Fara Shimbo on mon 1 apr 02
Hi, All,
Re: Studio Cats, I have ten cats (including some barn
cats) all of whom come and go from the studio all the time.
If I leave a plate on the wheel, I often end up with a
plate with cat prints in it. This is a good thing: I get
more money for the plates with cat prints in them and tiles
and trivets with prints from my cat Tony, who has opposable
thumbs on all four feet, are especially prized. My cats are
such an indispensible part of my work that they have a page
of their own on my website. I always leave fresh water out
for them, but of course water with clay in it is ever so
much more desirable. The only problem I've found with
studio cats is that when I fire, the smell from the burning off
of all the cat hair in the glazes is just horrible.
On another topic, sometime next year I'm building an actual
studio, in another building on my property (right now I'm
working in my mud room [how appropos...]). The building will
also house my husband's woodworking shop. Bob has the wood
shop he has now (the garage) outfitted with an air cleaner
that takes out very tiny particles; so we're going to have
this air cleaning system built into the pottery as well.
These things are readily available, easily installed and
work great for keeping dust down.
Better get to work,
Fa
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Fara Shimbo, Certified Public Nuisance, Master Crystallier
Shimbo Pottery, Hygiene, Colorado, USA
crystalline-ceramics.info ++ shimbopottery.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"It's great to be known. It's even better to be known
as 'strange.'" -- Kaga Takeshi
Sharon DiGennaro on mon 8 apr 02
Hello all,
Just wanted to tell you my cat and dog story with having them visit in my
studio. I have three cat buddies and a dog. Five years ago I let them
freely into the studio. One day my cat who was eight at the time had a
seizure. It came from nowhere and disappeared and he seemed fine. A few
days went by and he had another one. This happened on and off for months.
We took him to the doctor and they ran some tests and they found elevated
liver stuff and enlarged kidneys. We did not really figure it out and
eventually he was fine again. The following year just around the same
time in December the same thing happened again. Again we could not figure
out what was going on, and then the second cat began having seizures. At
that point I had a sense we were looking at something environmental, so
we started searching and just wasn't coming up with anything, and then my
sweet ninety five pound dog had one. At this point I came unglued and we
started to search in earnest. Well here is what we found. Just before
Xmas I would have commercial stains out on plastic lids mixed with water,
for doing Xmas colors on earthenware. This was really the only time of
the year I was doing this work. I would leave them out for days as my
painting area. The cats were always around and we surmised they were
drinking the water. I always had a plastic cup full of water and sponged
off stain on the table. When I was finished with this stuff I would pour
it into a glaze scrap bucket under the sink. Hence the dog getting a
drink of it. All three animals had seizures and the older cat never
really recovered. He kept his enlarged kidneys and seizures for almost a
year. The dog recovered and my other cat was young enough that he bounced
back. everything is covered now and kitties are allowed a quick visit to
see my clay students and then they go back outside into the sunshine. Too
much to walk through, and lick up on their paws. My pooch is with me
every day and I try and keep the floors mopped because her nose sniffs up
all that stuff all day long. Health issues are hard to see and I would
like to contribute to their nice long lives!!!!
Sharon
Sharon DiGennaro
570-727-3113
e-mail Claymaker1@Juno.com
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Ron Roy on sat 13 apr 02
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for posting this - the "experts" seem determined to help us believe
this cannot happen and this is very helpful.
Any chance you can send me a list of the stains you were using and what you
mixed with them.
I need the info for my personal use and I promise I will not post your name
with any of it - thanks - RR
>Just wanted to tell you my cat and dog story with having them visit in my
>studio. I have three cat buddies and a dog. Five years ago I let them
>freely into the studio. One day my cat who was eight at the time had a
>seizure. It came from nowhere and disappeared and he seemed fine. A few
>days went by and he had another one. This happened on and off for months.
>We took him to the doctor and they ran some tests and they found elevated
>liver stuff and enlarged kidneys. We did not really figure it out and
>eventually he was fine again. The following year just around the same
>time in December the same thing happened again. Again we could not figure
>out what was going on, and then the second cat began having seizures. At
>that point I had a sense we were looking at something environmental, so
>we started searching and just wasn't coming up with anything, and then my
>sweet ninety five pound dog had one. At this point I came unglued and we
>started to search in earnest. Well here is what we found. Just before
>Xmas I would have commercial stains out on plastic lids mixed with water,
>for doing Xmas colors on earthenware. This was really the only time of
>the year I was doing this work. I would leave them out for days as my
>painting area. The cats were always around and we surmised they were
>drinking the water. I always had a plastic cup full of water and sponged
>off stain on the table. When I was finished with this stuff I would pour
>it into a glaze scrap bucket under the sink. Hence the dog getting a
>drink of it. All three animals had seizures and the older cat never
>really recovered. He kept his enlarged kidneys and seizures for almost a
>year. The dog recovered and my other cat was young enough that he bounced
>back. everything is covered now and kitties are allowed a quick visit to
>see my clay students and then they go back outside into the sunshine. Too
>much to walk through, and lick up on their paws. My pooch is with me
>every day and I try and keep the floors mopped because her nose sniffs up
>all that stuff all day long. Health issues are hard to see and I would
>like to contribute to their nice long lives!!!!
>Sharon
>
>
>Sharon DiGennaro
>570-727-3113
>e-mail Claymaker1@Juno.com
>
>
>________________________________________________________________
>GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
>Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
>Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
>http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.
>
>___________________________________________________________________________
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Ron Roy
RR #4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton
Ontario
Canada - K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9544
Fax: 613-475-3513
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