Author(s): RACHAEL HALE

Pets

Cats, with their appealing independence, velvet-sheathed killer claws and innate beauty that stretches from the tips of their tails to the pads of their paws, have been humankind's companions throughout the ages. Our cats keep the mice at bay, comfort us when we're tired, settle us when we're stressed. And all they ask in return is a regular supply of food and maybe some light stroking. But only when it suits them. "I've always been around cats from the family moggie whose tail flicked while kids grabbed with sticky hands, to the pedigree cat whose personality charmed even our neighbours. But it was really through working with them, trying to capture a certain look or feel, that I really came to love them their elegant movements, their contrary natures and their expressive faces. Cats often have such striking eyes, and when my photographs manage to capture a cat's intense stare, it draws the viewer in and creates an emotion that is hard to describe. I hope that emotion is present as you turn these pages; and that you feel as I do, love for our cats." - Rachael Hale-McKenna.