A Tuxedo Cat Photo Journey

I wanted to do a series of portraits, similar to the ones that won me a Muse® Medallion for Sam the foster cat. Teddy, our cat with a tuxedo, is a photogenic cat and can look cute or serious.

The image collection is more variable in quality as, at the time I began to take photos, half my mind was worried about his health and wellbeing, and the other half worried about carrying a camera and making him nervous. I have taken some lovely portraits this year and I know you will enjoy seeing the photograps and the quick slideshow.

The first photograph was a rather unfocused smartphone shot but as I tell everyone taking photographs of your cat; a blurry shot that captures a moment is as important as the pinsharp shot you spend hours working towards. The family were just gaining his confidence when I took the first shot and in this picture you can see how thin Teddy is. There is a lot of light between his body and the wall he is stood on.

Teddy began by eating about four sachets of Whiskas a day, he likes Fancy Feast and raw now! He would not come any closer than this spot which is two metres (almost six feet) off the ground and for so long I despaired of grabbing him and bringing him inside.

After about four months as summer started to cool and the rains set in, we became concerned about Teddy’s future. He had begun to move further down the sloping wall so we waited until he reached a point where I picked him off th wall and literally walked into the house and into our spare bedroom.

Teddy stayed in this safe haven for the next two months and, no he did not want to leave! No bolting out when the door opened, no frantic howling to be let out. He scratched at the carpet near the door but we think this was because he was on his own and wanted to reach us.

Teddy was approximately four years old and had not been neutered. He is in good health and now has his first inoculations (with the booster when he goes in for his snip surgery in two weeks time). He is otherwise in good health and will also be chipped when he is under anaesthetic.

Dash Kitten

During thus time, mid September, I was able to capture this lovely portrait with it’s shallow depth of field, using portrait mode on my smartphone. Your own phone is a great place to start with portraits. No extra expense but if you love the results you will have the chance to create canvas prints or cards because the quality of usually good enough.

The next portrait shows a more confident Teddy and this one was taken with my DSLR camera. Again not perfect but a valuable record of his growing confidence and his willingness to fit in. He was eventually let out of the bedroom during the daytime (supervised) so he could find his place within the Dash Kitten family.

Was Teddy A Lost Cat?

Needless to say we had circulated images of Teddy extensively on social media to make sure he was not a lost pet. Facebook has local lost and found pets groups for most areas of New Zealand.

However, we thought that for him to reach the age of four and not be neutered he must have been abandoned. As you know an unneutered tom can create all kinds of trouble and smells. We had expected the worst before his surgery but Teddy did not spray once when he was inside he has never sprayed.

As time has gone on, Teddy had gained confidence, and found his ‘level’ within the family heirarchy. His favourite toy is Dash’s old circular ball toy similar to the Play and Scratch from Catit. Dash loved it because the ball never rolled out of his reach, he was partially sighted, and it fascinates Teddy.

After many months, Teddy was able to go outside. This time, however, you can just see the blue cat collar he is wearing and he is newly microchipped. [PLEASE chip your cat or dog!) Teddy looks quietly confident outside and he takes great pleasure from following us round the garde. When we come back inside, he does too. He rarely stays outside long and never after dark, he loves our company.

A Happy Tuxedo Home At Last

Fast forward-ish at Teddy’s ambling pace and we find him in a place he made his own, a large plant pot! This is one of my favourite phographs of a cat ever. Home, in a place he loves.

This is a New Zealand native tree called a Karamu. It is a small tree of the Coprosma family. The tree grows well in our garden and I hope to plant this one outside next spring. This photo appeared earlier on the blog.

Do you agree with me that this is one happy tuxedo cat who has found a safe haven and does not mind being a cat model in the slightest? A rather special one with a fondness for plant pots.