Volunteering @ the San Francisco SPCA

If you are wondering why I have been posting all of the cat photos lately, it's because I am a new volunteer at the San Francisco SPCA!! I'm SOO excited about it - I am taking pics all of the homeless cats. Yay for the kitties! Yes, I love dogs but I feel extra great about helping out the cats not only because they are usually overlooked photographically (many photogs are only interested in shooting the dogs), but because I am a true cat person at heart!  It's really refreshing to me to go and visit them every week and I'm really inspired try to capture their true feline essence in a photo that may help them find a new home. Regarding dogs, I also try to help as much as I can if an organization needs photos.  I volunteer my time taking photos for various organizations and pet-related events, donate photo packages, etc... and I'm happy to do so! Yesterday when I went to the SPCA I finally got my official volunteer badge - yay!  The past few weeks of volunteering has really brightened up my week, especially when I go online and see that many of the kitties have been adopted!  It's amazing to me how there are so many great cats out there with such nice personalities. Sometimes I go into a room and the cat is afraid of me and hides in the corner or goes into her box... and I have to sit on the floor for a while until she comes out.  But when she does, she is a total bundle of love and rubs and purrs all over me - which makes it SO HARD to leave!  It really breaks my heart when I leave one room and there's a glass window that separates it from another room - and the cat I just left jumps up into the window and stares at me paying attention to someone else.  Then I can see it meowing at me (but I can't hear anything) ... it's awful and I feel so bad... then I see it jump down and stare at me through the glass door.  I wish I could take them all home! There are 2 cats who I will never forget - Jersey Girl and Queenie. Jersey Girl was the first cat I ever photographed officially as a volunteer.  She is a gorgeous cat - white with black spots, and so, so friendly.  When I walked into her room, she jumped down from her cat tree and ran right over to me.  Then she proceeded to purr and meow and meow and meow... and rubbed all over my legs and commanded my attention.  Once I gave her the first pet she definitely went totally kray and rubbed and meowed and purred even more.  Then she rolled around on the ground and stretched her legs (and claws) and raced around the room all happy... what a great first experience!!  I always visit her when I go back, now she lives in Cat Benetar's old room! Jersey Girl still needs a home... click here to go to her adoption page! Queenie totally cracked me up when I met her.  As I was approaching her room I could hear her meowing really loud.... over and over again, like a broken cassette tape.  She was sitting on top of her cat perch just staring at me and meowing.  I couldn't get my iPhone out fast enough to take a video of her, she was that funny... (of course by the time I finally got it out, she stopped talking to me)!! It was hilarious and every time you talked back to her, she would respond, really loud, over and over.  She is definitely one of the most talkative cats I've ever met (she has a nice cute voice) and she's so friendly and not afraid of anything.  She didn't flinch a whisker when I opened the door (which is kind of loud) or when I approached her - she's such a nice cat!  Queenie needs a home, click here to go to her adoption page! I will be blogging the new cats I photograph every week and I'll also be posting them to my Facebook Page. CLICK HERE to add our page to your favorites if you haven't done so already! Here's a screenshot of a pic I took of Cat Benetar,  a cat who has been living at the SPCA for almost a year.  She recently found her forever home!