Imogen is a cat of many faces… all of them silly.
KATNISS: Your now Humom came into the shelter, saw your hissterical face and just had to take you home.
IMOGEN: Yeah, I really worked the chin thing and gave her the big eyes.
KATNISS: Wow, I’m impurressed.
IMOGEN: A cat’s got to do what a cat’s got to do to get a furever home, you know?
KATNISS: That I do know. And you were so charming that your Humom now volunteers at the animal shelter, taking photos of the cats so they have a better chance at getting homes.
IMOGEN: Yes, I led her to her true calling. Before she met me, she was photographing national parks and botanical gardens. But now, she’s a purrfessional pet photogra-fur.
Some of the Famous Felines Imogen’s Meowmy has photographed:
@sirthomastrueheart
@wolfie_smiles
@sparrowmcsnaggles
Fennel from @milos_sanctuary
KATNISS: She takes really pawsome pictures. Fur the readers who want to know how to take better cat photos, any tips?
IMOGEN: You want to know the secret to getting great photos of your cat? Treats and lots of them.
KATNISS: Ah, meowtivation.
IMOGEN: I live for treats. I litter-ally scream for them.
KATNISS: Me, too! Several times a day! You wouldn’t believe how loud I can meow!
IMOGEN: I bet I’m louder! I’ve been practicing. My Humom knows if she wants me to make amewsing faces, she’s got to bring out the Temptations.
KATNISS: If the meowing doesn’t work, try rattling some papers or scratching the couch. But back to the photos. Does a Human need to have a high quality camera?
IMOGEN: For social media? Nah. You can get good photos with any camera or smartphone. It’s mostly about the cat’s purrsonality rather than the quality of the photos.
KATNISS: Your Humom gained a lot of pawsitive press for a photography series called the Black Cat Project. Tell me about that.
IMOGEN: Unfurtunately, black kittens take longer to get adopted than other kittens and it’s very sad to see them spend their first months of life in a cage instead of with a family. She took photos of them and the Black Cat Project went viral. We hope it helped some black cats get adopted.
KATNISS: And then there was The Beauty of Blind Cats project. Tell me meowr.
IMOGEN: We believe all cats are beautiful and wanted to showcase blind cats because special needs cats are often overlooked.
KATNISS: What future cat-themed purrojects do you two have lined up?
IMOGEN: We want to do a photo series of senior cats. Older cats are often surrendered to the animal shelter which leaves them feline confused and sad.
KATNISS: My Humom adopted a couple of seniors and they are so grateful, so loving.
IMOGEN: Furreal! But most people come into the shelter looking for kittens, not 13 year-old cats. Senior cats make great lap cats because they’re pretty sedentary. They often tend to be a bit overweight and there’s nothing Humans love more than a fat cat.
KATNISS: You just described my brother, Berkeley. All he does is eat, sleep, purr and snuggle, nothing meowr.
IMOGEN: Something to aspire to.
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Follow Imogen on Instagram and her Meowmy at @CaseyEliseRescues. You can also become a Patron to Imogen’s photographer mom and help more cats get adopted from shelters.
