Cooper the Cat Photographer: Is it Art?

I unhesitatingly admit that we have two highly intelligent cats! They think of the darndest things to do that both amaze and entertain us, yet at other times can turn our hair grey a lot faster, if you know what I mean!

Of course both of our kitties are extremely photogenic and enjoy posing for the camera. Hush Puppy, our lilac point Oriental Shorthair enjoys preening himself in front of the mirror, voguing while he admires his beauty. Hubble, our white Oriental Shorthair, is a bit more shy which makes me suspect that he feels that his older brother, Hush Puppy, is being a bit arrogant and egotistical. Hubble has impeccable manners!

Now you may wonder what prompted me to brag a bit about our kitties this morning! I think I was inspired by an email a friend sent me about a rather amazing cat named Cooper, whose prowess might be somewhat of a threat to our boys should they run across this blog item when they launch their internet access! I surely didn't want them to think that my admiration for Cooper's talent in any way threatened them.

But then again, it might give them an idea that wouldn't be so bad in the long run, and might also help to defray the costs of keeping them in the best of cat food, pet health insurance, toys and cat trees. After all, these feline necessities don't come cheap. I say, "Put them to work to help support themselves!" We all know that "Idle paws are the devil's workshop."

It appears that two enterprising filmmakers who own their own company, Deidre and Michael Cross, who reside in Seattle, Washington, adopted a stray tabby whom they named Cooper. Incredibly, it turns out that Cooper himself is quite the photographer extraordinaire. This uniquely talented feline must have chosen the Crosses intuitively, so they could help him sharpen his innate talent and eye for artistic shots.

While describing Cooper's artistic proclivities, Michael Cross, a graduate of USC's Film School, who makes feature narratives and commercials said, "We wanted to see what the cat was up to while we were gone during the day."

So, for a year, Cooper carried a miniature digital camera around his neck connected to a specially crafted halter and went on his artistic rounds once a week, taking 200-400 shots a day as he produced his own photo shoot of this daily travels around his neighborhood.

A Cooper Original So what was the final outcome of this rather interesting endeavor? Michael said, "We found out on the very first roll that yes, he goes into a lot of yards and streets. These were just beautiful shots.

That's when we realized this wasn't just a geography experiment to see how far he goes. It became its own documentary art form. If my cat can take photos prettier than what we've taken, what is art? It asks a lot about the intention behind art and how it's interpreted."

It also launched Cooper's television debut on "Cats 101". Not bad for an adopted stray kitty!

Visit http://www.photographercat.com/2009/12/cooper-gets-a-brother/ to read more about Cooper and the latest developments (no pun intended) in the Cross household.

And while Cooper is a very special kitty, apparently there are quite a few gifted animals who long to share their artistry with appreciative viewers.

Visit http://clicks.robertgenn.com/animal-art.php to view a variety of interesting artworks produced by some very talented critters.

Would you consider becoming a patron of animal arts? Leave a comment and let us know.