Have you ever heard of kitten photography? If you ever told me that I’d used my finely honed newborn wrapping skills to photograph a cat, I would definitely have laughed and said “never.” But that, my friends, is just what happened last Sunday. Just another outcome of this pandemic, I suppose.
Yoshi the Cat’s Story
A client turned friend (L) emailed me one day updating me on the goings on in her life. L said pregnancy brain had just been made worse by the fact that her husband brought home a kitty! I exclaimed something to the point of “well that’s some added responsibility,” but come to find out, her husband (E) has a real soft spot for baby animals and this little guy has a good story. E works in roofing, you see. A week prior, a cat mama and her new liter had been discovered in a house’s attic.
The proper authorities were called to come collect that cats, but when E arrived to work to repair the roof, he heard some strange noises. A co-worker even asked E why he was “meowing,” thinking E was just being silly because this was the “cat attic.” But those meows were real. Soon, E spotted two reflective eyes in the dark corner of the attic. While it is absolutely heartbreaking to me that Yoshi was left behind, E was absolutely the right person to find and rescue the kitty.
Getting Kitten Yoshi Home
E called his wife, and asked L if he could please bring the poor little kitten home with him. I can say if it were me I would be in complete and utter disbelief at this request, but we know E loves baby animals, so it likely didn’t come as such a shock. She was hesitant – I mean we’re all stuck at home, during a pandemic – L with a toddler to care for and a baby on the way. I know I’d be thinking “how in the world am I going to find time for this?!”
But then he sent her a photo. And seriously, people, I’m allergic to cats but when I saw this little dude, I wanted him, so how could she resist?? Later, she told me that she did let her husband know he needed to make a stop at the Veterinarian to have the kitty examined. He passed with flying colors, a happy, healthy, 5 week old kitten.
Newborn Kitten Photography
So L told me some of this in her E-mail. I laughed and wished her luck. But then *I* saw a photo of Yoshi a week later. And he is SO CUTE! I immediately messaged L again and told her newborn kitten photography is a thing, and asked “so when are you coming in?” We laughed, myself hysterically, and I showed her an example and of course she thought it was cute as can be and asked about how we could do it.
Making a Plan for Kitten Photos
Once Yoshi’s session was set, L and I talked more about the logistics of capturing a sleeping cat. Being used to human babies, I’m reliant on a good feeding easing baby into a sleepy mood, but I wasn’t sure if cats were similar. Turns out a couple weeks prior, it may have been, but by now Yoshi is 7 weeks old and eating regular food (no milk drunk baby cat anymore). But L told me he plays for about “20 minutes and then passes out mid-play.” We booked a 1hour session (but of course as with all babies, I gave a big buffer) and I put together two sets for Kitty’s First Photo Session!
The Day of the Kitten Photoshoot
Yoshi is the MOST. CURIOUS. CAT. I’ve ever met! He wanted to look at everything within reach. He could care less about me, but my camera, stool, light stand, etc – all delighted him far more than any toy. Until I pulled out my felted heart. About an hour (and 0 posed photos) in, Yoshi finally wanted to play with me. String and that felt heart had him rolling around in no time, and of course I was dying from the cuteness overload.
It took a little more than 20 minutes, but when he got sleepy, he curled up on L and passed out. Moving him into the first prop was a trick, but I captured a few images of him naturally curled up before I got brave. A sleeping kitten might just be as cute as a sleeping child. And a sleeping kitten is DEFINITELY easier to keep asleep! (Other than that sleeping soundly part, kitten photography is loads more difficult than my usual newborn session). So… I swaddled a cat! As delicately as I would reposition a newborn, I scooped him up, set him in my lap, and did my thing!
Just What I Needed
This pandemic has been challenging, to say the least. I’ve been luck to still be able to have sessions with clients, but most definitely not in the capacity I usually do. Everything about this came together at the right time. We were able to take all the precautions necessary to conduct the session safely, and vaccinations meant we were even further protected. I might not have considered this a year ago, or even a year from now, but thanks to E bringing home a baby kitty at just the right time, that kitten made my freaking day! So… if you’re looking for some kitten photography… contact me!
