Necronomicon; The Cats of Ulthar; Cat Breeds

I've picked two tales to illustrate so far, the second being The Cats of Ulthar - this story tells a tale of an old couple who killed cats until they ended up killing the wrong cat; from this point, every cat in Ulthar kills and eats the couple - as it would imply in the name, this story focuses heavily on the feline race, and so to create more effective imagery, I would like to look at different breeds of cat that I could use in the illustrations

American Curl (Image Source)

The ears resemble horns, and the characteristic light fur colours of this breed would make a good backing for blood stains.


Bombay  (Image Source)

For the simple reason of superstition; the only acceptable fur colour for this breed is black (as old folktales go, black cats symbolise bad luck). The contrasting bright yellow eyes could make for some good colour splash opportunities.

Cornish Rex (Image Source)

Very similar to the sphinx breed in body type (sphinxes typically unnerve people) however, accompanied with strange fur texture that would be interesting to draw.

Sphynx (Image Source)

As mentioned before, sphinx cats tend to unnerve people - could easily be drawn in a horror/macabre light, with slender limbs and tails slightly exaggerated.

Norwegian Forest Cat (Image Source)

Presented alongside the average sized housecat, the norwegian forest cat is the black haired one on the right. The size of these cats is impressive, with huge paws and claws that look like they could do some serious damage.

Munchkin (Image Source)

In using these cats, I would hope that their permanent kitten faces and cute features would unnerve viewers in the same way that child-like monsters (such as changelings) are used in horror/macabre.

Turkish Van (Image Source)

It is required of this breed that the main body of their fur be coloured white - again, an interesting backdrop for blood stains. What sets this breed apart, however, is their natural love of water; something I hope to use to unnerve viewers - it's strange to see a cat swim.

All of the above breeds are possible candidates to be featured in my illustrations - though I am not limited to one, I would not like to use all of these breeds as I feel the vast range of body types and features may detract from any pieces (however this is just my decision for now and is susceptible to change). All of the breeds have their pros and cons, though I will make no decisions until I have studied drawing them all.

For primary observation regarding the cats, I have cats of my own whose expressions and body language I can study for reference.