Well, here I am again with another animal-themed blog posts. I Love Cats. Yes, I admit it, I am an ailurophile. I have had a deep affinity for cats from very early on. I had a succession of very soft stuffed kitties that I would carry around and pet until their stuffing fell out and I was left with a flat piece of fur until my next birthday or gift-giving event when I would get another one. I have had cats through most of my adult life - as a cruel twist of fate would have it, I was horribly and heartbreakingly allergic until late adolescence. My latest two, Molly and Lucy, I've had for about 3 months. Oy, what a traumatic beginning. I adopted them from a shelter. Lucy was 7 months old and orange (my weakness) with white chest and white front gloves and a French pedicure on her back toes. Molly, age 4, is a beautiful mostly white cat with random brown patches and some black on her face and most of her nose and a black tail. Blue eyes, too. I think she is part Snowshoe. Both kitties are wonderful, but Lucy had a much harder life than Molly and her psychological scars have resulted in a lot of jealousy and aggression towards poor Molly. I had to keep them separated for a long time and was beginning to lose hope when my vet suggested anti-anxiety medication for Lucy. Things have become infinitely better and although there are still skirmishes I know they will be OK for the long haul. Even though Lucy has taken to pooping on the floor.

Anyway, the {NewNew} has some wonderful gifts for cats and lovers thereof. I must start with EllisDesign's Catnip Mice with Organic Catnip because when I told her I was getting ready to adopt after a long mourning period for my previous kitties, she gave me one of these. Molly in particular loves it, and because she is so dainty, she licks it!

I love how MyZoetrope captures kitties. Here's one of my favorites. Check out her charming 2011 calendars!

While perusing the {NewNew} team's etsy items, I found this gorgeous painting by the ridiculously talented aStudiobytheSea:

I have always been a huge fan of Studio's lampworked cupcake charms, so even though they don't have anything to do with cats, I cannot resist showing you one.

OK, back to felines. Look closely and you'll see something that Matisse must have missed, but of course makes perfect sense in DeborahJulian's note card.

It is never too soon to become a cat-person-in-training, as evidenced by this adorable baby bodysuit by muppetloon.

I love the colors in AlexandraFerguson's naughty cat pillow. Bonus: it goes with almost any color of cat hair!

If you are curious what the {NewNew} artists and crafters might have in any category, just type newnewteam and whatever color, theme, item, etc. you're looking for into the search box.

Until next time,

LuCrafts, whose dad wrote Orange Oliver , The kitten who wore glasses (it got a 5 star review on Amazon!!)