Moss

I don’t really have any suggestions on the technical side of PMV and tweening and such since I dont have experience with many different programs, there are tons of tutorials and free software out there if you do a lil googling but theres a few things I’ve picked up on about like, constructing a drawing for PMV that might be helpful! (DISCLAIMER THOUGH I am by no means an expert and stuff struggle a lot with making my PMVs not feel really awkward but anyway)

plan everything out before you do it….. please… I did my entire sasha pmv straight through and finished each frame in order without doing storyboards or sketching the whole thing out first and I really regret it bc in hindsight theres a lot of pacing changes I would made lol! having a complete game plan from the jump also makes it much easier to edit and polish your idea. like if you change your mind about how you want one scene to go you can just change your storyboard a bit and not much is lost

related to the planning thing: when youre drawing the image its important to think about how youll want it to move. is the character walking and moving their legs are they emoting and moving their head, etc. then think of the character as a paper doll, and draw each moving part on a separate layer/folder/whatever that you can piece together in your editing program. obvs PMV animation isnt as involved as true puppet animation but it’s helpful to think about when youre constructing the pieces of the art

DEPTH OF FIELD IS YOUR FRIEND I use this so much even in just my normal art lol basically just pick a focal point and everything else gets blurrier the farther it is from that ‘plane’. this is a great way to give depth even when the images are still and keeps the backrgound from distracting from your subject. just dont go overboard though lol dont blur things into oblivion until you cant tell what they are anymore just because you dont want to draw a background, I always draw everything essentially fully detailed and blur it as to not cut corners bc it shows

LAST THING BC I CANT THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE: THE PARALLAX EFFECT IS ALSO YOUR FRIEND! you can honestly get away with having none of the subjects in the frame actually ‘move’ if you remember this when you do pans and zooms

theres actually a surprising amount of math and shit that goes into this but basically all you need to worry about is that objects close to the camera are fast and objects far from it are slow. a lot of programs have 3d cameras you can set up within your frame but idk how to do that lol its not hard to do manually if you draw all the component pieces of your background separately depending on distance from the camera. like in this pic I knew I was animating a pan so I had the farthest back trees, the closer trees, the river/riverbank, the cats, and the reeds in front all on separate layers so i could move them independently as different speeds

Spottedleaf: 

so yeaaah one thing I never do with my art is that I never try to get out of the comfort zone with faces and so that made me want to challenge myself and make the ugliest faces I could. So I picked some shitty cats from warriors to do that haha

Torties:

1. Choose the base color of the cat (I recommend the one you want to be more prominent)

2. On a clipping layer (all art programs have them), add the other color of ur tortie. The sploches will look better if they are connected to lineart or if theyre small, but theres always exceptions.

3. On another clipping layer, add the stripes in a darker color. Dont worry about not matching the other spot (aka drawing a dark blue to match the blue or an orange to match the yellow), we’ll fix that later. There are various types of stripes, but the “prettiest” tend to be from mackarel and clouded tabbies.

4. Hide the stripes layer for a bit. Now, you’re going to select the color that doesnt match the stripes (yellow, in the exemples case)

5. Still selected, lock the layer, so you can only draw over what was already put (aka the stripes). With that, we can change the color of the stripes on the selected area to match the area’s color

6. You obtained a torbie!

A classic tabby is very balanced. They don’t form big clusters of stripes, are more easy to define and can make very interessing shapes! I use them in characters where theres a pattern i want to accentuate, if they give too much noise to a design or if i dont want to make them as clustered or pointy as other stripes do.

Mackarel tabbies are your standart point stripes champs. they are amazing to use in characters that are evil, have a sharp personality or are thin and slim. My brightheart design is actually the opposite of all that. Shes proof that u dont have to follow these rules and that you can give other meanings to these stripes! I made her have them so they clash with her soft and gentle pose, showing that she packs a punch, don’t be fooled by that pretty face!

spotted tabbies are the hardest ones for me to use, because their spots often connect to nothing and are hard to replicate. I stylize them to be in an easier pattern. They are great in cunning characters, where you don’t want to make them look sassy like mackarels.

first of all TYSM!!! I have so much fun with this stuff and it means so much to me that you guys enjoy it. but im going to hit you with my personal and possibly controversial hot take on ‘art styles’: it doesnt actually exist lol

what people call ‘style’ is just your personal shorthand for translating what you see into artwork. it’s kind of like handwriting imo. so taking Style Inspo from another artist might give you some particular look you like but you’re not actually learning to draw the thing you’re trying to draw, you’re learning to draw/imitate other people’s shorthand for the subject, which can work in the short term but is also the root of same-face syndrome, stagnation in your anatomy, etc. and theres really no reason to limit yourself to a specific style anyway because versatility is awesome

THAT BEING SAID THOUGH!!! that isnt quite what you asked and although i wont give a step by step cat drawing tutorial id be happy to show you all how i break down/stylize cats!!! bc learning how to analyze subjects from photos or from life is absolutely a skill you can hone. this won’t be a comprehensive guide by any means bc i am Not An Expert just some stuff ive learned

one thing thats really important to remember about cats is how fluid and graceful their bodies are. keeping your art from being ‘stiff’ is a hard habit to break, i’ve found that exaggerating curved lines in cats bodies and contrasting them with straight lines can work wonders for making your art flow 

(this is a good tip in general but is especially important with cats! this is an amazing tutorial by andrew shek on straights vs curves in animal art, i found this tut like 5 years ago and i still refer to it lol)

photo -> trace of straights vs curves -> my freehand sketch

you can right click & open these in a new tab to see them bigger! obviously i dont draw like this every time, but this is how i usually break things down in my head. you develop a ‘shorthand’ by paying attention to little consistencies in how you can draw lines.

for example: cat’s backs are usually very round and pronounced when sitting and very flat when standing. the front of the legs (both front and back) make a good ‘straight’ plane to contrast the curved back of the leg. making the top of the tail flat and the bottom more rounded or scruffy can add to the illusion of gravity (this can apply to anywhere with fluff)

OF COURSE ON THE OTHER HAND rules are made to be broken! my blackstar and barley designs are great examples of this:

theyre both big, bulky black and white cats, but blackstar is made up mostly of straight lines while barley is mostly curves. this makes blackstar look sturdy and tough, but barley looks soft and gentle despite his size.

another thing you can do to help your cat drawings flow is make sure your lines ‘follow though’. for example:

paying attention to lines that continue through different parts of the body can make your poses more fluid, more readable, and easier to exaggerate! let’s compare the drawing above with the one on the left here, where i focused on drawing each bit of the cat correctly instead of drawing them as parts of a whole:

even though the blue drawing is technically correct I hope its apparent that the movement isnt as strong and doesnt have that fluidity that just screams ‘cat’ the way that the red one does! this is also a good tip for animation lol

ONE MORE THING ILL GO OVER BC ITS IMPORTANT AND FUN IS FACES! cats are great because they have a huge range of appearances but can all still be broken down into the same simple parts.

my usual process for faces is head shape -> snout and ears -> features, like so:

and you can change the cats face by changing any of these. here’s some traces of cat faces for your consideration

and if you prefer a toonier look you can just push your shapes a bit more and simplify your lines however you like

that applies to everything ive said!! you can take whatever you like from these tips and push them as little or as far as you enjoy depending on how stylized you want to go. my work tends to be on the more realistically proportioned side of toony so best advice i can give is about that technique

hopefully you guys found this helpful!! if this post is useful to anyone at all it was worth making for me. happy drawing and remember to be confident in yourself, art is a skill that takes practice and as long as youre trying youre doing a great job

list cited from https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/633265-complete-list-of-medicene-cat-herbs-and-treatments

Looking for a random city? Click here.

Looking for a random city that people have actually heard of? Click here.

Need a random surname for a character? Click here. (They also give prevalence by race, which is very helpful.)

Random motivations for your characters here!

Need some character quirks? Here and here! 

Just some warning, some description of violence and gore to discuss realistic fighting in cats.

Most of us can agree that the Erins description of the clans fighting style is woefully lacking. In most cases however when we talk about a  “realistic” fighting style, we tend to heavily focus on posturing, but i think personally that that would leave out some detail for the discussion. Also plenty of people have talked about how posturing would affect how the clans actually fight, so Im going to focus on some other aspects of fighting.

How do real cats fight?

Cat fights are brutal and loud. There is posturing beforehand, spitting, threatening, trying to get the other to back down. But once an attack is made, they go straight into a brutal grapple, locking their arms around the others neck and side to hold them together, and then attempting to find a place to bite, such as face and neck. This grapple offers them the opportunity to use their back claws to rake at their opponent’s belly.

Most injuries to cats will most likely be to their underside, neck, and face, and ears from wild swipes from their opponents, or bruises or scratches from flailing around on their backs. While their claws are sharp, they are unlikely to open up super deep wounds, but have lots of shallow sometimes long scratches and lost fur on their belly. Their bites are more dangerous, as their teeth are made to rip and rend and tear. Its still unlikely they would rip the throat out, but it is possible that bite wounds would be more painful, deep, and somewhat horrific, with chunks torn out. This is why a medicine cat would need to clean wounds as soon as possible, and this is where the greatest threat to a fighter’s life would be.

For some visual help and understanding of what I mean, here is a decently long video showing different cats fighting (warning it is violent and fairly loud):

Behavioral wise, cats attack only when one wont back down. This happens between males who are defending their territory and right to mate (such as in a colony), between females with disputes, or in general if cats feel threatened. Usually a smaller cat will be smart enough to back down, but in some cases, this may mean that the bigger, stronger, or braver cat might jump them anyway as it was a sign of weakness. If there are multiple cats who are in general allied with each other, they will quickly gang up on the one cat.

Cats are sneaky, and smart. They wont get into a fight unless they think they can win, or were attacked, and want to end it as soon as possible. 

How would the clans fight? 

I think its important to consider two things when writing clan fighting. 

One- Apprentices have had ample time to practice their fighting skills

Two- They always have back up 

So part of the reluctance to fight, besides a common sense that no cat wants to get hurt, is diminished. Most cats would have had some basics in fighting, which I will explain later, and should always be backed up by clanmates. Cats are not encouraged to seek out fights alone in the clans, because thats almost suicidal and detrimental to the overall clan health and ability to produce.

Fights that are more likely to occur are when a patrol from one clan comes across trespassers, and ambush them because of superior numbers. Battles are rare, and only occur every once in a while, as clans for their own health will not engage in battles back to back. As a result, wars and disagreements might last moons, as grudges settle and the clans wait until they believe they are healthy/in a strong enough position to fight again, with the intent of getting the other clan to back down/get into peace or truce talks to end the aggression.

Each clan also has their unique style of fighting. 

In canon I find it likely that these would be the strategies:

Thunderclan is said to be big, and likely the reason many detest them is from their big airs of posturing, and their thick fur which can be very protective. They meet their problems head on and dont resort to sneaking around. When they fight, they fight, and dont really like to retreat until they have wounds which need attention. They dont get wounds as often as those with shorter fur and less protection, but when they do their warriors are out longer.

Riverclan is less big, but they are generally healthier, and have a tendency to recover quicker, due to their more abundant supply of food. They are more able to quickly recover from fights, which means they will likely be able to harry their opponent more often and in shorter bursts. But because they have more food, they are less likely to want to war, after all they usually have most of what they need, so they dont often set out to fight in the first place.

Shadowclan is strong, but they are also sneaky. They keep grudges the longest and often make long term plans to get what they need and get back at their enemies. They are the ones who make the greatest use of ambush and subterfuge to take their opponents by surprise, often a requirement when dealing with Thunderclan or Riverclan. Shadowclan often avoids direct confrontation, due to the higher likelihood of getting hurt and a higher chance of getting sick.

Windclan is interesting. Because of their size they are generally at a disadvantage to the other clans. They have to compensate for this somehow. Usually this means that in a fight, they skip the posturing phase altogether and just straight up launch themselves at an enemy, attacking them but then wiggling away to surprise and gang up on another cat. They are the ones who will fight quick and dirty, often engaging multiple opponents in the same fight. But they dont often seek fights themselves. They excel at playing the clans off each other, because realistically they dont have as much chance of winning a fight or a dispute. They always choose a neutral position if they can, and act as mediators, or schemers in regards to the others.

Now those are what I would consider the best option for canon strategies towards fighting. In your own clans it will be different depending on the overall attitude of the clan and their strengths and weaknesses physically and culturally. But this is an important thing to consider when thinking about how conflicts will work between your clans.

How do we apply this to training in fighting?

Well I have two very silly cats who I watch play fight all the time. I know its not serious, usually, because its quiet. They constantly play fight. its the way all young cats would practice their skills. In the clans however this is more of a guided exercise. For the clans, its a matter of survival that their young know how to fight and defend themselves, because at some point they will need to know how to do it. And if their apprentices are prepared, they are less likely to die from stupid mistakes. Education, preparation, and familiarity with what they will be dealing with can help change a lot of situations. Specific things which mentors might address for their apprentices when fighting are:

-How not to panic on the battlefield.

-How to know when to retreat.

-How to use whatever signal the clan has to ask for backup/help.

-How to wiggle out of another cats grapple.

-How to aim claws and teeth effectively.

-How to hold on to another cat.

-Discussing the differences between clan fighting styles. 

-Just becoming familiar with the sensation of rolling around on the ground.

-How to leverage to be on top.

-How to use your hind legs to protect you/hit someone else if they disengage or some other cat pounces on you.

-How to keep your ears flat to avoid them getting sliced.

-How to try to protect your eyes in a fight.

-How to try and protect your neck in a fight.

-How to keep your body tensed but not frozen or locked.

-The ability to recognize any signals the clan has for battle, either verbal or physical (like when to attack/when to retreat/who the main target is).

-What to do in the aftermath of a fight (cleaning wounds as best as possible, maybe recognizing shock symptoms).

-Basically just becoming familiar with fighting and trying best to learn how not panic or make mistakes to seriously injure oneself.

A few notes before I go into this. First off, my original and personal copy has illustrations, which is why I stoped with descriptions halfway through. If you would like to see what a plant looks like, simply google it.

Second, the language and vocabulary changes throughout the list as I became more and more tired and ready to be done, again, sorry about that. Any words that are outside vocabulary can be easily googled.

Three, if someone knows of more herbs which are beneficial to cats, or could be used in some form, let me know and send me sources and I will add them!

Finally I will be posting a separate post discussing different possible methods which medicine cats could use, such as brewing cold teas or crushing roots and adding them to prey. For now, I hope you all enjoy what I have. Im sorry I couldn’t list all the sources, but the list would have been almost as long as this post.

Herbs by Alphabetical Order

Alfalfa:

- Leaves and unopened flowers can be ingested.

- Reduces inflammation of the joints and issues of rheumatism.

- Known as Alfalfa in North America, and Lucerne in the British Isles.

Astragalus root:

-Crushed and added to prey/Used as poultice on wounds

-Leaves in parallel lines along stems, small oval leaves, multiple types and colors of flower (research base on region or specific species)

-Use as general strengthening herb, particularly for elders which helps prolong lifespan. Has an odd anti-aging property, can sometimes be used to combat tumors and cancer.

-Infection preventative, can be taken during Leafbare to avoid contracting viral infections.

-Enhances immune system, and has anti-inflammatory (brings down fever and swelling) properties.

-Combats stressors to cats bodies (i.e. foreign human made matter like pesticides and other chemicals) and increases body’s resistance to some more mental stressors, including trauma, anxiety, fatigue, and stress.

-Native to China, but introduced into North American Hemisphere and has spread due to ease of growth.

Black Walnut:

- Leaves ingested in small quantities

- Large tree which drops huge nuts in the fall, its leaves on an opposite (one leaf emerges on each side in the same place on the stem)

- Is said to cleanse the body of parasites, including heartworm

- Can be used to stimulate vomiting or diarrhea

- Use cautiously, some medicine cats dont use it at all

-Native to North America

Burdock Root:

- Root can be crushed and added to prey, or the young leaves can be eaten

- A rather tall plant, with purple flowers and prickly burrs, and large heart shaped leaves.

-Generally known to be a herb to increase health and vibrancy of fur and living conditions. Often given to kits to help with growth and elders to cleanse the body of impurities. (Full of vitamins and substances to cleanse kidneys/liver/blood etc)

-Improves gut health (encourages growth of good intestinal bacteria) and can serve as laxative.

-Helps regulate hormones and prevent diabetes

-Native to Europe and Asia, but like many plants has been transplanted to North America successfully as well.

Catnip: -Ingested or used as aroma therapy with crushing dried leaves

-Green triangular, saw-edged leaves, tiny white flowers growing in conical clusters.

-Scent and low levels of ingestion causes a reaction which is similar to many human drugs, leaving cats content, relaxed, and happy, and occasionally causing hallucinations.

-All cats react slightly differently, and in fact some cats become extremely energized instead.

-When ingested in certain quantities can be a sedative, although it rarely results in full sleep.

- Natural to Asia, but widely spread through most of Europe and North America

Cat’s Claw:

- Crushed to powder and added to prey, or soaked in water and drunk or applied directly through a poultice.

-Vine with characteristic thorns shaped like cats claws, bright yellow flowers.

- Improve allergies and breathing struggles

- Diminish swelling and pain for swollen joints and arthritis

- Soothes issues in the whole intestinal system from the stomach to the bowels, speeding recovery from internal infections and wounds.

- Native to peru, two different subspecies were introduced, one to North America and one to Europe.

Cat Thyme:

- Treatment involves eating the leaves of the plant, preferably fresh but dried can work in higher quantity.

- Leaves grow in clusters with larger leaves on the outside and smaller growing leaves on the inside, occasionally their edges are a white or yellow color.

- Less commonly used, but definitely improves digestive system and can be used to purge the stomach and intestines of parasites and worms. -Should not be consumed in large properties, as overdose can lead to issues with nervous system.

- Also a soothing herb which can be used to calm nervous or uncomfortable cats.

- Can be used as an herd to ward off the scent of death from a cat’s corpse.

- Different subspecies grown all over the world, with different scent’s depending on the place.

Calendula:

-Chewed and applied as a poultice or soaked in a small amount of water and applied through moss to wound, or ingested.

- Also called Marigold

- Long leaves which get thicker near the end, bright yellow or orange flowers.

- When used in low concentration in water soaked moss, can be used as an eye wash and ear wash for infections in either area.

- Do NOT use on pregnant cats.

- Has anti-septic properties to prevent infections in wounds and speed the healing.

- Helps stomach ulcers or inner wounds heal faster when ingested.

- Higher percentage of cats who may have slight allergies to the plant.

Chamomile: - Only used in very very small doses, or diluted by soaking in water

- Tall long stems with sprigs of leaves which are similar to short pine needles, white flowers with yellow centers. - Can be used as a sedative or another calming herb.

- Can ease cramping and muscle pain

- Sometimes used as an oil on irritated skin.

- Another herb which is not encouraged for pregnant she-cats as it can cause miscarriage.

- Originally from Europe and Asia, has become widespread in North America

Comphrey:

-Only used externally, as a poultice for minor wounds. When chewing, medicine cats should try their best to swallow as little as possible, or simply mix crushed comphrey with water and moss to create the poultice.

-Big leafy ground plant with long oval leaves and fuchsia bellflowers.

- Is considered a controversial herb as it can cause more harm than good. Use cautiously.

- Contains anti-inflammatory and stimulant properties

-Has been known to cause problems particularly for pregnant queens, and elders.

-Native to Russia and grows primarily in Europe and the British Isles

Cranberry:

-Berries can be ingested

- Trailing bush with small evergreen leaves and pink flowers, but it is the bright red berries that are harvested, not to be mistaken for yew berries.

- A controversial herb in that some medicine cats believe it does not actually have any effect, while others swear by it.

- Improves Urinary health by cleansing bladder of non-beneficial bacteria

- Is said to strengthen the eyes and heart and prevent the common issues of aging tissues by relaxing and revitalizing them.

-Common in North America and British isles and part of Northern Europe.

Dandelion Root:

- Leaves are ingested

- Wide-spread weed with saw edged leaves and flowers which are yellow and turn to white fluff to spread their seeds.

- A relatively safe herb, it is used to ensure health of the urinary tract, gallbladder, and liver.

- Causes cats to urinate more frequently and serves as a minor laxative.

- Helps to energize the digestive system and avoid blockages or discomfort.

- Very common in Europe and North America.

Echinacea:

-Leaves and Flowers ingested

- Bushy leaves near the ground with long tall stalks and purple daisy-like flowers with a brown center.

- Used primarily to treat respiratoy problems, it is a strong defense against Upper Respiratory infections (aka whitecough or greencough) and can promote healing and recovery from them.

- Also used to soothe irritated lungs and other respiratory issues such as from asthma or allergies, and generally alleviates the symptoms of respiratory infections.

- Generally increases immune system function and effectiveness.

- Found only in Eastern and Central North America (sorry if you have British based clans)

Ephedra:

- Stems are ingested

- A type of grass-like plant

- Primarily used to improve breathing conditions, such as for cats with asthma.

- Often used in conjunction with other herbs to provide a comprehensive treatment.

- Also known to relieve pain in the spinal regions or for lame or physically disabled cats.

- This herb can cause concerning side effects and should always be used with great care, and never on any cats with a history of elevated heartbeat or heart problems.

-It is usually safer to use this herb with other herbs and in small doses.

-Two different subspecies are most common, one Asian and one North American

Eyebright:

-Soaked in water and then mixture applied to eyes, leaves can be consumed.

-A weed-like plant with long stems and small fuzzy maple-like leaves, bright white orchid-like flowers.

-Used primarily against eye-infections, helps diminish swelling and itching.

-Can also be ingested as an effective infection fighter

- Generally safe for most cats

- Grows in Britain, Europe, Asia, and North America, particularly in high alpine regions.

Fenugreek Seed:

-Ingesting seeds or occasionally leaves

- Tall spindly stems with three leaf bunches

- Another herb to help deal with respiratory issues

- It also deals with issues that come on from old age, like cholesterol, keeping older cats healthier.

- It has shown some effectiveness in treating cancers and tumors, particularly ones which involve the respiratory system or intestinal system.

- Mostly an Asian Herb, with a few occurrences in southern Europe and South America. May however be found in certain twoleg gardens if backed by worldbuilding.

Feverfew:

- Consume dried leaves and crushed roots, or plants soaked in water.

- Treats nausea and upset stomach.

- Also useful to treat bone disorders and anemia, as well as speed up the healing of broken bones.

- A pain reliever at small doses.

- Do not use on pregnant she-cats

- Two subspecies, one common to North America, the other to Europe and Asia.

Goldenseal:

-Can be ingested, crushed and added to prey, or soaked in water and used on skin or wounds.

- A mostly green leafy plant with large wide ragged leaves in clusters of five. Its flower is small and white grows in the center of the leaf clusters.

- Generally multi-purpose herb which boosts the immune system and works to fight infections.

-Can be used on outside cuts, or can be ingested to ease symptoms of certain infections. Particularly useful to ease problems of diarrhea.

- Also another eye-wash herb, although not as effective as Eyebright.

-Not to be used on pregnant she-cats

- Native to North America

Hawthorn Berry:

- Berries are ingested

- large shrub which can grow to the size of trees, with leaves that are oddly shaped. Their berries are red, and their flowers are a beautiful white with yellow spots in the middle.

-Most commonly used to treat heart conditions in cats, the berries help regulate blood flow (blood pressure), return heart beats to a regular rhythm, and reduces sense of anxiety.

-Generally a well-being herb for cats with heart problems and elders, encouraging the rejuvenation of the heart.

-Largely Native to British Isles, although varieties have been introduced all over the world. Where it is introduced it is considered an invasive species.

Honey:

-Consumed in liquid form, or sucked on in its honeycomb form.

- Soothes burning throats, but mostly used to sweeten herbs to make them more palatable for cranky elders and beligerent kits.

- Considered a rare treat.

- Found anywhere there are bees.

Honeysuckle

-Leaves and flowers and scented and kept in nesting

-Another drug which induces a “high” and can lead to calm and pleased cats.

-Only one specific species causes this effect, and it is native to Asia but has been introduced in North America and has spread widely.

Lavender:

-Flowers and stems put in nests

-A form of aromatherapy, usually brings calm and relaxed feelings to cats

-Its pleasant scent can be used to mask the scent of death or sickness

-Grows around the world

Licorice Root:

-Can be ingested, or chewed and applied as a poultice.

-Long tall stem with oval leaves and lovely purple flowers reminiscent of Lavender

- Used most often to treat kits, as the taste is actually pleasant.

- When ingested, con combat respiratory problems, as it soothes lungs and throat, and helps clear nasal passages.

- Also helpful to prevent sore joint pain, as it brings down swelling.

-Long-term benefits include liver health and cleansing of impurities from blood and other organs.

- Grows wild across Asia, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, with growing appearance in England. Be aware if licorice is present, it is likely present in large amounts as it tends to take up huge space and is a hardy plant.

Marshmallow Root:

-Chewed root as a poultice, ingested leaves.

-Flowering plant with wide tri-pointed leaves and white flowers with brown centers.

-Can be used to alleviate inflammation in lungs and in nasal passages, particularly caused by respiratory infections. Clears up mucus.

- Another herb to improve the health of the urinary tract

-Has a neutral odor and flavor, another good  herb for kits

-Native to Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa

Milk Thistle Seed:

- Seeds are ingested

- A prickly plant with large jagged leaves and blue or purple fuzzy flowers.

- Cleanses toxins from the system

- Typically supports health of the liver and other organs in the body which help get rid of impurities.

- Found throughout the world

Raspberry Leaf:

- Leaves ingested

- The general pregnancy supplement

- Strengthens uterine muscles and increases milk production, helps queens to give birth with less danger as it strengthens their body and muscles and prepares them for contractions.

- Also useful in the first days after birth to encourage healing in the queen’s body.

- Different subspecies found around the world.

Red Clover:

- Leaves can be ingested in small amounts, or soaked in water and drunk.

- An effective tumor and cancer preventative and treatment for early stages.

- Should only be used at low doses if necessary, and only used under suspicion of tumor growth.

- Do not use on pregnant cats

- Native to Asia and Europe, but has been transplanted to many other locations, including North America.

Sage:

- Leaves can be soaked in water or crushed and mixed with water to form poultice. Do not ingest directly.

- When drunk can be a helpful treatment for mouth sores and/or toothaches.

- Very effective against harmful internal bacteria which cause vomiting and diarrhea (like E. Coli)

- An effective deworming method, particularly against Ringworm.

- Used very carefully as can be toxic to cats in anything but the smallest or weakest dose.

- Native to Mediterranean, with a few subspecies naturalized to other countries, including one in far Western North America and one in the British Isles.

Slippery Elm:

- Inner bark is consumed or applied as a poultice.

- Another herb which soothes the mucus membranes, such as throat, lungs, and other internal organs.

- Fights against internal infection, particularly in the bladder.

- Full of nutrients and fiber, an herb which strengthens the body

- Native to North America

Wheatgrass:

- Stems and grass blades are ingested

- A strengthening and nutritional herb, possibly an alternative during a time of low prey, although never to be eaten exclusively.

- Cleanses the blood and performs a general support of systems

- A treatment for cataracts due to its mineral and enzyme content.

- Grows wild in fields in certain areas of North America.

Valerian:

- Leaves are smelled or ingested.

- Initially induces a sort of “high” which stimulates and energizes a cat. A good fix if a task needs to be done right away.

- Once the high wears off, it effectively induces drowsiness and relaxation, often leading to sleep.

- A powerful drug, but still one that is not toxic in any quantity.

- Has been known to be… well not addictive, but when some cat has taken it repeatedly or regularly, it must be weaned off of, or it would provoke symptoms of withdrawal.

- Do not use regularly.

———

Torties:

1. Choose the base color of the cat (I recommend the one you want to be more prominent)

2. On a clipping layer (all art programs have them), add the other color of ur tortie. The sploches will look better if they are connected to lineart or if theyre small, but theres always exceptions.

3. On another clipping layer, add the stripes in a darker color. Dont worry about not matching the other spot (aka drawing a dark blue to match the blue or an orange to match the yellow), we’ll fix that later. There are various types of stripes, but the “prettiest” tend to be from mackarel and clouded tabbies.

4. Hide the stripes layer for a bit. Now, you’re going to select the color that doesnt match the stripes (yellow, in the exemples case)

5. Still selected, lock the layer, so you can only draw over what was already put (aka the stripes). With that, we can change the color of the stripes on the selected area to match the area’s color

6. You obtained a torbie!

A classic tabby is very balanced. They don’t form big clusters of stripes, are more easy to define and can make very interessing shapes! I use them in characters where theres a pattern i want to accentuate, if they give too much noise to a design or if i dont want to make them as clustered or pointy as other stripes do.

Mackarel tabbies are your standart point stripes champs. they are amazing to use in characters that are evil, have a sharp personality or are thin and slim. My brightheart design is actually the opposite of all that. Shes proof that u dont have to follow these rules and that you can give other meanings to these stripes! I made her have them so they clash with her soft and gentle pose, showing that she packs a punch, don’t be fooled by that pretty face!

spotted tabbies are the hardest ones for me to use, because their spots often connect to nothing and are hard to replicate. I stylize them to be in an easier pattern. They are great in cunning characters, where you don’t want to make them look sassy like mackarels.