Why Paint Cats?

[Schmatta]

Ohmigosh! When I saw this book, I thought it meant "Why paint a picture of a cat," but it doesn't. Inside, you'll find a coupla dozen big pix of cats painted to look like fish, an elephant, ugly women, clowns -- also some beautifully painted cats. Also profiles/quotes/pix of the artists. Using organic peroxide and vegetable dyes, these artists can command $10K or so for painting some rich person's kitty. And it lasts only a coupla months, so they have to come back and touch it up for another buncha $$. Some horrifying, some captivating. I think it's Ten-Speed Press, but I don't have it handy right now. Crafty? Well, in a weird way? Mind-thrashing? Yep! I've been carrying it around, esp. for art directors I work with and children I encounter. Check it out.

[Craft Forums]

[titancia]

Oh...my gosh. That's...weird. It's like dressing up your animal, only permanently. I wonder what the cat thinks?

[pudding]

Why on earth would people want to do this?

[twilight]

I saw this book and was just perplexed. My kitty's too pretty to paint over and I just assumed others felt the same about their cats. Wouldn't the cat be highly annoyed? And do the veggie dyes smell?

Smart thinking on the artist's part though.

[mindshare]

check it out:

http://www.whypaintcats.com/

especially freak-ay is the one where a red bra is painted on, and the one with a clown's face right above kitty's bum!

[beanie]

interesting, but i have to admit it kinda freaks me out a little...!

[Katrin]

I love this book. I don't own it, but I've looked through it in various places. I think the pictures are Photoshopped - but I couldn't swear to it. Some of 'em are pretty darn realistic.

[stella]

it seems like it would be a joke. there's a book called "Why Cats Paint" that is very tongue-in-cheek.

[titancia]

I wouldn't do that to my cat, but the gold fish one is just gorgeous!

[twilight]

Anyone else notice this on the page?

"Please be advised that only professional Cat Painters should be left to this artistic expression, as this difficult task, if administered incorrectly, could cause damage."

Yikes! I think the warning should be on the top of the page-Don't try this at home!

If the cats let themselves be painted I guess that's ok but what bothers me is the cats seemed to be deminished as pets and turned into a material object of art. I'd say dehumanized or may defelined or...you get my meaning. Or maybe that's just my judgement and the owners don't think that at all. *shrug*