So a couple of weeks ago I was grabbing my gear, preparing for a shoot with a dog who is deaf (pictures coming soon!). In a moment of insight, I picked up a toy I sometimes use when photographing cats – and it caught the attention of my 19 year old Jasmine, whose kidneys are failing and most strenuous activity for the last year has been ambling to her dish, jumping into the window sill for a little snooze, or complaining loudly if her dinner is a little later than expected (she’d fit right in with the Senior Early Bird Special – get it?).

If you have, or have had an old cat, you might be able to fathom how I stopped everything I was doing, picked up the toy in one hand and my camera in the other and played with her for the next half hour, until my wrist was burning and she looked a little winded. I was more than a little kerflempt, thinking about how she’s lived with me longer than anyone, and how much I count on her being there.

It’s been a complicated relationship, but I adore that little furry body sleeping on my feet at night, even though she’s shedding like nobody’s business, and hacks up a hairball more often than I like to think about. I love you, Missy. 

“The bird is mine.”