In case you haven't been paying attention to my Facebook page, I've been photographing for the Madison Animal Rescue Foundation (MARF). I started fostering for MARF several months ago. We all know what a cat is like in public - they're stubborn, rambunctious, fearful, and sometimes downright angry. In order to get cats adopted, they need a way to present the cats to the public when they are relaxed and showing their best side. That's where I come in. Some I photograph at adoptions, but most are scheduled in a calm environment with a few props to make them extra pretty.
I've photographed over 40 cats and kittens for MARF so far. The ones featured here are still available for adoption, looking for that special forever home.
This is Belle. A beautiful lady who is very confused right now. Her owner recently passed away leaving several cats homeless, including Belle. Belle is middle-aged at 6, meaning she's a bit more laid back and she's not likely to wake you up at 2:00 in the morning running like a wildebeest up and down the hall. Belle is also good with other cats and declawed. She would like to have a safe home again, can you give her one? She wants to find a nice lady to love her and let her sit close by and get attention. Belle is shy at first, but will stay by your side once she knows you.
After meeting Belle several times, she started to get a little comfortable with me and so I was able to photograph her in the adoption room during an adoption event. After I put a cloth down on the chair, she happily sat for me.
Betty is a spunky, long haired little angel - except that she thinks 'play biting' is a game. She is still in training with her foster mom to learn better behaviors, but she is making great strides. She prefers people, but can get along with other cats if they are to her liking. Betty wants affection and petting ALL the time on her terms.
Just for the record, although I was warned that I might receive a few nips during this photo session, Betty was nothing but sweet and easy going with me. This allowed me to get some great shots of her posing with props.
And now we come to my two foster babies, Butterfinger and his sister, Isabella. Here's a candid shot of them lounging on their cat tree together. This is a typical pose for both of them.
Isabella is a very shy girl, but a very
beautiful cinnamon patched tabby. Though, very timid, she is also very
playful and loves to steal my yarn balls and
carry them throughout the house. Butters has completely transformed
from the angry kitten who first came to me, to the calm, friendly boy he
is now who likes to greet you at the door. Isabella draws a lot of
comfort from her brother and is very nervous without him. If you have
room in your heart and hearth for two, these buddies would love to go
together. If you simply can't take two cats, Isabella will need a lot of
special attention to manage her nervousness, but she's worth it.
Butters took a few minutes out of his busy schedule of running around the room playing to pose for me, and look adoringly at me.
I really cannot take too much credit for this lucky shot of her meowing at me. Isabella has the strange quirk of talking to me the entire time I have a camera out, in little chirps and meows. 
Piper is an amazingly beautiful grey manx. She was previously featured as one our Divine Divas, since she is both affectionate AND feisty. Piper knows what she likes. She is fearless exploring the house, but still growls when she meets up with another cat. Other cats they scare her very much - if you see her at adoptions, she will be very grouchy for the same reason. Piper is very playful and loves people. She prefers being the only cat, but could co-exist with another calm cat. She needs a calm house with no small children to build up her confidence and bring out her loving side.
Despite her reputation of being very hard to work with, Piper was wonderful during this photoshoot (perhaps because there were no other cats in the room), and her beauty shone through. I photographed about 20 cats that day, and the ones of her are my favorite.
Garfield very quickly became my favorite cat at MARF. I'm a bit of an old person myself, so we got along great. He would sit right where I put him, making him very easy to photograph.
Took photos of this lady as a "just in case." I was told that MARF already had some good photographs of her, but if I had extra time I could photograph her. These shots are the work of just a few minutes. A wonderful lady, who held nice and still for me.
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I've also put together a few photoshopped works for MARF advertising older and hard to adopt cats. They consist of photographs I took of Piper and Allie, along with a clipart image of a clock and decorative text.
Some of us humans age like a fine wine - Tina Turner, Johnny Depp, Sean Connery - and some of us age like Joan Rivers. But all cats, given the opportunity, age with grace and refinement. The whirly gigs of time turns for us all, and the wild kitten becomes the easy going companion, no longer as demanding, and more appreciative of the time spent with her, ready to forge actual relationships and not just raising a cry when their food bowl becomes empty. They may be set in their ways at middle age, needing a little extra time to get used to a new home, but they are also not likely to storm up and down the hallway like a stampeding wildebeest at 2:00 in the morning, or wake you again to be fed at 5:00 by trying to pry your eyelids open. Sometimes it's just nice to come home and have someone to sit next to you, someone to just relax with. We has many older and hard to place cats that have been with us for a while. We say it's time these wonderful cats found homes. Do you have a cozy corner in your heart for them?
As always, click on any photo to see it a bit larger. Thanks for reading and sharing!
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