Pictures & stories

A photo is often an adopter's first impression of your foster cat. It needs to grab attention and give insight into the cat's personality. Blurry, dimly lit and (to put it frankly) bad photos aren't really doing the cat any favors. But bright, funny, cute and interesting photos will get everyone talking! You don't need to be a professional photographer, and most smartphones have decent cameras.

Things to think about when photographing a cat:

• Background - is there a dirty litter box? Laundry strewn about? You don't need to set up a photo studio, but ensure that anything in the background of the image is tidy and appropriate.
• Lighting / time of day - natural lighting is always ideal, although not always possible. See if you can capture your cat when the room is at its brightest (usually in the morning), and preferably with the light shining at the cat, and not behind it.
• Engagement - is the cat looking at the camera, or is it mid-blink? Did a flash go off and make the cat look like it has lasers for eyes? Experiment with camera placement. Getting on the same level as the cat often helps, as well as making silly noises or using a toy to get the cat's attention.
• Action - what is the cat doing? Are all of your photos of the cat napping? Try to capture different parts of your cat's routine - playing, cuddling, window-watching, using enrichment items, etc. Photos of cats yawning are often great for making fun captions, but are trickier to capture on camera. Avoid taking photos of your cat eating or using the litter box - they're usually not at their most photogenic.
• People and other animals - if your foster cat is super social, or gets along with resident pets or children, include them in some of the photos! It helps an adopter picture the cat in their own home.