• The Golden Oldie •

Nearly all the portraits I've taken have been of my dog Scotch but I did take some shots of in February 2015 of Ajex--our nearly 19 year old family cat--about 2 months before he died.

 

My brother picked this cat out when he was in middle school and while I've never been much of a cat person, I did appreciate this one. He was an outdoor cat his entire life sometimes spending days away from home before finally returning. He lived with a half dozen dogs during his lifetime who all became his friends. Even as he got old, with his weathered fur beginning to fall out and after a series of strokes, he still spent a considerable amount of time sleeping outside but staying around the yard. He stayed inside the last year or so only going out for a minute or so before retreating back in the house until his last day when he walked out the backdoor and never returned.

 

I often think about how outdoor cats just know when their time is up and simply wander away one last time. It amazes me and seems like a pretty dignified way to go. This was from the last set of shots I took of him before he died. I dog and cat sitting for my mom while she was on vacation and since he hadn't been well for quite some time, figured I'd take his portrait while I still could. I wish I had the portrait lens I know use on Scotch back then but I ended up getting it later that year.

 

AJAX

Age: 18

February 15th, 2015

 

SETTINGS:

Canon T4i

EF-S 18-135mm IS STM

@135mm

ISO800

f/6.3

1/13th second

 

Done