More Than A Feline

Introduction - Why I Am Writing This

Yeah the title is a deliberate take on the Boston song which kicks off one of the best sides of a vinyl album that you will ever hear, but this is not about Boston it is about cats, the ones that I meet on my daily walks.

As you know I am not a pet person, I am not a children person, I love them as long as I can give them back, though I did raise two wonderful daughters and in my past have had some lovely dogs, but that was then and this is now. I am still in close contact with my daughters and granddaughter, but now on to the cats.

In Fenham The Cats Own The Neighbourhood

I once shared a photograph of a cat sitting on a wall with a friend from across the water and she was worried that the cat was lost or abandoned and wanted me to take him to a cat shelter if I saw him again. I told her the cats around here owned the neighbourhood and shared more pictures and that became Cats of Vocal.

I Love To Photograph Cats

Twenty years ago this probably wouldn’t have been an option, then we were just moving to digital cameras but I was still on film, which meant a limit of 36 photographs which you took, sent off to be developed and then hoped that the photographs turned out, most of the time they didn’t.

Now we have our phones with excellent cameras and cloud storage which means we can take as many photographs as we want with no real limitation., which is good because I do meet a lot of cats.

As I have said I am not a pet person, because I am too selfish and lazy, but I get a huge lift when cats actually sit and pose for me and even sometimes come to be petted and stroked.

I enjoy sharing the pictures on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and I get some beautifully joyful responses, especially on Facebook.

Often when I photograph cats I get to meet and know their owners or people who live near them. All of them are good-natured and we find we have a lot in common and look forward to seeing each other in the future. I have been offered wine, tea and soft drinks as well and some say just knock on our door when you are passing.

The Benefits of Photographing Cats

I find this situation wonderfully invigorating and essentially it is down tp me going out for a walk and looking for cats to share on Cats of Vocal. The benefits of this are enormous, but I am lucky that I live in an area where cats can roam without fear of attack or being run over by cars.

Owners look out for each other's cats and sometimes when I ask for the cats' names I get told that these cats are just visitors.

Some are magnificent specimens, so are scruffy, some are pristine, some look worse for wear, some are just out of kittenhood and some are very old, but all are wonderful.

Normally I get five to ten photographs when I go out, but yesterday I got nearly forty (about eight cats with five photographs or videos each) which was a heck of a lot even for me.

The walking I do to see the cats and explore new potential areas is hugely beneficial to my well-being.

Conclusion

Cats are definitely beneficial to me. I will continue to photograph and share them with you but it’s unlikely I will ever share my house with one, although a few visit me.

Please like Cats of Vocal on Facebook and post your cat pictures on social media with the #CatsOfVocal hashtag.

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