Sarah Beth Ernhart - Kittenhood: Life-size Portraits of Kittens in Their First 12 Weeks

KHAN

JOEY & JAXSON

Published in 2013 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang
An imprint of ABRAMS

Copyright 2013 by becker&mayer!, LLC

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-1-61769-057-0

Editor: Samantha Weiner

Kittenhood is produced by becker&mayer!, Bellevue, Washington.
www.beckermayer.com

Photographer: Sarah Beth Ernhart
Author: Sarah Beth Ernhart
Editor: Leah Tracosas Jenness
Designer: Katie Benezra
Design Assistance: Megan Sugiyama, Bri Graff
Photo Editor: Kara Stokes
Managing Editor: Nicole Burns Ascue

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KHAN

BEAR & SISSY

Contents

introduction

Ive always been a cat person. I grew up on a farm, spending my youth in the barn with countless litters of kittens, building trust, learning about their development and behavior. Without fail, kittens are curious and funny, fuzzy and cute. As I was photographing this book, I was reminded of kittens from my past, and my love for these unique little creatures was renewed. Every day is a new adventure for them; they are carefree, exploring the world, perfecting their hunting skills through play, testing the limits of their balance and coordination. Kittens are a delight to watch, to play with, and to snuggle with. The best part of their day (or maybe of yours) may be simply chasing a string dragged across the floor.

This book highlights twenty-five different types of kittens, both mixed-breed and purebred, photographed at life size. Youll see many universal, precious kitten qualities in the different breeds: fuzzy paws, big ears, tiny wet noses, wiry little tails, snuggly bodies, and wide, curious eyes.

And yet as much as they have in common, each type has distinctive qualities that define the breed and make them unique and adorable: the elongated faces and elegant bodies of the Oriental; the intense, wide-set eyes and shiny coat of the Bombay; the incredibly soft fluffiness of the Persian and Siberian; the deep blue eyes and soft markings of the Siamese and Birman; the bold tiger stripes of a mixed-breed tabby or the patchwork coat of a mixed-breed tortie. Youll see many diverse manifestations of feline characteristics in a rainbow of kitten colors.

The kittens we photographed for this book range in age from three to twelve weeks, a critical period of rapid physical and social growth for young cats.

The younger kittens are only just starting to learn about the world around them. They dont know about toys, they dont sit still, theyre not interested in anything youre doing or want them to do. Their wobbly, fuzzy bodies arent quite coordinatedyet can be surprisingly fast when theyve determined where they want to go. A kittens first few weeks can be critical to his or her confidence and socialization; if kittens are not handled by humans regularly, they tend to be very nervous about new environments and experiences.

LIZZY & JOJO

At around six weeks, kittens generally have mastered their bearings and sense of balance, and theyre learning how to play. Each litter we visited was different in its interest and willingness to interact. Toys could be the most amazing things ever, or totally frightening. Large, shiny ribbons on a stick were sometimes too much, but small, fur-covered toys might not be enough. Generally, staying calm and quiet and making just small, subtle movements were best when interacting with these kittens.

The older kittens, between nine and twelve weeks, were definitely the most entertainingrambunctious, athletic, all-over-the-place kittens, many ready to go to their new homes shortly after our shoot.

We were able to see some of the same breeds of kittens at different stages of development. They grow so quickly from helpless, mouselike babies to agile, acrobatic felinesand many of them transform drastically from birth to twelve weeks (and on to adulthood), changing their eye color, their fur color, and in the case of the American Curl, even the shape of their ears.

Regardless of the kittens ages, our photo sessions were always hilarious. Ive photographed puppies that get tuckered out and will fall asleep virtually anywhere. Not so with kittens. These sessions were generally full of unbridled, crazy kitten energy: scrambling, fuzzy, fluffball bodies and frizzed-out tails; pouncing, wrestling, playing, mewing; slow-moving, tentative paws reaching for a new toy; leaping and bounding and falling and rolling; the wild look in their eyes before clobbering a litter-mate or bouncing off across the room. The seamless white paper background we used during the shoots sometimes ended up being the most fun toy of all: Kittens chewed on it, played hide-and-seek behind it, or leaped at the back of the paper to slide down the curve in the backdrop.

But as I lay on the ground to photograph my subjects at their level, the sweetness of each kitten would get me every time: the featherlight, tiny claws walking on my back; their little noses and whiskers; their soft little paws; a purring kitten curling up in my assistants lap.

I invite you, as you flip through these pages, to soak in every paw, every whisker, every personality captured here within the fleeting moments of kittenhood.

MOLLY & MILO

TIGGER

janey RagaMuffin: 6 weeks, 1 lb