Herding Cats

Yesterday was another photo day at the Salt Lake County Animal Shelter.   They had a ton of cats that needed photos taken, and I set about herding cats.  Ten of them to be specific.  Unlike dogs who can usually be bribed in one manner or another to cooperate for photos, cats clearly think accepting bribes is beneath them.  So, I just let the cats do their thing and hoped for the best....  Which sometimes worked out, and sometimes not.  I actually have several more good photos of most of the cats that I'll post when I get to them (I've got a busy couple of days ahead of me), but I was trying to get something to the shelter as quickly as possible.

First up was "Cat 02" - he didn't have a name yet (Cat 02 was his kennel designation), and I believe he actually got adopted about 10 minutes after I photographed him  (his potential family asked me what I knew about the cats, and I was able to say he was playful and enjoyed cuddles - of which was true, and clearly a selling point for his new family).

With a face like that, you knew he wouldn't stick around long enough to get a name!

Zip was also on my list, and was very interested in exploring everything he could climb on/leap off of.

"Why are you not letting me leap out of this box, Lady With Cat Treats?  There are things to explore."

Quebert was still recovering from some surgery (the shaved patches on his legs are where they put IVs in for surgery) but he was all about getting scratchies.  Which meant that I had to give scratchies with one hand while holding the camera with the other, and hope that I could get a picture as soon as I took my hand away!

Fritz just looked like he needed a bowtie.  I'm not sure Fritz completely agreed with me, but I had enough cat treats to keep his complaining to a minimum.

Skeeter, on the other hand, didn't mind the tie, but was really interested in exploring (which is a nice way of saying I couldn't figure out how to get him to stay put long enough for a decent photo...).

Patriot, on the other hand, was a big mush - all he wanted were scratchies, and so the give-scratchies-with-one-hand-and-use-the-camera-with-the-other technique came in quite handy with him.

Seahawk was another 'explorer'.  Yes, I need to develop some better cat handling techniques.

Bruno Mars was a kitten with a strong desire to leap up to the highest spots in the room.  Which made him a great cat to play with, but another challenge to photograph.  One of the great things about working with the animal shelter is that I will have plenty of opportunities to hone my dog and cat handling and photographing skills!

Catch me now, lady!

More photos to come, but at least the shelter has something beyond a cell phone picture, and I had a grand time!