Boost your camera skills, one cat photo at a time!
We have some exciting news this week!
Harvey’s story, and my first published short story, has been accepted for the anthology ‘Purrseverance – Inspiring Stories of Cat Resilience and Hope‘ and will be published on 11th April 2024. You can order your own copy of the ebook on Amazon (Kindle) or BookBaby.
Paper copies of the book are available on Amazon (Affiliate link).
Last week’s Thursday photography post was derailed by my favourite model tabby cat Toulouse. Drama and a trip to the vet followed because the darned cat got a UTI!
I hope this post will be helpful for beginner cat owners and those whose cat has never been diagnosed with a Urinary Tract Infection known as a UTI for short. This was a learning exerience for me as the worst we have coped with recently, as a cat family, have been flea allergies, abcesses and scratches.
I heard this suggestion from a vet at a cat health seminar here in New Zealand several years ago. He suggested that if you know what your cat’s day to day, normal life and habits are then any change in this will make you sit up and take notice. It was this that made me realise that we had a problem on our hands.
You know, better than anyone, your cat’s moods and behaviour. You quickly learn their likes and dislikes. We can all identify with responses like ‘That expensive cat food? No thanks…’ or ‘All I want is one more Churu pleeeeeze’. Without you realising it, over time your cat’s actions and reactions, foibles and quirks become part of your daily life. They are your cat’s ‘normal’ when life is good.
It’s when things deviate from this ‘normal’ baseline you have a valuable (and free) indication that something might be wrong. Let me relate this to our boy Toulouse to give you an idea of how a change might feel and look.
A bladder infection (often called a UTI or cystitis), is a bacterial infection inside the bladder. Bladder infections are usually occur if there is another medical problem present affecting the urinary tract (i.e. bladder stones, diabetes, kidney disease, etc.,). They rarely develop without an underlying cause and for this reason, if your cat develops a UTI your vet will check for other problems as well.
PDSA.org
For us, Toulouse has never yowled in the night. Scampers and zoomies yes, sad cries definitely not happened before. Another indicator was his listless behaviour. Our tabby is usually a vibrant and sparky pesonality who chatters, which is his own ‘normal’. Yowls are definitely out of character.
I saw Toulouse sat in the litter tray as I walked into the room. I thought nothing of it until I realised five minutes later that he was stlll there. A faint alarm bell rang but he seemed OK hopping out of the little tray leaving a very small damp patch. He then hurried out into the garden ready to play with his best friend who lives next door, or so I thought.
Later I spotted him in a corner of the garden squatting, again for too long, before getting up and walking a short distance. He flopped down looking glum and subdued. A second alarm bell and I began to be a bit concerned, thinking Toulouse might be constipated, or have a tummy upset.
He came in for a treat which gave me the chance to do a quick body check, running my hands along his body for anything unusual like a swelling, a bite mark or scratch but found nothing.
Poop Problem
Royal Canin
If one or several of the organs in your cat’s digestive tract become inflamed, they will experience digestive discomfort and their food could be irritating their system….. [Common Cat Digestive Problems)
Toulouse seemed to be happy in himself as the day went on, he wanted supper and enjoyed a few treats before bedtime.
But things became a little more serious overnight.
Twice during the night Toulouse yowled rather sadly and I gave him one of his favourite Puree Kisses with .4 of Meloxicam. At this point cat dad and I decided we needed to call the vet when they opened the following morning. This was very out of character.
For less experienced cat owners, remember cats are great at pretending they are well, even if they are in pain.
Cats are resilient and astonishingly good at hiding any kind of discomfort. This is a cause of frustration for every cat lover not just new cat families .
I rang the veterinary surgery and explained Toulouse’s symptoms and behaviour. They immediately asked us to bring him down and leave him at the surgery for the day for observation and treatment.
I realised that Toulouse was not well but I had no idea what was wrong and, at this early stage, it could have been a bladder infection or ‘poop’ issue. I have included a quote/link on basic digestive issues, in case your cat goes the ‘poop route’, as well as a link from a trusted British site that briefly outlines urinary problems in cats.
As with our visit, yours will begin with an examination of your cat and the vet will take note of any thing you can report. If worries about ‘what’ and ‘when’ details vanish from your mind make a note or add it to a smartphone note app like I did for Toulouse:
It turned out that Toulouse was blocked and could not pee. He was sedated and the blockage removed. After the very quick surgery he was put on a drip to hydrate him.
Toulouse was collected later in the afternoon by cat dad and brought home. He was happy to be back in familiar surroundings but did not really settle until I arrived home from teaching a student and made a gentle fuss on our ‘poor boy’.
To help recovery, the vet recommend that Toulouse be put on a restricted diet of urinary food (Royal Canin and Hill’s) for at least the next six weeks when he has his next check up. From here we only have to convince him that urinary food is the world’s best cat food….
If you are in any doubt about your cat and a possible health issue contact your veterinarian. If we’d have left Toulouse a day or more his discomfort would have got much worse. Imagine not being able to go to the toilet, much as you wanted to,
Never dismiss a niggling worry about something new or unfamiliar. Your cat will thank you, even if they hate going to the vet.
If your diagnosis is something more challenging than Toulouse’s bladder problems you will find that there are established groups and web sites online. Never be afraid to ask for help.
Some are whole web sites devoted to feline medical conditions as well as Facebook (FB) groups. FB groups have a lot of cat owners who pool knowledge, experience and support.
Today, as promised last week, some sweet captures of Wellington Zoo’s baby giraffe Nia.
In the first photograph you will see the Nia who was born in December 2023. From this picture you will not be able to guess at her size at all but, like every giraffe she has a unique neck pattern of spots which is how staff tell them apart.
According to Wellington Zoo, due to a rapidly falling population in the last few decades, these beautiful animals are now classed as ‘vulnerable to extinction‘ due to issues like habitat loss and illegal hunting. The thought of no Giraffes is too terrible to think about.
In these photographs you can see how small Nia actually is as she stands beside Sunny the male giraffe. He was very protective of his small family member and I think this was because the fine weather had brought a lot of families to the zoo.
Giraffes spend up to 20 hours a day feeding, but you’re unlikely to catch them sleeping it off – Giraffes sleep the least of any mammal, and only need between 10 minutes and two hours of sleep each day.
Wellington Zoo
A favourite giraffe capture is this one. It’s almost as if Nia and Sunny are posing sweetly for the camera isn’t it? The charm of giraffes, their grace and beauty captures the heart and I always stop to take photographs of them before exploring the Zoo further.
This last image below shows baby giraffe Nia and Sunny wandering up the enclosure’s slope and still the adult is looking after the small giraffe.
This week’s Thursday post got derailed by Toulouse falling ill. He is on the road to recovery and I will report on what happened next Thursday along with some lovely portraits of the boy.
This week’s short post shows how I captured some wonderful shots to share during our summer visit to Wellington Zoo. Like every good photographer I was after a unique shot but did I get one? Let me show you my tongue out Tuesday surprise including the camera settings I used.
At the giraffe enclosure I hit the jackpot. Not only did I see a new baby giraffe, which I will share next week, but I captured the funniest shot ever (for me). An absolutely amazing giraffe having a munch of lunch.
For those using their DSLR, I was using my 55-250 mm zoom lens as I was about four metres (16 feet approx.) away from the Giraffes on a raised platform. I got the cool shot that I know will make everyone laugh on Instagram too (dashkittenphotos) when I schedule it for Tongue Out Tuesday.
One thing you can’t see it which matters for this photograph.Visitors approach the giraffes on a raised walkway which allows them to see the giraffe from the animal’s eye level and get a good look at these wonderful beasts. The raised viewpoint allowed me to get as close as I could, then adjust my zoom lens, take a steadying breath and fire off a handfull of shots.
Find out more about Giraffes on Wikipedia
I thought you might like to see the dimensions of my Canon DSLR zoom. This is the lens that sits on my camera most of the time (unless I am doing cat closeups) It is taller than my kit DSLR lens (which would come up to about the words Canon in this photo). It does make the camera a bit heavier but the lens can take super sharp shots and is so versatile. I use it a lot for my cat portraits and, alongside my small 50 mm lens, the pair works for me.
Have you ever stumbled upon a forgotten photo tucked away in a dusty box, a faded image that sparks a flood of memories as it falls out of an envelope or from the pages of a folder or book? You pause for a moment, lost in thought as memories of a cat, or an event come flooding back.
Let me share my experience as I learned how to handle a unique and treasured photograph. After reading this, I believe that you will be more confident when handling your own image and preserving it for the future as a paper and digital memory.
Some time ago I found, carefully preserved inside a book, an old photograph of Dash Kitten. Dash was my blog’s inspiration and its Founder Cat so I was thrilled to see it again. It had been preserved flat with a small amount of surface damage, and a slightly yellow tint.
Keep the image flat and in a safe place where it cannot be bent. If you have acid-free tissue paper or cardboard to keep your image flat use this. Otherwise a rigid protection of some kind and a clear label on the outside. Your image might still be in a folder from a professional photographic studio. Leave it there, if so.
I wanted, as you would, to share my image with Dash’s many friends who still remember him with a lot of affection? But, as photo restoration was new territory for me I sat down at my computer and did some detective work. I gathered options and details on restoring vintage photographs. Being prepared so you know your options with an old and valuable image matters so you can make an informed decision.
I realised that the image needed specialised work and called in professional help in the form of a local photography bureau in Lower Hutt, Camera House. They are a long established print house who are busy dealing with the recent surge in popularity of film cameras and developing images. They deal with everything from old found family film rolls to ‘where is the cat in this picture’ challenges that need sharpening and adjusting
The staff told me the range of options available for my image and I decided that a high quality digital scan as well as a top quality print were good options to try. The bureau would also remove surface damage from the digital scan.
Yes, I know, you can scan your own image and then spend time repairing surface scratches and sharpening the image yourself. If you have the time, skill and the photo software and scanner but many don’t so a bureau is helpful.
The digital image of Dash was returned to me after a few days by email and, as you can see from the first image in this post, the results are excellent.
The surface damage on the original has been removed, it was more physical that visible, and the picture looks as good as new, I was thrilled. I have so few images of Dash Kitten that finding one that is clear is important for me. It also, on a positive note has allowed me to start doing something social media friend Bode’s Mom Sylvia suggested I do several years ago, which is make a series of tribute images for Dash.
Involving a photo bureau to revive an older photo is an investment of your time and money. They will be able to ‘repair’ your original by creating a perfect copy with no bent corners then return the original and any copies to you.
If you are not sure how to approach a local bureau, make a list of what you would like them to do before you visit. Do you want to repair a digital image? Do you want printed copies and a digital file copy? Get them to quote you for the work so you stay within your budget. You will be supporting a company in your local community, and be able to call them if you need advice.
You probably have your own treasured memento hidden in a corner somewhere. A photo of you and your first cat, you as a small child on the beach, or a formal wedding photo of Mum or Grandma looking their beautiful best.
I hope now that you will feel encouraged to breath life into these important glimpses into family history and images of cats from the past. Small square black and white memories may have a creased edge, and faded shots may have lost colour but images can be restored and digitised for sharing with friends and family and they mean so much.
You may not be able to stop time, but you can preserve and share precious memories with a little bit of help, just like Dash and I.
