Name: Blitzen
Age: 3 years
Sex: Female
Breed: Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

For a cat with a very cold-weather name, Blitzen sure does love to bask in the warm summer sun…

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Name: Kiery
Age: 1 year
Sex: Female
Breed: Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

Kiery is one seriously photogenic cat. Usually I only post 1-2 photos of any single cat, but she was such a phenomenal model that I am posting the 3 best (of the 20 or so good ones that she gave me).

While in reality Kiery may be a normal domestic cat, as you will see, she believes that she is actually a mountain lion. Good thing she didn’t try to eat me (just my camera strap!)

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Names: Unknown
Ages: Between 2-5 months
Sex: Male and Female
Breed: All Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

It is an absolutely beautiful day here in Chicago. In honor of this lovely day, and the fact that it is Friday, photogenic felines presents: Kitten Friday!

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Name: Huckleberry
Age: 5 Years
Sex: Male
Breed: Norwegian Forest Cat/Maine Coon Mix

The reaction when people see Huckleberry is often one of disbelief and awe. The length, thickness, and volume of his fur puts that of your average domestic long hair or Persian to shame. Is it really natural for a house cat to be that big and puffy? Why, yes it is; but only if you have some Norwegian and some Maine in your blood!

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Name: Nerese
Age: 1 year
Sex: Female
Breed: Ragdoll Mix

There is something undeniably cute about that “deer in headlights” look. Nerese and her brother (lil’ blue eyes post) came in together and thankfully were adopted together. What an attractive and sweet pair.

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Name: ?
Age: 1 Year
Sex: Male
Breed: Ragdoll or Balinese Mix

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Name: By Baby
Age: 10 months
Sex: Male
Breed: Bengal/Domestic Short Hair Mix

By Baby was incredibly intrigued by the camera. I had to clean my lens 4 or 5 times because he kept touching his nose to the center of it. I wish that I would have brought my macro lens to PAWS that day so that I could have gotten a cleaner shot!

Name: Fran
Age: 1.5 years
Sex: Female
Breed: Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

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Name: Linus
Age: 1.5 years
Sex: Male
Breed: Domestic Short Hair
Likes: Eating hair, the catnip donkey, Isobel, sleeping under the covers, and throwing dry food all over the house
Dislikes: The fact that Isobel does not reciprocate his love, Sophia smacking him in the face, the bathroom door being closed, wet food with beef in it

Oh, Linus. He is the newest addition to my personal cat family and a PAWS Chicago graduate. Linus had a rough start to life; someone put a collar on him when he was very small and never loosened it. This has caused him to have some lasting breathing issues, walk a little bit funny, and well, let’s just say that Linus is not the sharpest tool in the shed. All that being said, he is the most sweet, playful, and grateful cat on the planet.

Also, he is quite the looker. Linus is a natural in front of the camera, as you can see in the shot below. I’m sure that this will not be the last time you see Linus on this blog.

Name: Kano & Kitana
Age: 8 weeks
Sex: Kano, Male & Kitana, Female
Breed: Domestic Short Hair

You will rarely see photos on my blog of cats and kittens in cages because PAWS Chicago has a cageless adoption center. This is one of the reasons that I love volunteering at PAWS so much (and to be perfectly frank, seeing cats in cages is just one of those things that, personally, is incredibly difficult for me). You can actually get into a room and interact with a cat before you adopt them. It is an amazing system that I think more shelters around the country should consider implementing.

A few times a year, however, PAWS takes the show on the road for adoption events in Chicago neighborhoods, hence the cage bars you see in these pictures. These events are always a great time and most importantly, they help us find homes for lots of wonderful animals. Angels with Tails on Michigan Ave. was held this past Sunday and Kano and Kitana were two of the numerous adorable kittens who were available for adoption at the event.

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Name: Casino
Age: 4 years
Sex: Male
Breed: Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

Casino was such a ham when I was shooting him! He got so excited that he rolled right off the pillow.

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Name: Vincent
Age: 6 years
Sex: Male
Breed: Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

See that “tipped” ear? Vincent was most likely once a feral feline (who was human friendly and taken into a home) and had the tip of his ear removed after being part of a trap-neuter-return program. The tipped ear is a sign to groups that spay and neuter feral populations that this animal is already fixed. Trap-neuter-return is one of the most effective and humane ways of reducing the homeless cat population.

Name: PeeWee
Age: 2 years
Sex: Male
Breed: Alien cat from another planet… or a Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

Pee Wee is such an odd looking feline that I just had to capture him on film. He has an angular structure to his face that is really unique and interesting. Maybe he has some sort of Men in Black thing going on…

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Name: Unknown
Age: Less than 6 months
Sex: Female
Breed: Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

I took this shot as I was walking out the door and I totally forgot to get the details on this little cutie. Three days later when I returned, she had been adopted!

Names: Unknown
Ages: 3 months
Sexes: Female, Male
Breed: Domestic Short Hair (DSH)

Name: Ursa Major
Age: 1 year
Sex: Female
Breed: Russian Blue Mix

Name: Bugsy
Age: 7 years
Sex: Male
Breed: Devon Rex/Persian

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