Here Kitty, Kitty

I have decided this upcoming week will be dedicated to nothing but animals. I can tell you, I simply love cats and love them even more with the willow pattern! I have 3 cats of my own. Thankfully only one of them can meow. Tigger is a big orange cat that we have had since my son was about 3, making him 16 or so. He came from a litter of cats my mom’s cat had and then our grey cat was a purchase from the humane society and this cat is truly my husband’s cat. Brutus, well he just showed up one day, starving and unable to meow. I don’t have a good picture of Brutus, but he is well loved these days and brings me presents on the porch quite often!

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Ok, now back to the willow cats. I simply love anything animal related with the willow pattern. I am still on the hunt for dogs, so if anyone has any they want to part with, I am the collector you have been searching for!

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I love these gorgeous cats and they are some of my most favorite willow pieces. They are made by William or James Kent in England. The mark resembles more of William Kent, however, it would have a W in one side of the knot, so I just am not sure. I will show the mark below.

None the less, I found these gems on Ebay and I have to say, I was sweating bullets down to the last 13 seconds when those bidding software to bid items up! I was so thankful to get these for $96. Someone liked cats, I liked willow! Am I the only one that feels a rush when an auction you have been searching for for years is about to come to a close and you are the high bidder and you feel the need to bid again just to be sure? Notice no birds on the pattern!

Now on to the more common blue willow japan Cat planter and bank! I love these cats too, but they can be found fairly often on ebay. I purchased the bank here at a local antique mall several years ago. I placed it on layaway because at the time, I just wasn’t where I am today financially and I didn’t want it to get away! To me, it was worth the wait to ensure I had both pieces.

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These cuties are really closer to the shape of my cats! They rarely miss a meal and meal time is about 6 times a day! I love these little guys. I have to say if I had only learned how to save quarters in that cat bank, I would have more money to buy willow with!!! I seriously don’t know how anyone could ever put dirt and a plant in that cat planter. I fear getting them broke.

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Notice these cats have the birds in the pattern. These are marked with a black Japan mark on the bottom. Both are in fairly good condition other than the cover for the bottom of the bank has become brittle. I have kept it anyhow.

I guess this week, I really want to showcase willow on animals. I am truly an animal lover. I guess along with an animal comes an unconditional love if you show them love. We have 3 dogs and 3 cats in our home. It isn’t easy caring for all of them. My husband is a pilot and is gone every other week and I work 2 + hours away from home, and the commute makes it difficult, but we make it work.

If you have willow animal items, I would love to see them, feel free to email me on the contacts section of this page and share your finds. I would be very interested in seeing what else is out there. Oh and one last thing….I think the cats pictured from Kent really show you have they took sections of the pattern and made them fit the object they were decorating.

If you look at the back side of this copper printing plate, you see there are just random decorations or sections of pattern. I truly believe this was the sole purpose. It was to decorate those harder shaped items and to form the pattern around each item. Plates, bowls and platters were probably fairly easy, but shaped pottery would have been much more difficult.

Well, that is all for today. Love your pets, feed your cats and we will chat again soon!