Vintage Cats

It's cat day here on the blog.  There's something here for all the feline lovers out there!

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Click on image to download

Click on image to download

Enjoy! 

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Vintage Cats

A 2007 study revealed that all house cats are descended from just five female African Wildcats in the Middle East from 8000 B.C.!  Cats are now the most popular pet in the world.

Anyone who has ever had a cat can certainly relate to this image!

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Click on image to download

Enjoy! 

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Vintage Flowers and Kitties

Goodbye March, hello April

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Click on image to download

Enjoy! 

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Victorian Girl with Kitty and Celtic Frame

How sweet is this image?  What a beautiful little girl!

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Click on image to download

Enjoy!

 

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Vintage Puss and Boots

Puss and Boots was a French fairy tale published in 1697 and written by Charles Perrault.  It is the tale of a cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain wealth and power and the hand of a princess for his penniless master.  The fairy tale was an instant success and remains a popular tale today.

Puss and Boots first appeared in Perrault's collection called Histoires ou contes de temps passe which included a tale about an old woman telling stories to children and is believed to be the origin of Mother Goose.  

I had no idea!

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And here is another kitty for you 

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Enjoy!

Vintage Dr. Thomas' Eclectric Oil - The Original Ben Gay?

Sometime during the 1840's Dr. Thomas' Eclectric Oil emerged onto the scene as a liniment and a cure for whatever ailed you - everything from a toothache to a bunyon.  It contained:

Spirits of Turpentine
Camphor
Oil of Tar
Red Thyme
Fish Oil

  Often these "medicines" were sold at carnivals and fairs, but we now know them as "snake oils".

  Ben Gay is a product we have all heard of and is very likely sitting in your medicine cabinet right now - compare some of the ingredients of Ben Gay to the ingredients of Dr. Thomas's Eclectric Oil:

menthol 

camphor 

carbomer

  isopropyl alcohol
castor oil

sodium hydroxide 

Very interesting, don't you think?  Well, whatever works I guess!

Actually, Ben Gay was developed in France and brought to America in 1898.

Not sure if Dr. Thomas's Eclectric Oil worked or not but I sure love these trade cards with the kitties for his product!

Click on image to download

Click on image to download 

Enjoy!

Free Vintage Clip Art - Vintage Cat Advertising Illustration

Cats were domesticated about 9,500 years ago and are now the most popular pet in the world.  Uncontrolled breeding and abandonment of cats has led to an astonishing 60 million feral cats in the United States.

Cats have excellent night vision and hearing and can hear higher pitched sounds than humans or dogs and is among the best of any mammal.  Cats have very few taste buds and cannot taste sweet tastes.  The average cat sleeps 13 to 14 hours a day.

Cats, especially kittens, love to play and their play mimics hunting.  They love to play with objects that resemble prey and they often tend to play more when they are hungry.

I absolutely love this cat illustration!  I have no idea what type of product it was used as an advertisement for but it sure is wonderful!

Click on image to download

Enjoy!

Free Vintage Clip Art - Please Help Rescue the Pets of Japan

PLEASE HELP RESCUE THE TSUNAMI PETS

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Just before 10 pm on March 10th my son came running out of his room and told me to turn on CNN and my television has been tuned to CNN almost constantly since.  The enormity of the earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear disaster in Japan is difficult to wrap my brain around. 

But last night Anderson Cooper brought us a very short story about the tsunami dogs that particularly grabbed my attention and in just one day the story has gone viral and has touched many others as well.

For those of you who are not familiar with the story:

A reporter covering the earthquake and tsunami was in a village that had virtually been leveled and came across two poor and bewildered dogs living amongst the rubble that had once been their home.  One dog was injured and laying down.  The reporter attempted to get the uninjured dog into his vehicle but he would not leave his injured friend.  And during the filming the injured dog tried to get up and his friend leaned over him, put his paw on him and licked his head.  The reporter was so touched by these dogs he did a piece on it. 

Today, CNN did a longer piece on this touching story and the video has now gone viral.  You can find the video here.

This sweet, sweet story got me to thinking:  What about all of the pets who managed to survive the disaster?  As a pet owner and lover I know that if my life was suddenly taken in a natural disaster and my pets managed to survive I would hope that someone would rescue and care for them.  So I found the site mentioned in the CNN piece, they are called the Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support.

It is a coalition of three existing animal rescue organizations that have been operating in Japan for years. They also have a Facebook page that they update constantly with every discovery and rescue they make.

I have put a box on this blog to make it easy for you to donate, if you are so inclined.  It is on the top left side of this blog.  It will remain there until at least April 11th.  The box is updated regularly so you can see how many people have donated and how much money has been donated.  The donation button will take you to the secure PayPal site where you will actually make the donation.

I am not associated in any way with this organization nor will I benefit in any way from donations made, but I do know they are making a difference and doing wonderful work in helping our animal friends in need in Japan under the worst conditions imaginable.  This is only about the pets who have lost their families and are now scared, alone, cold and hungry and cannot take care of themselves.  I made a donation tonight myself.

To all of my readers in Japan:  

My thoughts and prayers are with you, hang in there.

If you make a donation please let me know so I can give you a shout out!

Free Vintage Clip Art - Vintage Label with Cat

Vintage Label  - White Cat

I have no idea what this label is for but I love it!  So I wanted to share it with you

Click on image to download

Enjoy!

Free Vintage Clip Art - Vintage Cats

Happy Thursday All!

I apologize that there was no post yesterday, but my mother in law passed away yesterday.  She loved cats, so in honor of Rose, I give you these sweet, vintage kitties.

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And this charming feline pair...

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Rest in peace Rose.

Free Vintage Clip Art - Leo the Lion

July's Leo the Lion

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This guy sure looks proud.  Some interesting lion facts:

A group of lions is called a pride

Lions are quite social, compared to other cats

Male lions can weigh more than 550 pounds

In the wild, lions live for about 10 to 14 years

The population of African lions has declined 30 to 50 percent over the past 20 years

The oldest known lion-like fossils are estimated to be 3.5 million years old

The lion is probably the most featured animal on national flags and crests.  Below is a typical image of a lion that would be used in a crest.

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So happy birthday all you Leo's.

Enjoy!

Free Vintage Clip Art - Vintage Perfume Labels & Trade Cards

I think this vintage perfume label is simply gorgeous!

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I just love the colors used in this label and the picture melts my heart.  I also love the fonts and scrolls used.  This image is one of my all time favorites.

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This label is from the same German Perfume company, Hoyt's German Cologne.   I am so thankful these images have survived so that I could pass them on to you!

I hope you enjoy these vintage perfume labels.  Make something wonderful with them and send me photos!

Enjoy!

Free Vintage Clip Art - Today is Sweet Victorian Kitty Day

Who doesn't love a sweet little kitten?

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Cats and kittens were a popular theme in the Victorian era.  There are so many images, both in color and black and white, of cats and kittens from that period.  

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Click on image to download

Click on image to download

Click on image to download

Click on image to download

Add these lovely images to your scrapbook pages, cards or make stickers out of them.

Enjoy!