On the afternoon of our arrival at the Cooper's Inn, Henry strolled into the garden and I was captivated! I learned that while he belonged to no one, he's cared for by everyone, and he lives life on his own terms. "Happy to pose...just don't touch", he signals. It came as no surprise when we noticed that he's a polydactyl (He has thumbs!) and therefore likely of ship's-cat lineage in this 1700's shipping town! He has stories to share, no doubt, and what a precious face!
@pyrrhula Every morning as Ken steps out, the neighbor's cat, Dinah, runs in and greets me as I go to the kitchen for coffee! There's a (true!) saying, "Everyone knows that no one owns a cat!" Henry, it seems, does not wish to live in anyone's home!
Love your portrait of Henry. He looks well fed and healthy despite his lack of a permanent home. We have had a grey cat with a white face visiting us lately too. Usually comes around in the morning. He'll take a morsel of chicken from my hand but then backs off right away to eat it.
His face looks like a very clear ink blot test. BTW, I grew up with a beagle named Henry, and now I have a grandson named Henry. It is a very fine name.
@allie912 Oh, Allison, I started hearing the words to "I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am..." in my head...and I haven't shaken it! (I dated a Henry-Hank-) It's a very good name!
@30pics4jackiesdiamond@wakelys Historically, in the US, Polydactyls became known also as "Hemmingway Cats" as they were prevalent in the Florida Keys and Cuba surrounds and were loved and written about. Because ships often kept a cat to keep rats at bay, they made their way up the Eastern shoreline and their progeny became known, also, as "ship's cats" (IF they had thumbs!) It makes their paws look extra large, and it's an adorable feature; we've had a few through the years we've had cats as pets. @ludwigsdiana@ljmanning@gardencat@pyrrhula@kchuk@joansmor@365projectorgchristine Thank you for stopping by. Henry is a part of my photo memories during that lovely stay in Shelburne!
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Just noted the rest of your comment...Dinah's home is in Lunenburg, and we were a couple hours south, visiting Shelburne, when this cat strolled in!
@Weezilou if you are every in Key West and visit Hemingway House you will find lots of cats roaming around the house and garden and many of them have those extra large paws.
@ludwigsdiana @ljmanning @gardencat @pyrrhula @kchuk @joansmor @365projectorgchristine Thank you for stopping by. Henry is a part of my photo memories during that lovely stay in Shelburne!
i've concocted this challenge and since i've been tagging all my friends here, thought i'd let you know, too, even though i know you are trés occupée at the moment. and to let you know i'm always thinking of you. https://365project.org/discuss/themes-competitions/47213/one-week-only-%E2%80%93-almost-post-pandemic-edition