I never knew much about cats, or particularly cared for them, until I found a tiny grey kitten one evening, maybe a day old, left at night, in the dead of winter, in a box with some ice cream next to it, inside a phone booth on the Upper West Side.

It was sooooo tiny, I thought it was a mouse. Its eyes were still closed and umbilical cord attached. I took the poor little thing home, and tried to feed it a corn syrup and water concoction, until I could get this kitten to a vet.

She turned out to be  a girl — I named her Harley.

I had to bottle feed her with a special orphaned cat formula, and, well, Miss Harley started my love affair with cats. Big cats and domestic cats — they all fascinate me, and I have had many come to live with me, since Harley came into my life.

Let’s look at the gallery.

The big-eared picture is that of a little, “big cat”: the Ocelot.

These are extremely endangered due to habitat destruction. They used to be hunted for their spectacular coat. This is an old Columbia Minerva kit. Remember:  You do not always have to spend a fortune to get a perfectly decent needlepoint project. This is partially stitched, and I really should finish it soon.

The beautiful canvas with the floral border is an Oriental cat by Alice Peterson. This particular canvas may be discontinued, but I believe the one without the border is still available.

I love GailVail’s animals and this White Tiger canvas is no exception. I am going to stitch this little guy to be a standing, weighted figurine.

This cat on the stunning Oriental carpet reminds me very much of Harley. Even though it was many, many years ago, I still have pictures of her sitting on a rug, in almost exactly the same position.   I hung all these pieces on the side of an armoire, and this particular image has a bit of the inlaid wood showing around the bottom border, but pay no attention to that.

Ruth Schmuff’s canvas is fabulous, which I call here the Cat with a Vase — I absolutely love the vivid combination of colors in this one!

Next we have a cheetah.  Look at his eyes staring at you… interestingly, all the objects surrounding him also begin with the letter C — cactus, caterpillar, and red hot chili peppers.

I may one day also give dogs their day, and put up some of my favorite canines in a doggie gallery!

© Erin McGrath and Needlepointland.com, 2012 – 2016.