Tabs

All of the cats I’ve assisted, no matter what their original origin, were, or are, part Irish. We do St. Patrick’s Day big in this house.

It’s all because of El Hub. He’s part Irish, so the cats are Irish. If we had a fish or a parrot or a dog, they would be part Irish too.

Tabs fully embraced this part of his identity. You know he loved any holiday involving merriment, rainbows, gold and copious amounts of corned beef and cabbage. Plus, he loved how he looked in green, so that may have been part of it. Each and every one of his St. Patrick’s Day outfits matched his eyes.

I think for a while there he even meowed with an Irish accent.

Rosie

When we took Rosie out this morning, I told her we were looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so of course she took out her Periodic Table and looked up the atomic mass of gold.

I told her we were also looking for four-leaf clovers, and then she went into the statistical probabilities of us finding one…

Odds were not good.

I do love how the green in this collar plays off the orange in her fur. I think the combo is particularly fetching.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

That little lion sure could work the camera angles, couldn’t he? Tabs was always a consummate kitty modeling professional, even when you thought he was just chilling. He could simultaneously look completely relaxed while striking the most epic kitty modeling poses. It was something to behold.

He did some of his best work in spring too. When the flowers started blooming, his colorful collars came out, which made his photographer’s job easy.

Rosie

Rosie may not have Tabs’ modeling aspirations, but she still loves a good photoshoot.

As far as kitty modeling goes, it’s more of a hobby for her…a way to unwind after a tough day in the lab.

I gotta say, she’s still getting good though. She’s sure working those lynx ear tips somethin’ fierce! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Rosie is a multifaceted cat. Yes, she has a knack for numbers and science and logic, but she also loves getting lost in a good story. I found out that she really enjoys being read to, especially storybooks. We’ve gone through half of Connor’s library, and Rosie just can’t seem to get enough. Her favorites, surprisingly, are the picture books with a soft, dreamy feel to them. I think she likes exploring other worlds through fiction and stories.

She’s also a dreamer, which I didn’t expect based on our initial conversations about dark matter and astrophysics. I used to wonder if she ever led with her heart, and I think she just might. I catch her sometimes thoughtfully staring out into the distance watching butterflies and looking as though she’s crafting an elaborate storybook world in her head.

Well, duty calls. Rosie just asked if I’d read her another book (Hans Christian Andersen’s Complete Fairy Tales). A cat lady’s work is never done. 🙂

Of course storytelling always came naturally to Tabs. He was a true showman (cat?), after all. One of the things that made him such a great kitty model was his ability to convey a story with just his body, or with his eyes. He could convey the emotional depth in a 300-page novel with a single flick of his whiskers!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

This week Rosie learned that space and fashionable style are not mutually exclusive.

She was very excited about the Perseverance landing on Mars last week and wanted to celebrate with a special collar commemorating the event.

You know Rosie; she’s normally all about numbers, and she’s a no-nonsense, no-frills kind of girl, so I was shocked when she chose this sparkly space rock-inspired pendant for our stroll around the neighborhood this morning. She and Connor pretended they were exploring the Martian surface. Of course, Rosie insisted on taking point. She was Mission Commander, after all.

They collected several Martian rock specimens for study, hoping to find signs of underground gravy. It was one small step for Rosie, one giant leap for kitty kind.

I would like to call special attention to the following photo. I know that Rosie doesn’t aspire to be a kitty model, but if anything were to indicate that she could work it like the best of ’em, like the legend — you know who — this pic would do it.

Look at those lashes! And that nonchalant intensity!

I swear I’m not trying to push her into any particular direction, but if somebody called to ask if she wanted to star in an upscale luxury campaign, I would have to sit down and have a serious talk with her about potential and it not being wasted.

Colonel Tabs, Astrocat/Supermodel

It’s a well-known fact that Tabs washed out early from the astronaut training program. I mean he was gorgeous, and he got high scores for his ability to connect with people on camera, but when it came to the actual science…let’s just say that numbers weren’t his strong suit.

He did star in quite a few space-related kitty modeling campaigns though…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

OMG, it’s halftime in the Super Bowl! I bet Tabs is watching from his palace on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge because that cat loved football. As you know, he played tight end for the world champion Mill Valley Wildcats before becoming a kitty supermodel.

He loved it too. Played for a couple years until that career-ending tail injury…

Rosie also likes football, but for different reasons. She loves it for the data analysis. She likes to track different statistics, like which players have the most cats.

Rosie

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As a kitty supermodel, purrfessional athlete, philanthropist and fashion icon, Tabs flourished in the fierce ferocity of fabulousness. He dominated in almost every endeavor, save one — the sciences. Academia was not his forte.

However, looking fabulous was.

Boom.

He also acted on the side, earning the first of many Cat Academy Awards for his riveting purrformance in “The Tabby of Wall Street.”

Of course, it was modeling that really put him on the map.

And then once he achieved superstardom, he strove to share his knowledge with up-and-coming humans and cats.

Dr. Rosie has been an employee of Tabs the Cat Industries LLC for slightly more than a year now, and while she may not be as passionate about kitty modeling as Tabs was, she certainly has her own sense of style.

Dr. Rosie, PhD

As the company’s Sr. Quantum Physicist, she spends her days working in the lab. Her attire isn’t typically flamboyant, but here she is wearing her new security clearance badge. This is what gets her into the top secret gravy research level in the company headquarters.

She never goes anywhere without her security badge. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

If there’s one thing Tabs loved, it was a bold rainbow statement piece. ? I mean, he loved real rainbows too. We chased many together in our years living together here in Novato. I’ve seen more rainbows in this town than any other place I’ve lived.

They take on a different meaning now that he’s gone… Whenever I see a rainbow, of course I think of him and his penchant for rainbow accessories and rainbow makeup. He was not afraid to rock a colorful eye.

Rainbow Rosie

There was a rainbow yesterday in the eastern sky, and when I told Rosie this, she shocked me by asking me to please craft a custom collar for her. I didn’t want to show too much excitement, so I tried to play it cool… I kept it understated, which I think is her style. As much as I wanted to encrust it with colorful rhinestones, I refrained and kept it simple and sleek. ?

I hesitate to call her a bonafide kitty model because I know she’s not into labels, but I have to say, these are some of her best pictures yet.

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