Cooper has been out and about with his collar camera several times over the last few weeks. When the weather is about to turn colder, we try to give him lots of outdoor time. Enjoy it while it lasts, Cooper!
Recently on Cooper’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/photographercat) people have been asking about his indoor/outdoor privileges and any limitations. As people who are crazy-in-love with a cat, we totally agree and understand that keeping your cat indoors is the best way to keep them absolutely safe from predators, poisons, and cars. If we ever get another cat we plan to adopt from one of the wonderful no-kill animal shelters in our area who require a commitment to an indoor life for the cat. That being said, Cooper found us, he was stray (see his origins post) and very well acquainted with the outdoors.
For the first year or so of his life with us, we only allowed him outdoors when he was on his leash. Just after Cooper turned one year old, we began allowing him to be outdoors unsupervised for a few hours a day. Cooper has always been on a pretty structured feeding plan, so nowadays he rarely goes outside before 9 am and is always home in time for dinner at 7 pm. There are raccoons in our neighborhood so we’re very strict about not allowing him out after dark – which means in the winter, he’s outside even less.
As many followers of Cooper know, after setting him up with his Cat Cam two years ago, we discovered that he spent several hours a day waiting at the front door for us to let him in. We installed a Cat Door, which has also greatly increased the amount of time he spends in the house, as evidenced by his photos. We’ve also learned through his photographs that he does not cross the busy streets in our neighborhood.
Thanks to Viki, Heidi, Pat and others for sharing their views on the subject with us. For all of you cat lovers out there: we know. We agree. Cats are safer indoors. We’re just trying to give our little photographer cat the best life we can and for him that includes free time in the backyards of our neighborhood.
Cooper stares out the dining room window. I love the light pouring in!
Whiskers! Sometimes the sunlight hits his whiskers just right.
An afternoon drink? If Cooper thinks we’re not looking, he loves jumping up in the sink.
This is Cooper’s view from his midday nap on the couch.
The photographer cat is currently stretched out on the tile floor, getting ready for another big day.
Cooper could write a photography textbook with everything he has been learning on the job. For two years now, one day a week, this cat has taken photos in the sun, in the dark, in the rain and in the snow.
For nearly two years Cooper has given us an interesting look at the world from a cat’s point of view. Once a week he steps out the cat door wearing his collar camera, which snaps a new photo every two minutes. This rare glimpse into the feline perspective has allowed us to appreciate cats even more. After all, the neighborhood certainly looks quite different from six inches off the ground!
While we haven’t been sending Cooper out with his camera during this week’s record-breaking Seattle heat, he is certainly enjoying the long, hot days of summer!