Sweden just release a set of four stamps showing different glimpses of a cat’s daily life. The stamps were designed by Swedish illustrator Carina Länk and they are a celebration of the ways in which cats communicate through their body language and sounds.
SVERAK, the National Cat Association of Sweden, helped interpret each of the cat behaviors depicted in the stamps:
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“Food is good.” Cats need a well-balanced diet and will not settle for leftovers. If their food does not have the right ingredients, cats can suffer from deficiency diseases. It is in a cat’s nature to snack and they can eat up to 20 times a day. Cats are predatory animals and over thousands of years have maintained their carnivorous instincts. | |
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“That’s mine!” A little ball can entertain a cat. Cats are mischievous in general and can entertain themselves with relatively little means. A wad of paper can be equally interesting as a toy purchased at the store. But avoid a ball of yarn and any other items with loose parts that the cat can swallow. | |
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“Don’t come too close!” Defensive posture, often an arched back with the body angled toward the potential attacker, ears flattened backwards or to the side, dilated pupils, whiskers standing straight out and the mouth bared to show its teeth. This cat is clearly signaling that it is prepared to defend itself. | |
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“I slept well.” A cat needs a lot of sleep, around 20 hours a day, and all cats want to be left alone when they are sleeping. There is probably no other animal in the world that can stretch as sensually as a cat that has just woken up. Cats have excellent hearing and are alert to sounds even when they are sleeping – just watch how their ears move in their sleep. |
Ms. Länk also designed the picture of the cat on the First Day Cover, the head of the cat on the FDC cancellation, and the illustration of kittens on the Collector’s Sheet. Visit the Posten online shop and download Bulletin 1 2010 to read an interview with Ms. Länk and to order the new cat stamps for your collection.
Thanks to Moderncat reader Marie-France for the info.