Raining Cats ‘N’ Dogs!

“It’s raining cats and dogs out there!” As a child I often heard my parents or other adults exclaim those words during a particularly heavy downpour. More than a few times, I stared out the window, truly hoping to see a cute puppy or kitten—or many of them!—land in our yard. What a glorious day that would have been! 

Of course it was not a literal observation. That phrase is a common English language idiom but the etymology of the phrase is a mystery. There are parallels in many different languages, but the English phrase may be derived from Norse mythology when dogs and cats symbolized wind and rain.  

Of course, our furry family members don't come from downpours but from  more ordinary sources like rescues, private adoptions, and breeders. The watercolor paintings I’d like to share with you this month were truly a labor of love. Sometimes we artists see a subject that cries out to our spirits to be painted. I was delighted to choose some faces from friends’ photos of canine and feline family members that cried out, “Sue! Paint me!” Most of the animals pictured here live (or lived) InSide the Back Mountain. 

I love animal eyes, and the eyes of these cats have stories to tell! The cats represented fall into the identification types of tabby, tuxedo, and tiger. I painted Layla, a white tabby who has “crossed the rainbow bridge,” but lived in Dallas with my good friend, Ray Mancke, and his wife. Ray volunteers much of his time at the Luzerne County SPCA and when he told me Layla carried around her little pink stuffed mouse for most of her 22 1/2 years, I knew I had to paint her with it. Indeed, Layla was so possessive of Pink Mouse that the other family cats, Mr. Whitman, Tortellini, and Elvis, all knew they were not allowed to play with Pink Mouse. You can't see it here, but Layla was a bicolor tabby, with a gray and white tiger-striped tail!

Just over a year ago, Ray hand-picked an 8 ½ year old tuxedo cat for me to adopt. My husband and I were concerned about a new cat with our blind beagle, but Angelo was very “chill” at the SPCA and so was my beagle, Thumper. Angelo is now 9 ½, very calm, laid-back, and devoted to my husband Joe. I love to paint tuxedo cats and panther cats, with their black fur, shiny eyes, and white or black whiskers! 

Birdie and Lola are both long haired tigers. Birdie is all orange, 4 years old,   and loves to sit underneath a chair, wrapped around its understructure, while her owner, Kelly, works remotely on the table above her. Birdie is the “grandkitty” of my dear friend Ann Sweeney from Chase, whom she visits often. 

Lola is a mixed orange and gray tabby who lives with her owner, Dr. Kira Zack, in the Hershey area. I am proud of Kira, a longtime art student and forever friend, who adopted Lola after the passing of her great aunt, which left Lola homeless. Lola is a one-person cat, and Kira is her person, as one particular vet can attest! 

The white poodle named Henry “crossed the rainbow bridge” two short months ahead of my beloved beagle, Thumper. Henry was an old man of 17. White dogs are difficult to paint, since they aren't really white, but display many other colors in their fur. I plan to try two or three more of Henry, just for practice.

The black and white border collie named Shamus lives with his human parents, my good friends Brian and Lori McCann and canine sister Abby in the Shavertown area. Shamus was a lot of fun to paint! As in all the others, I painted his eyes first, filled with the light of life and the reflections of love! I chose this pose because it reminded me of a photo I painted years ago of my beloved Thumper with his happy tongue hanging out!

My beagle, Thumper, who passed less than 6 months ago, was the most difficult to paint because my tears kept smearing the watercolor. It was a labor of love. 

It may not be raining cats and dogs InSide the Back Mountain this April, but every month is the time for our precious cats and dogs to reign in our lives and our hearts! Many wonderful animals need homes and are always available at shelters and rescues all over NEPA. Each and every one would love to reign in a home! Can you help?

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This article originally appeared in the April 2026 publication of InSide the Back Mountain.