"We will never be at peace with the nations next to us until we are at peace with the person who sleeps next to us."

"Likewise, we will never be at peace with the person who sleeps next to us until we can be at peace with the person we are."

I share my living and work space with a beautiful calico cat known only as 'The Studio Cat' because she spends most of her time in my art studio... often sleeping on the window sill near my easel or on my drawing table. She came to me from a small apartment in the city of Boston that containined over 20 other cats!

After my Maine Coon died, my vet recommended that I check out the calico cat because he had seen during a visit there that she was not socializing with the other cats in the tiny apartment. She was hiding on the bathroom window sill when I was introduced to her by her owner - a bit of a cat hoarder, according to my vet. Initially she was reluctant to let me take the cat, but finally gave her to me.

Calico cats are not a breed; they are a very specific color characteristic. They are tri-colored with colors in distinct patches, not mixed as in a tortoiseshell... and nearly all calico cats are female like 'The Studio Cat.' Although rare, there are male calico cats, however, they are usually sterile and do not reproduce.

Today 'The Studio Cat' seems very content to be living a more solitude life in the suburbs; she stays indoors and spends her days in the art studio and nights at the corners of my bed. She loves to stand up on two legs, especially before being feed. Like some other calicos, she is not much of a cuddler but she is very sociable - especially with artists.

I created a website, The Studio Calico Cat, for my grandchildren; it consists of pages on the cat in Art & History, Literature & Poems, Sound & Music, and Films & Video.

I'm an visual artist, web site designer, and retired art educator. I've lived with cats since the age of 6 when I got a very large black male, who I naturally named "Blackie." Not afraid of dogs, Blackie was seen one summer evening on the road in front of our house 'riding' on the back of an annoying boxer. After this painful and humiliating experience the boxer never came near our home again. I don't remember ever paying for a cat; most were either gifts from the breeder or an adult needing a home. Most were male and all were either spayed or neutered.

G.A. Scattergood-Moore