From the Artist: No artist's statement.
From the Painting Guide: Despite the inherent difficulties in using a large brush, the artist has endeavoured to convey a sense of the cat's fur. Purple has also been used in the fur; to someone who hasn't got a black cat, this may seem strange. But black cat's aren't totally black, you do see colours such as purple and russet in their fur, particularly when they're lying in the sun. A bit of green from the blanket would likely have been mirrored in the fur too.
From the Painting Guide: Despite the inherent difficulties in using a large brush, the artist has endeavoured to convey a sense of the cat's fur. Purple has also been used in the fur; to someone who hasn't got a black cat, this may seem strange. But black cat's aren't totally black, you do see colours such as purple and russet in their fur, particularly when they're lying in the sun. A bit of green from the blanket would likely have been mirrored in the fur too.