with craft wire for whiskers. It stands at 10 cm tall and 20 cm wide. If you recognize this artwork and know who the artist is, please do contact us! We would be much obliged. Thank you in advance.

How did you manage to find me?

Time to rest

Curious soul

All right kids, we hope that you have enjoyed this December issue of Kat-a-log! Please stay tuned as Malicia and Olympia are working really hard to choose and edit new pictures from our archives. The next edition of your favorite cat collector magazine will be delivered shortly.

Until then,
xxxxx
Rita, Malicia and Olympia Dabrowicz

August 22, 2013 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 18

Hello cats and kittens!

Welcome to 18^th edition of Kat-a-log! This issue will be a longer one as it is our second Holiday Special! Summer is slowly coming to an end (it is 22nd of August here already), but we still have several weeks before the kids are forced back to schools and the students are back at their Alma Maters. Being a cat has its advantages: you don’t have to sit at the desk for 8 hours a day, do your homework and nobody is yelling at you if you sleep all day and hang out with your friends at night. All three ladies behind the art project (Rita, Mal and Olympia) are pretty sure they are cats reincarnated and suffer cruelly when they are being woken up at 6 am.

In case you’d like to read all previous edition of Kat-a-log, please scroll down and click on the links below. All comments and cat fan mail is highly encouraged. Send your pictures, catnip and toys to: rdabrowicz@yahoo.com and wait for a meow back. Cats do take messages and they are always getting back to you when it is most convenient for them.

Kat-a-log Feline no. 67
Three sides of a cat: There is something in the water, In the middle and Raindrops (keep falling on my head)
Country of origin: Sweden, given as a gift in 2008

Let us start the holiday special with the unique cat raising a paw. This figurine is made from hardened wood and probably has been carved from one solid piece. It has been painted in certain places (eyes, face, paws and tails) and is solidly polished. The top layer of the sculpture has been covered by varnish, giving the cat a nice, shining finish. As you know, the cats do not like water, but this summer has been scorching hot (especially in Malta!) and even the most water shy creatures need a cool down. We have thrown the figurine into the city fountain in Katowice on the hottest June afternoon and then took few pictures. This Scandinavian beauty has been part of Kat-a-log project since 2008. It has been purchased by Malicia’s friend while she was organizing an art exhibition in Sweden and then given as a gift to Olympia. Arts, crafts and cats go very well together as we have proved it many times on our blog. If they didn’t, there would be no art project for us to write about at all.

There is something in the water

In the middle

Raindrops (keep falling on my head)

Kat-a-log Feline no. 68
Three sides of a cat: Is this seat taken?, Great view from the top of a palm tree and On the beach
Country of origin: UK, given as a present in 2012

After spending too much time in the water, everybody needs a bit of rest. There is nothing more pleasurable than lying on the sandy beach and sunbathing. Cats are masters of finding sunny spots and they do not really need beaches to rest after hard work of eating and chasing a toy mouse. People living with a cat under one roof will agree, that cat is going to lie and sleep on anything if it’s cosy and warm enough. Laptops, Internet routers, Playstations, heating blankets – you name it. If your favorite sofa or a chair is standing near the window on a sunny day, forget about sitting there – we guarantee that your cat got there first and he is not going to like having his slumber interrupted. Better leave the sleeping cat lie and find yourself some other place. Our next kitten has been photographed while resting on an artificial beach created in Katowice especially for the beach volleyball tournament. It is not a figurine, rather a mascot or a plushie. It has been sown from two separate pieces of fabric and is stuffed with dried seeds. We are not sure what types of seeds are inside the mascot but the cat is very soft and light. The creature was purchased in Universal Concern charity store in Hereford by Rita’s friend named Fran and then given to her as a goodbye gift when she was leaving the office in May 2012.

Universal Concern is fighting poverty and injustice in the developing countries. They are helping kids and adults to learn new skills and find employment. If you’d like to support them and change the world for the better (even just a little bit), please click on the link and see if they have any more cats like this for purchase. Thank you in advance!
http://www.concern-universal.org/home

Is this seat taken

Great view from the top of a palm tree

On the beach

Kat-a-log Feline no. 69
Three sides of a cat: Three colors (red, blue and yellow), All aboard! and I’m sailing
Country of origin: Malta, bought in 2012

Resting is good, but if your entire holidays consists only of lying on the beach and sunbathing, then it can be quite boring. Cats like variety so a bit of physical activity won’t kill you – especially if you are near a lake. Matt and Rita went for a swim in Chechlo Lake during their recent visit to Poland and they decided that taking few cats with them would be a splendid idea. This lovely, highly decorated kitten has been nick-named “Bell” and has been purchased by Malicia in Valletta during the Malta Fair Trade Fest in 2012. The photoshoot took place on a paddle boat in the middle of the lake and nearly ended with Rita falling overboard with her camera in hand. It was loads of fun! Don’t Worry kids, Rita is a good swimmer and would easily reach the shore on her own.

Malta FairTrade Fest unfortunately has no website at present.

Three colors (red, blue and yellow),

All aboard!

I’m sailing

Kat-a-log Feline no. 70
Three sides of a cat: Let’s have a drink, Life guard and Someday my ship will sail
Country of origin: Malta, bought in 2006

Kat-a-log feline number 70 is one of the funniest creatures in Olympia’s collection. Rita and Olympia bought this lovely, hand painted blue cat in Birkirkara, during their first trip to Malta in September 2006. The cat is very small, it is only 4,5 cm tall (or just a one inch and a half). Olympia spotted this kitten on a local artisan stand at Birkirkara’s biggest street market and before it was purchased, Rita and Olympia had a heated discussion if another cat is needed as a souvenir from the trip (they had already purchased two other cats by that time). In the end, it was decided that this figurine was just too cute to be ignored and 5 LM (Maltese Lira) have been spent quickly. Ah those memories, before Malta joined the Monetary Union and everything became really expensive 😛 Everybody is now glad that the cat is part of the art project and it is being referred to as “The Sleeping Beauty”.

Let’s have a drink

Life guard

Someday my ship will sail

Kat-a-log Feline no. 71
Three sides of a cat: Sunbathing, Driftwood, Resting at the shore
Country of origin: Poland, bought in 2001

One of the oldest cats in the collection! This strangely looking cat is made from wood and is painted in classic combination of black and white. His long whiskers are made out of synthetic material, they are very soft but springy! Malicia estimates that she got this lovely kitten in an art store in Katowice somewhere between 2001 and 2002. She went there to buy Rita her first professional watercolor set (aka aquarelle paints) by Karmański – a very prestigious Polish brand. The watercolors set was priced at 100 PLN (Polish zloty) and at that time, it was considered a huge amount of money! As Malicia was shopping for a Christmas present, the cat was given to her as a thank you gift for spending lots of money at the store. The cat figurine was made by the students of an art college in Bielsko-Biala that has a long history of collaboration with the Matejko art shop.

You can visit the official website for Karmanski brand here: http://www.kremerpolska.com/karmanski/index.html
Matejko art store website is: http://www.sklepmatejko.pl/
And the Art College website can be seen here: http://www.bielskiplastyk.pl/d/aktualnosci (sorry, in Polish only!)

Sunbathing

Driftwood

Resting at the shore

Kat-a-log Feline no. 72
Three sides of a cat: Safe and sound, Sweet dreams (are made of this) and Leave me alone!
Country of origin: Poland, bought as a gift in 2013

After the exhausting exercises, long walks, swimming, sunbathing and climbing up the trees, every cat needs a nap. The longer the better!
The last feline in the Holiday Special joined the merry gang of Kat-a-log cats just recently, in July 2013. It was made by a local artist in Bytom and Rita decided to buy it for Olympia to thank her for her hospitality. This figurine is quite heavy, we would say it weights about 2-3 kg! The cat is painted in bright yellow and decorated with black feather shaped Oriental ornaments, fake gems and tiny mirror mosaic tiles. The seller in art gallery described the cat as “Bollywood kitten” and we have to admit it does look a an item taken from a Bollywood movie!
If you put him in the sunshine, the yellow paints shines really brightly giving the cat a supernatural golden look!

Safe and sound

Sweet dreams (are made of this)

Leave me alone

Kat-a-log Feline no. 72 and a half
Three sides of a cat: Wanna play?, Near the water and Made of sand
Country of origin: Poland, Chechlo, July 2013

Project like Kat-a-log requires not only a lot of free time and silly ideas, but most of all, a great sense of humor. Running around with a heavy camera, taking pictures of cat figurines in strange places, people staring at you in amazement and wondering what the heck are you doing – that’s what we call a normal day at work! So, just to prove that we are indeed as crazy as our readers think – we have photographic proof of a cat we made while resting at the lake. We decided to name this cat “Irina”, dunno why, it just sounded good to us.
Irina has been made using mud, sand, sticks and stones.

Wanna play?

Near the water

Made of sand

We hope you enjoyed the long version of Kat-a-log.Please come back very soon, as we have several normal and specials edition already prepared.

Have funa and don’t forget to rest – you still have two full weeks to do that!

Meow and out xxxx

Rita, Malicia and Olympia Dabrowicz

July 29, 2013 by Mal and Rita

The cat collector or Kat-a-log part 17

Hello all the cats lovers!

Welcome to a very special edition of Kat-a-log. There are two reasons why this particular entry is super special to us. The first reason is that this is one of our planned Holiday Specials we wanted to do for a long period of time. Second reason is named Milena. Please scroll down to learn more about the humble beginnings of our project that go back in time to the early 1970’s!

Each week, the list of our editions is getting longer. You are currently reading the 17th issue of Kat-a-log and we are pleased to announce that during the recent visit to Poland, Rita and Olympia photographed at least 30 figurines from the collections. Now we have enough materials for the blog until the next year!. If you’d like to add something to the descriptions, you know the name of a model or a maker – please contact us straight away. Send your fan mail and kitty treats to: rdabrowicz@yahoo.com
Thanks in advance.

Please click on the links below to read the previous entries:

Kat-a-log Feline no. 63
Three sides of a cat: Miyabi, I think I’m turning Japanese (I really think so!) and Big in Japan
Country of origin: Poland, Krakow bought as a present in 2010

Life works in truly wonderful ways sometimes. This small kitten, made from hardened clay, has been purchased in Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology in Krakow in October 2010. Rita and Matt have been visiting the city for just one day, but they stopped at the museum’s famous tearoom for some herbal treatment and fortune cookies. Strangely enough, an art exhibition was organized in the museum on the day of their visit and the artist was selling cat figurines! Thinking about the photo-shoot for the cat, Rita wanted to find a place that has some sort of connection with Japan, especially if the cat has been made according to the rules of Japanese aesthetic. Perfect opportunity presented itself, when Rita came to Tarnowskie Gory in May 2013. Tarnowskie Gory is home to Polish – Japanese Cultural Circle, a NGO dedicated to popularizing Japanese tradition and culture in Poland. The society is led by Mr Miroslaw Blaszczak, former Polish cultural attaché in Japan. Rita and Mal know him for many years as they co-operated with him on numerous projects in the past. It was good to see him working on another event! Rita took several pictures of the cat sitting at the traditional matt, known as tatami, and near beautiful kimono.

Please look at the first picture below. It is entitled “Miyabi”. If you’d like to know more, find the entry on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyabi

Pictures from the event can be found at the official website that belongs to the museum in Tarnowskie Gory: https://www.facebook.com/tgbunka?ref=profile#!/media/set/set=a.179983185497499.1073741828.123722401123578&type=1

Miyabi

I think I’m turning Japanese (I really think so!)

Big in Japan

Kat-a-log Feline no. 64
Three sides of a cat: Birthday present?, Cat in a bag and Looking out for love
Country of origin: Leominster, UK, given as a present in 2010

This ginger “cat-in-a-bag” resin figurine was given to Olympia as a present in January 2010. It has been purchased in a small town of Leominster, at Brightwells Auction House at one of their popular sales shows known from Cash in the Attic or Antiques Roadshow TV series. Sadly the kitten has been damaged by previous owner but it is still a very much sought-after piece of The Leonardo Collection made by Lesser & Pavey. Its official name is “The Mischief maker” and the figurine has been produced in 2001 and now is considered vintage. The kitten comes with a real leather collar and a bell. All pictures you see below were taken in Poland, in May 2013 at the biggest city fountain in Bytom 🙂

You can visit Lesser & Pavey website at: http://www.leonardo.co.uk/about_lesser_and_pavey

Birthday present?

Cat in a bag

Looking out for love

Kat-a-log Feline no. 65
Three sides of a cat: Neighbourhood watch, Going green and Pretty as a flower
Country of origin: unknown, received as a gift in the 1970’s
Unofficial name: Milena

Wow! It’s a very special moment for everyone behind the Kat-a-log project has finally arrived. Ladies and gents, this is Milena – the first ever cat figurine in Olympia’s collection. Milena is a brown porcelain cat with lustrous glow, produced somewhere in 1960’s. It was a present given to Olympia when she was young adult in 1970’s and spent nearly a decade standing on a shelf among other porcelain figurines. Mal and Rita used to play with Milena when they were small and it’s a real miracle that the cat survived so long without the tiniest scratch! Milena played the parts of huge monsters and evil creatures in Dungeons and Dragons inspired board games, served as a wall in hamsters/guinea pigs obstacle courses and was employed as a valuable antique statue in Barbie’s dream home. When the Kat-a-log started in 1999, Milena stopped being regarded as a figurine that’s been gathering dust for ages. She became the most valued and finally appreciated piece of family’s history. Today, Milena is proudly displayed in a prime spot surrounded by the most expensive and rarest collectible figurines. Her market price might be very small, but her sentimental value cannot be counted. There is no money in this world that could buy her. Olympia has many cats but Milena is only one.

Neighbourhood watch

Going green

Pretty as a flower

Kat-a-log Feline no. 66
Three sides of a cat: Dressed for success, Very fashionable, Look me in the eyes
Country of origin: unknown, given as a Christmas gift in 2010 in Poland

Feline number 66 has a lot in common with two other kittens: Kat-a-log Feline no. 58 (from 15th edition) and
Kat-a-log Feline no. 60 (from the 16th edition). If you do not remember cat with magnetic tail named Goldie and a big heavy fella with large whiskers made of straw, please click on the previous entries to see them. Those three cats have been given to Olympia as presents by her husband and were bought in the same store. Feline number 66 has an elaborate outfit, two pairs of cute golden boots and eyes to die for. It was a Christmas gift and the cat was very expensive – it comes from a limited collection of designer felines. Unfortunately, a card the cat came with was lost and we no longer remember its name or the designer. Can you help us in any way? If you know who made the cat, drop us a line. We would be forever grateful!

Dressed for success

Very fashionable

Look me in the eyes

Oh well, time to say good bye again! Please return swiftly, as we have a beautiful beach issue coming shortly!
Do you know that you are able to make your own Kat-a-log kittens everywhere you go?
If you are sceptical, we will prove you wrong – that’s what we love to do after all!

Have a lovely sunny day and we shall see you in the next edition!
XXX
Rita, Malicia and Olympia Dabrowicz

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