wishlist wednesday

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five years with Arrietty!

This little gal has been a member of the family for five years today!

I was sitting here trying to put into words how much she means to me, trying to describe to you why she's such a special kitty, when I heard her meowing in the hallway, her meows getting closer and closer to my door. She walked in, still meowing, with a little rubber ball in her mouth, and then she dropped it at my feet. It's one of many Arrietty quirks that make living with her so much fun!

She's just such a little sweetheart. She loves snuggling with me and sleeps cuddled up next to me every night. I even have a bench instead of a chair at my desk because she was so distraught that she couldn't sit right next to me while I work! She waits for me outside the bathroom door and likes to hop on my lap to keep me company when I eat lunch. She's always by my side whenever I'm home, and so deliriously happy to see me when I get back from outings (even if I've only been out for a few hours!) She likes to lick my hands and my nose, so much so that my family calls me "Arrietty's lollipop" lol! She's just so affectionate and sweet and the most un-aloof cat I've ever known in my life.

She likes to sit on my arm when I'm at my computer so I'll stop working and pay attention to her instead. She loves laying on her back in the sunshine by the back door, watching squirrels and soaking up the sun. I love how often she lays on her back, because it shows how much she trusts us. And she does it ALL the time! If she's sitting at my feet and I bend my knee, she stands up and stretches on my knee like a little trained puppy. It's adorable!

I just feel so lucky to have her, and I'm so happy that I decided to adopt her during a particularly sad moment in my life. It was 100% one of the best decisions I've ever made. She makes every single day sunnier, funnier, happier, sweeter. She makes me smile even when I'm terribly blue or sick or stressed, and her little kitty hugs are the best part of every day!

You can read my post from when I first adopted her right here. And her first cameo in an outfit post is right here. :)

saturday night movie: breakfast at tiffany's

Alternate title: How normal people watch Breakfast at Tiffany's vs. How crazy cat ladies watch Breakfast at Tiffany's. (Also please be aware this post contains spoilers!)

Breakfast at Tiffany's was on tv last week, and so I watched it for the bazillionth time, as usual. However, during this particular viewing I realized something that I hadn't before. I could care less if Audrey and George Peppard end up together at the end. To me, the film reaches its emotional climax not because George and Audrey embrace, but because they have Cat between them.

From the moment that the cab scene starts, my stomach is filled with wasps. I know that any moment she'll be tossing Cat out into the rain. When Cat grabs onto the car, trying desperately and hopelessly to stay in the warm dry cab, the tears start to flow. I don't think I've ever really paid attention to any dialogue that occurs after Cat is thrown out, because I'm screaming at my tv "STOP THE CAR! YOU NEED TO SAVE CAT!" If I could, I'd jump into my tv and look for him myself.

If I have one of my cats nearby whilst watching, they are at this point being hugged tightly while I anxiously await the moment when Cat is found.

Normal people are relieved when Audrey shows up in the alley calling for her cat -- but not for the same reasons I am. They believe she's seen the error of her ways; she's going to let George love her; a happy ending is on the horizon for our newly minted couple. But for me, and crazy cat ladies across the globe, it's ALL ABOUT THE CAT.

Honestly, this is the whole movie. Holly's husband, brother, fiance? All totally inconsequential to Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's about the cat. Sally Tomato, the 5 and dime robbery, Patricia Neal? They mean squat. It's all about the cat. It's all just leading up to that one super-charged emotional moment when Audrey scoops Cat up in her arms and gives her a "I should never have tossed you out of the cab, you wonderful feline" gigantic smooshy hug.

And THAT makes it a happy ending. George could have slipped and fell in the rain, got hit by a cab and ended up in the ER right before the credits rolled. As long as Cat is out of the rain, and reunited with Audrey Hepburn, I'm a happy camper.





This post was originally published on my movie blog, Silents & Talkies.

my daily fancy

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Fancy Feast asking if I'd be interested in doing a cat-themed outfit post to help promote their new blog, Daily Fancies. Um, HECK YES.

I love that I actually had to narrow down which cat dress, which cat shoes and which cat cardigan to wear for this post. I'm not only a crazy cat lady, I'm a crazy cat clothing lady, too! This actually reminds me that I've wanted to do a post featuring my collection of cat clothes & accessories for ages now, and it's high time I finally did it. It's probably my favorite thing to collect (fashion-wise) and I'm surprisingly picky about which pieces I buy. The ones in this outfit definitely top my favorites.



So, what is a daily fancy? Anything that you look forward to each day (especially cat-related!) Mine would probably be the hour or so right before I fall asleep & when I wake up. As soon as I'm tucked in bed, both cats hop up and get cozy with me while I read and watch tv. They leave and play and eat at night but they're always fast asleep beside me when I wake up again in the morning.

Hubble is the definition of a finicky cat. He likes dry cat food and basically nothing else, not even treats! I think his daily fancy would be sitting on my lap while I work at night and cuddling with me right before bed. He's such an affectionate kitty! Arrietty is the little food connoisseur of the family. This girl loves to eat. If I put a can of food in front of her she eats the entire thing in one sitting so I need to ration how much she gets or else she'll turn into a GIANT food connoisseur, ha! Her favorite seems to be the Fancy Feast gravy lovers chicken & gravy. Chloe likes that one, too (she's a gravy lover if ever there was one!)

Writing about my kitties' favorite things, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how much my little Hypatia absolutely LOVED Friskies turkey and cheese. She didn't eat very much because of her gingivitis but oh, how she would meow for turkey and cheese! I smile every time I see it at the grocery store now :)




^Look at those little paws. I DIE! You can read about other cat lovers' daily fancies (and submit your own!) on the Fancy Feast blog, Daily Fancies.

dress - romwe | sweater - dorothy perkins | shoes - ebay | bag - amazon

belt - f21 | cat lady necklace - c/o i love crafty | I love cats pin - modcloth

instagram

It's been a little too long since I did an instagram update so I thought I'd pick some of my favorites from the past two months. In case you're wondering "wait, I thought I was following her but I've never seen these photos in my feed?!" you're not crazy -- I had to delete my account in December and start a new one. I'm still @kategabrielle but you'd have to re-follow. It's a long story, but if you're interested I wrote about it here.

1. such lazy kitty cats // 2. arrietty being generally adorable
3. new dwight earrings in the shop // 4. instagram magnets from sticky9
5. a little corner in my new room // 6. lovely dress from quince vintage
7. arrietty helping with laundry // 8. missing TCMFF so badly!!
9. intense cat stares // 10. tagged (ten things about yours truly)
11. making fox mulder earrings // 12. selfies with mr. hubble
13. cat cuddles are the best // 14. meeting diana in california!!
15. first time at disneyland // 16. meeting danielle in california!!
17. instagram marshmallows from boomf // 18. happiness is frank
19. sweetest package from danielle // 20. me and my best friends
21. awesome wig I saw in hollywood // 22. miss arrietty ♥

bedtime

My favorite part of the day is right before I go to sleep. I get in bed and read for a little while. As soon as I crack open a book, Hubble jumps up on the bed and collapses right next to me, his arms usually wrapped over mine as if he's reading along with me. After I've read for a while I turn on the tv and Arrietty usually makes her appearance around the same time, cuddling up either right next to Hubble or down near my feet. And then I watch 30 Rock or The Office for 1-2 episodes and drift off to sleep with two adorable cats dozing beside me. It's such a relaxing, happy way to end the day.

one year with miss arrietty!

Today is one year since I brought home this little bundle of cuteness. I've said this a million times -- adopting right after you lose a cat definitely isn't for everyone, but it was the right choice for me. Adopting her was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my whole life. I'm so happy that she's a part of my life now.

I can't get over how affectionate she is! She absolutely loves cuddling and licking. We do this thing where I hover my hand over her head and she stands on her hind legs, grabs my arm and starts licking my hand while standing up. It's SO cute I can't handle it. She and Hubble get along fantastically! They play (a lot!), snuggle together and bathe each other. Arrietty is considerably smaller than Hubble so it's always a riot when she pounces on him to initiate play.

She's a goofy, talkative, cuddly, fluffy, beautiful kitty and I'm just so glad I found her.