The Ryan Family {Nashville Cat Photographer}

This week on the blog I have a couple of adorable cats to show off! Alison and Jonathan Ryan opened their home to me this past summer so we could include their precious kitties in their family photos.

Lindsay (they also call her Dolly), age 12, is the black cat. Both felines were adopted out of state quite some time ago. Lindsay came with her name. Alison and Jonathan aren’t quite sure how Max, their 9 year old white and spotted cat, got his name. But it really doesn’t matter because Max is a great name for any pet!

These kitties both love their mealtimes. However, Lindsay does not always love it when Max tries to play with her. This can be very funny because Max loves to play. The Ryan’s just love that they have so much personality and always keep them laughing.

Hope you enjoy these regal cats!

~Mandy

Contact a Cat Photographer in Nashville, TN!

Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!

How to Introducing a New Kitten to Your Cat and Practical Tips For Kitten Care {Guest Post by Amy Davis}

In most households, cats and kittens can become best friends. In order to make sure your new kitten and your established cat will get along you need to properly introduce them to each other.

Most cats are quite territorial by nature. If a cat thinks that a particular part of the room is his or hers, then your cat will quickly show his or her displeasure if your new kitten should dare to walk anywhere near it.  Though sometimes the new kitten might just want to grab the attention of the older cat by walking over the older cat’s presumed territory.

When you do bring your new kitten home, leave it in its carrier for a few minutes and allow your older cat to sniff at the carrier. This will allow your cat to become accustomed to your new kitten’s smell, but be sure to monitor the situation so that your cat does not try to attack your new kitten through the bars of the carrier.

As soon as your cat stops pacing around the carrier, it will be time to let your kitten out.  However, you should keep a firm but gentle hold of your new kitten while overly-praising your cat.

After this first initial introduction, you should not leave your kitten alone with your older cat, at least until your kitten is big enough and strong enough to defend itself if needed.

Do not be discouraged if your kitten and your older cat do not hit it off immediately. 

Have patience and understand that by introducing your new kitten and your older cat to each other slowly and by not forcing them together, you will allow them to observe the other, which is the best way of ensuring that every encounter with each other will be positive!

Grooming Your Kitten

Most cats are clean animals and do not like being dirty, the same is true about kittens.  However, there will be times during your kitten’s life when he or she will be unable to groom itself, or it could be that the kind of cat you choose has high maintenance fur and will then need extra help to keep its fur in good condition. 

There are special tools that you can pick up from your local pet store, like grooming kits or a pet nail grinder that make the job much easier. 

Keep in mind though that some cats do not like being groomed and it’s best to start grooming and bathing your cat when he or she is still a kitten.  

If you and your kitten get into a habit of combing and brushing a few times a week, then if the day comes when he’s just in too much mess, or too sick to manage himself, then he will not mind your intervention to get him clean. 

While your kitten is still quite young, you should try to get him or her used to having a bath. 

First, start by introducing the concept of water and bathing to your kitten by using a damp face cloth and wiping your kitten’ paws and face with it. Eventually, your kitten will become more and more used to the water and may even tell you when they want to have a bath!   

There are some breeds of cats, such as the Turkish Van, that loves the water and will happily jump into the bathtub with you! 

Brushing your kitten should be done on a daily basis if possible.  The perfect time for this is at night when you are watching the TV and your kitten crawls up onto your lap.  

Make sure to have a brush handy and gently brush your kitten in the direction that his or her fur grows.  Your kitten will quickly get used to how this feels and love it.   

If your kitten has long fur then try to set aside half an hour at least twice a week to thoroughly comb through his or her coat, as this helps to ensure that tangles do not build up and that your kittens’ coat remains in a healthy state.  

Remember that the time you invest in grooming your kitten now will pay off once your kitten becomes a cat that needs help with cleaning his or her fur.  A cat that is used to being groomed is far easier to maintain than one who turns every grooming session into a battle of wills!

Hey, I’m Amy and I’m in love with my Pets! I have a diverse variety, including 2 cats, 1 dog, 3 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs, a rat, and a beautiful macaw. I love writing about everything pet-related and spend as much time as I can sharing my personal experiences on my blog. UltimatePetHub.com

Thank you for sharing these great tips, Amy!

~Mandy

Do you want a professional capturing your pet(s) and their people?

Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!

Bonnie and Lou With Pebbles and Kee {Nashville Pet Photographer}

On the blog this week are Bonnie and Lou who brought with them not only their dog, but their cat too! I have never had a cat come to a location before, so that was super fun.

Bonnie and Lou met me last fall for a mini photo session at Marcella Vivrette Smith Park where I met Pebbles, who is a beagle/dachshund mix and approximately 7 years old. Kee, the adorable tuxedo cat, is 11 years old.

I asked Bonnie and Lou how they came up with the names for their pets, and they told me Pebbles came with her name from the shelter. “She seemed to know it so we kept it. I have a sneaking suspicion she may have been named that because she likes to chew on small rocks!” Kee’s original name was Boots before they adopted her at 10 months old from the shelter. She had many names in between but "kee" stuck because she would come to that sound or anything that rhymes. 

Pebbles loves treats, sleeping, and going for long walks. She's a little timid and scared of a lot of things, but they love to introduce her to new experiences and see her confidence grow. Kee loves attention!! She is actually more dog-like than Pebbles. She loves her dog, too. There isn't much she doesn't like except for cat costumes. 

Here are a few of Bonnie and Lou’s favorite things about their pets in their own words: 

“Kee is so talkative and affectionate she makes me laugh all the time. Pebbles has such cute little sausage shaped body and I love how her little legs look when she runs. I love when they are sweet with each other, Kee loves to lick Pebbles and they like to play sometimes.  I particularly love senior dogs and beagles because I had a 14 year old beagle. They can have such attitudes but that's also what makes them so endearing to me. And I just think tuxedo cats are so adorable and I love having such an affectionate cat.”

Both Pebbles and Kee are rescue animals adopted from Max’s Hope animal rescue in Hopkinsville, KY and Oklahoma City Animal Shelter respectively.

I hope you enjoy some of my favorites!

~Mandy

Bring Your Pets to Your Next Family Portrait Session!

Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!