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Happy 2014, everyone! I hope your holidays were pleasant and relaxing. Have you ever embarked on a project and it is all you can think about?! Well that sure is the case around here. Last week I started photographing the kitties available for adoption at the Williamson County Animal Shelter in Franklin. If you have never been to the Williamson County Animal Shelter I encourage you to check it out sometime. This is a shelter that truly cares about the cats and dogs that come through it’s doors. It is also a shelter that has an active volunteer base in the community, which is so wonderful…though more volunteers are needed to tend to the cats.

Photographing kitty-cats in this type of environment is not without its challenges. A good majority of the cats were surrendered by their owners because of moving or minds were they just decided they didn’t want the cats anymore. To a cat lover and guardian this of course is upsetting and makes my heart ache. Pets are a lifetime commitment much like children. How traumatic it must be for kitties to find themselves in situations where they are unwanted by the guardian who cares for them and whom the kitty loves.

Needless to say the kitties are a little frightened, confused and sensitive to every little sound and movement. This scenario makes creating beautiful portraits a little challenging. To most challenges though there is a solution…or multiple solutions. Since this wasn’t a wedding I was photographing (I was a wedding photographer for 10 yrs.) I decided to slow things down and work at a pace that was comfortable for each cat. Taking the time to bond with the kitties…to love on them, calm their fears, play with them and foster a feeling of security in my company was a worthwhile investment of time and energy. Though I am still working out the kinks in photographing the kitties at the shelter, it is my hope these portraits provide a glimpse into the endearing, radiant and whimsical spirits of these sweet loves in need of their real forever homes.

It is my hope the photos pull at your heart strings a little, make you think of a friend looking to open up their heart and home to a kitty and/or another kitty or maybe make you want to volunteer a couple hours a month to a local shelter or rescue. Please help me spread the word about these fur-babies.  To check out more kitties available for adoption click here.

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It’s a common held belief that Christmas is for children.  Seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child is an experience that can even take us back to the days our our own childhood at Christmas.  However, for many adults holiday angst can be somewhat overwhelming and for a number of different reasons.  I can definitely admit to having these feelings at different times in the past. Yet amidst all the frenzy and stress, I am reminded of the spirit of wonder when I see the joy my kitties experience whenever the Christmas Tree is put up.  Sheba, Smokey Robinson and Baby Bear love more than anything to sit under it, play with the ornaments and much to my dismay even topple the tree from time to time.  Last year was Baby Bear’s first Christmas, so lets just say he and Smokey Robinson got a little rambunctious with the tree and there were a few timber moments.  Though this was a little annoying…mainly because it woke us from a dead sleep, we were amused by their Christmas spirit!  A few sandbags later, the tree didn’t budge.  I honestly believe the kitties look forward to Christmas just as much as the other kiddies do…sorry I couldn’t help slipping that in.  The spirit of wonder lives in many.  To be able to experience it through our personal experiences, the eyes of a child, or through the eyes of our beloved fur-babies is a beautiful thing.  The source doesn’t really matter now does it?  For me I am grateful to feel peace, joy, contentment and wonder no matter the source.  Seeing the pleasure that Christmas brings our kitties is something that we look forward to every year even…if that means a few timber moments! Do your cats love Christmas?  Do they enjoy sitting under the Christmas Tree or would they rather climb it?  Whatever the case, I hope you and your fur-babies are in the holiday spirit.  Below are a few photos of Smokey Robinson, Sheba and Baby Bear showing their holiday spirit.  Enjoy!

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What constitutes the American family has been changing for sometime now.  It is becoming more common for individuals to defer marriage until later in life, for couples to forego having children, and for gay couples to adopt.  Family is, and will always be, family no matter how it looks from the outside.  So where does this leave our beloved pets..? or as I like to call them “fur-babies.”

For many couples who don’t want, can’t have, or don’t yet have children; their fur-babies are their children.  I have several friends who do not have children and fall into this category.  My sweetie and I can be added to this category too as we take the steps to have our own children.   Whatever the case, our version of family is cherished albeit the fact it isn’t exactly traditional.  I know there have been times where people have made fun of me, and other animal lovers, for the way we adored our fur-babies.  What some nice and well meaning people may not have realized is that there are also people in the world who may have wanted children but things haven’t quite worked out as hoped.  This can be the case for a variety of reasons.

I guess what I’m trying to say is everyone’s life takes a different path…sometimes by choice and sometimes not.  It doesn’t mean that someone’s life is in anyway less meaningful merely because they regard their fur-babies as their children.  Actually, I have friends who have children who regard their fur-babies as children too, and they make sure their fur-babies never take a backseat.  So the next time someone makes fun of you, or someone else you know, for treating your fur-babies like children I challenge you to gently remind them that just because your version of family is not the same as their’s doesn’t mean that it is any less sacred…it’s just different.

It is a human need to love and nurture, and there are many different types of love.  Whatever the case, it is love that gives our lives purpose, depth, and meaning.  As a cat photographer and cat guardian I believe your feline companions are family members and they deserve to be celebrated with beautiful portraits that honor them now and when they have long passed.  Below are a few photos of my fur-babies: Smokey Robinson and Baby Bear (a.k.a. The Snuggle Brothers).  They are every bit family to me and to one another.  I hope these images brighten your day a little.

Know someone who feels this way?  What are your thoughts on this subject?  Feel free to comment and/or drop me a line anytime at angela@boudoirkittycat.com.

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