This is not what I expected to be photographing. But the light was so unuusal and these little guys seemed as intrigued by the show as I was. So they became my subject. Meet Ayla and the black and white, Joey. They were both feral cats that I found at 2 different animal shelters, one in Santa Fe and the other in Albuquerque.
It can take quite a while before feral cats acclimate to a settled life. But with patience, it works. Joey was part of a large pack of feral cats that were living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There’s a nice group of people down there who do their best to rescue these animals and find them homes. Life on the streets is lethal. Out of a pack of about 11, Joey was the last one to survive. He’d been with a buddy for a year or so and then he “disappeared” as well leaving Joey alone. I found him at the Humane Society in Albuquerque.
I’ve had Joey now for just a little over 2 years. All I had to provide was shelter, food and water for him. I did that and he has domesticated himself. I went looking for him in the first place, because the other cat you see here, Ayla (also a feral rescue) had just lost her buddy (Champ) of 10 years. She mourned incessantly after he died; So much so that I was determined to find her a new friend. Anyway, I’m rambling here, but it’s a lovely story with a happy ending. These two have bonded to each other and, of course, I’ve bonded to them. We’re a pack.
No one can tell me that animals do not have rich and deep emotional lives. Ayla was inconsolable until Joey came along.
Santa Fe and Me
Seize the Image
santafeandme.photos 
Leave a comment