In one of the books my sister has collected over the years on quilting there was a quote from a woman to the effect that when she was a child they knew never to bother her mother when she was piecing a quilt because sh was "busy" sewing--and it wasn't until she was grown and married and had children of her own and was also making quilts that she realized this was the only way her mother ever had time of her own. I loved the subversiveness of this while also being appalled at what this said about these women's perceived right to an existence that didn't involve devoting every minute to other people.

Have fun with your cat preservation project.