Bandit, pastel, 18” x 14”, 2004 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

“Bandit’s dad arrived home early from vacation and decided to visit the gym. Exiting the building after his workout he saw in the parking lot two women trying to coax a small black and white cat, four to six months old, from under the front of a car with offerings of tuna. The famished kitten finished his second plate but went back up into the wheel well where he was seeking sanctuary. When they left, Bandit’s dad went around to the side of the car. Bandit came down from the engine compartment, covered in grease and oil, looked his future human companion in the eye and let the man pick him up, trembling in his hands. “He needed a friend and I gained one of my best.”

I began unintentionally collecting these stories at the very beginning of my career as an animal portrait artist, simply because the pets people chose to commission me for a portrait were often the ones with the most dramatic stories who they had worked so hard to catch and rehabilitate, creating a close bond. Through the years when I’ve shown my portraits or people have browsed through my portfolio, I’ve repeated these stories over and over and wanted some way to more broadly share the stories with others who would be just as moved as me.

Artwork and story, equally important

When I considered the idea for Great Rescues, a book featuring the portraits of the many rescued felines I’ve painted, rather than a picture book I decided on a calendar, a useful item where viewers could enjoy one portrait each month. But that left out the stories told to me by those who had rescued those cats and commissioned the portraits. I designed the entire idea of artwork and story together, equally important on one page, in a perpetual calendar day book/gift book. It’s the stories, and background information in other sections, that make the idea complete.

I chose the selection of portraits and designed each page to stand out individually as you look through the calendar. In addition, each of the stories tells of cats from shelters and cats abandoned and saved, cats found inside car engines and cats reluctantly surrendered by people who could no longer care for them, but each one has a happy ending as a cherished companion in a loving home.

The February spread of pages featuring Bandit.

Each page individually so you can open and read them at a larger size.

Documenting my artwork and the stories

I’d been a graphic designer for nearly 30 years and relished the idea of working on a project “for myself”. I had carried this idea for over ten years and the design was strong in my mind. The stories practically wrote themselves with each new commission, and I have photographed every piece of artwork I’ve done when I completed it, so I thought I had everything in hand. I pulled out old paperwork and looked up people I hadn’t spoken to in a decade or more, each one of whom unhesitatingly said “yes” when I called to ask if I could include their portrait in this idea and quickly confirmed their rescue stories.

When I looked at my first proofs, however, I was disappointed to see that some of my older photos just weren’t up to printing standards and Bandit’s portrait was among them. I called back about half of the rescue families to ask if I could visit them to rephotograph their portrait. Each of them made time in their schedules and we had wonderful reunions reminiscing about the creation of their portrait, the cats they and I had lived with when we worked together, and I was overjoyed to meet their new feline, and sometimes canine, families because most of them were still actively rescuing.

Bandit’s portrait was a gift from Bandit’s mom to his dad after Bandit had passed, but it was a joy to meet his people again and meet their two shelter kitties, Atticus and Boo.

Atticus and Boo

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Great Rescues Day Book Fun Stuff

How’s this for fun?

TEN INTERESTING FACTS and there are so many more…

1. Your cat’s nose print is as unique as one of your fingerprints.
2. A cat can jump 5 to 7 times the height of its tail.
3. A group of cats is called a “clowder”, a group of kittens is called a “kindle” (but can we read on them?).
4. A cat’s eyes are always blue at birth and may not change to their final color for months.
5. An adult cat has four rows of whiskers on each side and 30 teeth.
6. Cats cannot taste sweets because of an incomplete gene.
7. People who would read this calendar are probably ailurophiles, or lovers of cats, but those who are afraid of cats are called ailurophobes and likely will not.
8. Cats can sprint at about 30 miles per hour, but aren’t meant for long-distance running.
9. Cats are capable of vocalizing about 100 different sounds, dogs about 10.
10. Coat patterns in big and small cats seem to be derived from an evolutionary response to habitat.

The “Resources” section in Great Rescues Day Book

These “Ten Interesting Facts” are included in the “Resources” section of Great Rescues Day Book.

Not just a calendar with cat artwork and stories, when I first redesigned Great Rescues I included the “Resources” section in the back with an eye to the next decade, not just the next year, useful over time to those who loved and lived with cats. That section includes information about cats, cat health, behavior and care, which I’d been writing about for at least 20 years, along with caring for my evolving family of felines and fosters with the guidance of amazing veterinarians who taught me so much.

That section is 12 pages long and most of the information is timeless. And some of it is fun, though most of it is serious and informative.

RESOURCES

Below is a table of contents for what’s in the “Resources” section

Basic Feline Wellness

Here’s a sample of what’s included in “Basic Feline Wellness”:

Really Basic Things Your Cat Needs

• • Quality cat food with a high level of meat-based protein and fat, as few carbohydrates as possible; cats are “obligate carnivores” meaning they have to eat meat to obtain the nutrients their bodies need to grow and sustain.
  • Feed your cat away from any high-traffic areas and in a separate room from the litterbox.
  • Fresh, clean, cool water should be available at all times, possibly even in several places; changing once a day is best. Wash food and water bowls daily.
  • Find a litter and a litterbox you and your cat can agree on. Place it away from a high-traffic area; use one litterbox per cat, plus one box. Scoop daily, wash and change litter weekly and wipe with a 1:10 bleach/water solution to kill any diseases or parasites that may be present, rinse and dry before refilling.
  • Follow recommendations for veterinary care by getting your cat a wellness exam at least once a year, more often as kitten or as senior cat.
  • Get to know your cat’s eating, sleeping and activity habits—cats hide illness very well and often a change in habits is the only way you know something is wrong.
  • Play with your cat and take some time for affection every day. Often this is the best defense against behavior problems, besides, it’s fun.
  • Keep your cat free of fleas and other parasites to maintain your cat’s health and your own.
  • Spay or neuter your cat as soon as possible, 4 pounds or 4 months is a good rule to follow.

The “Basic Feline Wellness” section also has information on:

Kittens

Seniors

Here is the remainder of the table of contents:

Health Concerns

• • When to take your cat to the veterinarian
  • When to run with your cat to the emergency clinic including both physical symptoms and behavioral symptoms

When you cat needs to go to an emergency hospital.

Household Toxins and Poisonous Plants

• • Toxic substances around the house
  • Cleaning products
  • Essential oils, potpourri and such
  • Poisonous plants
  • More information on plants with links

Life Stages of Cats and Human Equivalents

Spay and Neuter

• • Pediatric spay and neuter
  • Feline breast cancer
  • My cat is already expecting
  • Where to find information on low-cost spay and neuter

Strays and Ferals, TNR

Pet Loss

• • Support groups
  • Internet discussion groups
  • Websites and hotlines

Just Some Fun Stuff

Organizations Referenced in the Calendar

Books

Other Ways You Can Help Cats and Other Animals

Another page in the “Resources” section.

Some fun stuff and some serious stuff so that you have information at your fingertips about what you cat needs—even in the middle of the night—and you can take the actions you need.

©2011-2025 Bernadette E. Kazmarski | All Rights Reserved.

No content may be used without WRITTEN PERMISSION from the author.

Great Rescues Calendar and Great Rescues Day Book are published by Beauty of a Moment Publishing

Site designed by Bernadette E. Kazmarski