Here at Cats’ Castle Cat Hotel, we specialize in cat boarding, not photography! We often have customers in need of long term cat boarding, and we want these customers to feel that they can stay connected to their fur-family while they are away on business or vacation! For this reason, we try to stay proactive about giving owners updates on their kitties while they are staying at the cat hotel. But you know the phrase, “A picture says a thousand words” – and nothing quite completes an update like a photo showing your kitty enjoying themselves and feeling at home!
Now, if you’ve ever tried to take a snapshot of your kitty – or kitties- I’m sure you’ll understand how difficult it can be! These guys do not sit still long enough to hold a pose, and many are camera shy and hide when we pull out our fancy devices! Below are some of the tips and tricks that we’ve learned along the way to make your photo-shoot a little more successful!
1. Have a partner: The most valuable thing you can have with you during a pet photo-shoot, hands down, is a partner! Not only can a partner keep a cats attention by waving their arms like a maniac, or making odd noises while you hide behind the lens and click away – but they can also toss toys, point lasers, or brush and pet kitties to allow you to capture playful moments on camera.
2. Be patient: The best pictures often come from you just letting cats do their own thing! Sit and watch the cat, this is how you get those priceless picks! You’ll catch them watching birds out of the window, climbing cat trees, stalking toys or even grooming themselves.
(Here a guest is cleaning his nails; but it looks like he is laughing his buns off!)
3. Bring out the toys: Everyone loves an action shot! Rolling a ball, or playing with string toys can bring the predator in your kitty out to play, and if you time it just right, you can catch the moment! Laser pointers are perfect to get your kitty going – or holding the laser pointer still may hold your kitty’s gaze long enough for you to snap the perfect pic! These can also be used when making videos!
4.Natural light: Sunlight will be your best friend when you’re taking pet pictures! If you can catch them basking in the sun, don’t hesitate to grab your camera! The light really makes their fur glow, and their eyes bright! Not to mention they are probably totally relaxed in the sunshine! You can also stage this, if you’re pet isn’t already in the sunshine you may try to lure them over with some treats!
(Here is a gorgeous shot of a guest soaking in some rays!)
5. Catnip, catnip, and catnip: …And treats. Treats are great to get a kitties attention, or to lure them into certain places (ie. In the sun!!), but nothing beats catnip. Catnip can get your kitty active and doing some pretty interesting things! They often roll around in the catnip and strike adorable poses, or they get very excited and start to play around a little more. Some kitties even like to take their time, and lick up all of the little catnip flakes, and this is a perfect opportunity to take some photos while your kitty is sitting still! Sometimes you even catch them with their tongues out, or their mouths open which can lead to some pretty humorous pictures!
Feel free to check us out, putting these tricks into action by visiting our Twitter and Facebook pages! We upload pictures almost every day to these sites, and have multiple photo albums dedicated to photo-shoots!