Shady Kitty
“A southern Californian with white socks
& crystal-encrusted sunglasses crawls onto a wooden chest at a hotel in
downtown Washington, D.C., as a photographer snaps away.
…she knocks off her glasses, revealing
olive green eyes that never close.
The model’s name is Bagel. And Bagel is a
cat. But it’s not just any cat.
The 6 year old rescue from a Los Angeles
County shelter is known for her collection of fashionable sunglasses, a stylish
accessory born of necessity, not vanity. When Bagel was a kitten, her owner,
Karen McGill, discovered that she suffered from eyelid agenesis, a congenital
condition that prevents the eyelids from developing.
The absence of natural shades means that
Bagel can’t blink or clear debris from her eyes.
To protect Bagel’s corneas from scratches,
a friend of Karen’s rigged up some special kitty sunglasses: An elastic band
slips around the head & tucks under the chin…Of course, no L.A. cat would
dare leave her lair without a little bling, so Karen bedazzles the frames- all
600 pairs…
Until a few years ago, Bagel was a common
house cat with a small circle of friends.
Today, she is the public figure known as
Sunglass Cat, who has more than 580,000 followers on Instagram. On her account,
she sports flashy spectacles that sparkle as
brightly as her fabulous life…
Throughout the year, she also appears at
cat conventions & animal rescue events, such as the one that recently
brought her to Washington: a shindig called Meow DC, organized by the Humane
Rescue Alliance. While Bagel works the crowd, Karen spreads their species-
inclusive message of acceptance & tolerance. ‘It’s OK to look & be
different,’…
In addition to the tete-a-tete with
Sunglass Cat, which draws 150 to 200 fans, the schedule is packed with lectures
(‘Cats Aren’t Weird, They’re Cats’), activities (design your own cat-ear
headbands) & vendors (surprise your feline with a bottle of White Kittendel
cat wine).
Karen & Bagel receive guests inside a
plastic dome, where Bagel is curled up on a blue blanket atop a high table.
Her tail flicks precariously close to a
basket filled with sunglasses donated by Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
She’s wearing the same shades (red hearts,
yellow lozenge-shaped crystals from the previous night’s photo shoot.
…Bagel turns her back on her guests to
gaze out the window at the parking lot. A bird flits by. She knocks the bin of
glasses off the table & paws off her own pair…
The meet- & -greet is nearing its end,
but fans are stilled lined up. Bagel has fallen asleep- eyes wide open- several
times over the 3 hours, but has not growled orders to cease operations…
Karen & her cat have to catch a plane
to Detroit, but they make one quick lap around the venue, Karen holding Bagel
aloft as if she were an Olympic torch. From on high, Bagel calmly surveys the
scene & her adoring fans. At least we think she is surveying. Behind her bejeweled shades, Sunglass Cat could be snoozing away.”
The
Washington Post
In The
Gazette, Montreal
June
25/2019
#StayHome
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