Thea at home Photoshoot

Thea is a Ragdoll Maine Coon cross, rescue cat and from the very first time I laid eyes upon her, I was captivated. Those gorgeous ocean blue eyes, tall tufty ears, beautiful bushy white fur dressing her thorax and her luxurious fluffy tail … I was entranced.

Within moments of her entering the room, I could feel her strong presence pervading the air, which very clearly stated, you can look but not touch. Thea was a real beauty and very much a work in progress and there was often a visual dance between us, in that, when I wasn’t beholding her, she would be observing me. She was no exception to the rule, when it came to sleeping for most of the day, so aside from this she would be self-grooming or dining out during the evening, which is not too dissimilar to her wild tiger counterparts. Luckily, she never outed me as a bad cook with her findings, but rather was driven by her crepuscular nature of heightened activity levels during sunset and sunrise. Thea definitely displayed some dog-like characteristics of her breed, playing fetch, making growling sounds when she sensed someone coming to the front door and she loved playing hide and seek, which always made me smile.

I am undeniably an animal lover, but cats hold a very special place in my heart. Perhaps this stems from my childhood memories, of little ‘presents’ regularly being brought to our door from our local RSPCA representative. I am pretty obsessed and fascinated by our feline friends. They have the ability to befriend humans, without ever falling completely under our control and have the capacity of being domesticated whilst retaining their incredible natural hunting instincts. I have respect for their quiet composure and dignity, their unwavering independence and discerning personalities.

Apart from following every newborn art photographer under the planet for ongoing inspiration in this field, I am a regular follower of my favourite cat breeds (of course) and the many cat sanctuaries which do amazing work throughout the world. I have an immense respect for cats and their mysterious enigmatic personalities, so having the opportunity to embrace her through the lens, brought me a lot of joy. I must admit that an assistant would have helped enormously, as whenever she caught sight of me with my lens, she would make a beeline for me, so I definitely did a lot more running around than she did.

Here she is …