11/02/17

My second voluntary session at Animals in Distressed started with a furry white bunny.... so cute and friendly. Donned in some glamorous protective overalls (to stop any cross contamination spreading to my 2 bunnies) I was welcomed by a gorgeous rex rabbit Pippin, who had been sick with Coccidiosis. Straight away he was running around, doing loads of binkies as I took position laying on the ground to capture his best angles. Poor Pippin was going through a funny shed stage so was missing a strip of fur on his back which was a bit of a challenge to work with, but his cheeky character was something that shone through. At times, all he wanted to do was cuddle and climb all over his new friend (me), I tried to explain to him that it just isn't easy to photograph him if he's climbing up my back and sat on my bum! He was a various curious of his surroundings and in true rabbit stretch style would sit on his bum stand up straight to check out what was happening. Rabbit are such curious animals, I slowley moved some of his cardboard boxes around his huge pen which he led him to play a bit of peek-a-boo then would race around like a speeding bullet. Pippin was certainly one character I will remember, I hope he will find a forever home where he can explore and enjoy the life he deserves.

So onwards to the cattery, today was a great insight into the various characters of cats and the importance of understanding body language. Cats are very independent but do love a good stroke if they feel like it. The cats I photographed today couldn't be so varied in character if you tried. Charlie was one again very bright and lively domestic shorthaired, used to live in a rural setting so very much into his hunting, I get the impression he loved our time together as I wiggled various teasers and noise making toy mice his way, he was very distracted by everything and excited by anything that moves and squeaks!

How very different Pickles and Kitty were. These 2 knew what they like and what they don't. It took kitty a while to come out of hiding, a lot of teasing and tempting with her dried food eventually brought her out of her hiding place for 5 minutes or so enabling me to get some lovely photos of her, cats can be very quick to change their mind on if they have had enough of something, Kitty is a prime example of that, very sweet and pretty but very much a strong cat who knows what she likes. Pickles also a strong independent cat enjoys her warm cosy bed, she did come down to say hello for very short time before heading back where it warm and safe for her.

As with all animals, patience is key, even if an animal is confident, a new noise like the camera shuttle clinking can cause a bit of confusion and upset. I am learning that you must always respect their environment, respect them and understand that you are new in their world, their world which can be pretty unsettling at times. Patience is something I am getting better at, I have no time limit but will always assess if I think my furring friend may have had enough.

As I write this blog, I always have a little check to see how my new furry friends are doing, and I am pleased to see the yelllow band exclaiming RESERVED running across Pippins profile.... so pleased that Pippin may have found his new forever home. Lets wish him the best and all the other animals seeking their forever homes.

TTFN until the next instalment