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13 the Black Cat

Photogenic and a Great Addition to My Life

By Jade Damboise RailPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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First thing first, explaining the unconventional name. You see, I turned 13 on Friday the thirteenth. I went for a walk later that day, lo and behold, I saw two black cats sitting on a porch. I always told myself that was a sign that I was meant to have a black cat. Good thing I am not superstitious right? Superstition is fascinating though, even when one does not believe in it. Due to this fascination, I always wanted a black cat and I wanted to name the cat 13. I mean who could be scared of this cute little face?

She came into my life during a pretty rough patch in autumn. In fact, I met her at a zootherapy program during a hospital stay. Someone had dropped off a box of kittens and were eager to get rid of them. When I called to ask if any were left, I was given the impression that there was only one black female cat left. So when I went to zootherapy again, I claimed the first kitten that walked up to me. That is when I realised there were more, but she had already stolen my heart. The zootherapy worker put a little black collar on her so we would be able to tell her from her brothers and sister, they looked so much alike! The little troublemaker did not like this very much. She attacked the collar as if it was a small snake trying to strangle her. I felt bad causing her discomfort but I didn't want to lose her due to a misunderstanding. I left with her once I was discharged. It was the happiest I had been in a long time. We bought the necessary pet supplies on the way home.

As a kitten, 13 had wavy whiskers, which I was told isn't very common. I soon discovered she is indeed a feisty one. It took a lot of tries to teach her not to jump on counters and tables. We tried sprays of water, noisy tinfoil on the counters, cans that sound like a hiss. Strangely enough, the most effective method was to give her a time out, just like a child! Even though she is grown now, I still call her baby, or baby girl because of her constant complaining. Most of the time I don't do anything to console her because I honestly have no idea what she is upset about. It's like the boy who cried wolf. She whines so often that I'm never sure when or if she is genuinely upset.

We had a room set up for her at home where she could be alone and have her own space. She hid under a dresser so I would lie down and talk to her. When she came to explore the room, I played with a feather on a stick. I would direct the feather to my lap to get her used to being there. I so desperately wanted a lap cat. To this day she spends hours on my lap, even tried to dig under my laptop trying to get to it.

I have been told that black cats are difficult to photograph, however, I have never had much of a problem with 13. My theory is she is just much too photogenic for such problems. For those wishing to photograph their own dark coloured companions, always try to catch them in natural lighting. It will accentuate contrast and bring out the brown highlights. It is also helpful to have a background that is light in colour to make the figure pop. If all else fails, there is still photoshop as a last resort to correct the lighting and contrast as well as the flash on your camera. Though the flash will probably not provide a result as good as one with natural lighting.

Thank you so much for reading.

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About the Creator

Jade Damboise Rail

Graphic design student, artist and writer who is passionate about animals and mental health.

https://www.facebook.com/mydragonseatyou/

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