Awww...Miro and 4 month old Oberon (pic)

[Lorien]

Just found this photo from 2003. Miro is soooo happy to have a buddy again after having lost his best pal Peewee of 15 years. It took him a week or two to accept "little" kitten Oberon, but once he did they were just like two peas in a pod!



and last year; my, how he's grown!

[IndyOp]

1. Sweet boys! Hey-

Have you heard anything recently about your wild foster boy? Are you taking any pet photographs?

[Lorien]

12. Ashiki is doing a bit better now that he's getting regular playtime

he's still a handful. The last time I saw Michelle (his once and present owner) she had some fairly awful scratches on her. At least she didn't seem to mind too much.

I've almost got all the equipment I need together for my portable pet portrait studio. Money is a bit short right now, so it still may be awhile before the kit is complete!

:hi:

[Tammie]

2. Oh My!!!

Oberon grew up to be a big boy!!!! Such sweet kitties. They're beautiful!!!!!

[CottonBear]

3. All hail Oberon and Miro! Regal DU cats! Oberon is truly the King! n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Hard to believe Oberon was ever so petite. It looks like that might be

Puck in that photo. They are adorable together. Great to see their friendship.
They are magnificent.

[Lorien]

7. I naively thought that since Obie was nearly Miro's size, he wouldn't

get much bigger (ha!) because Miro is a pretty large cat (about 18 pounds in those pics).

Obie liked Miro right away-but it took Miro a little while to really accept him:



but once he did, it was true love:

[BrklynLiberal]

10. I almost fell off my chair reading your "bubbles" on that first pic.

The other two pics are just too sweet. Miro certainly did come around!
Oberon was such a cutie, when he was a little boy!!! Of coure, now he is merely magnificent.

[Lorien]

11. Awww....thanks! I only have two grainy photos of when he was really

young (he's four months old in the OP). Oberon is the kitten on the far right hand side in both pics:

[BrklynLiberal]

13. So, he was always exceptionally adorable!

:loveya:

[superconnected]

15. There's three more Oberons walking around?

Wow. Now those are some cute kittens.

[Lorien]

16. Yep, here's his brother Benneton:

Showing how good a Maine Coon can look when properly groomed!

[superconnected]

17. I didn't know Oberon was a Maine Coon.

I didn't know what he was.

I have two maine coons at my house right now and neither are gray or have lions manes.

Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Lorien]

18. Brown classic tabby is the most common color

but they do come in all the other colors too-except lynx or chocolate point. If you live in a warmer climate they may never grow a full "mane". Oberon's disappears in the summer; talk about cat hair on EVERYTHING!!

[Grateful for Hope]

19. Does it really, Lorien?

I can imagine the amount of fur you find! I would love to see a pic of him sans mane...I'll bet he is just as, if not moreso, beautiful!

Spidey's mane is much, much shorter and sparser now, but, I have been finding a lot of fur in areas where the boys rough house. I think Jake is biting it off.

I like being able to see Spidey's facial bone structure (quite nice!), but I am wondering if they are rough-housing too much. It used to be that Jake would howl -- now he is silent, I think, because I have been in the habit of breaking them up.

Also, Jake is catching up to Spidey in size -- although I think Spidey has more growing to do and will always be larger. Jake is much smaller boned with dainty paws and slim-boned legs.

If you happen to have any pics of the great Oberon without his grand mane, could you post them?

[Lorien]

20. Here's some:

The "mane" is reduced to a slight ruff-with hair that's not much longer than what's on the rest of his body:







the dark tuffs halfway down his front legs give him "false elbows" and make him look like he has short legs. They aren't, though, as this photo shows:



and here's the winter version for comparison:







Obie in an unmade bed, looking like an unmade bed!



and at the beginning of shedding season, last spring:

[Grateful for Hope]

21. Thank you for the pics!

I knew it...he is just as majestic with or without the mane! I particularly love the first picture...he is sooooo handsome!

Lorien, I know you have a fabulous subject, but you are one excellent photographer.

[Lorien]

22. Thanks so much! The key to good kitty portraits is pretty simple:

First; great natural light is a must. Flash photos almost never capture your pet the way natural light can(the first photo is a good example of great late afternoon light). A good wand type cat toy is handy too. Often I just pull the toy either towards me or toward the light source right before I release the shutter. Take LOTS of photos too-then crop the most successful to their best advantage (if you have a digital camera you can blow up the photos fairly large before you crop them. A full body shot can become a head shot with ease).Also, always get down to eye level with your pet.

I have a pretty cheap and frustratingly limiting Nikon Coolpix, so less than ideal equipment shouldn't limit photo quality too much. With a good window, a toy, and some patience you can easily produce pet portraits with some fairly professional results.

[Grateful for Hope]

23. Thanks for the hints!

Am going to do a lot of practicing. One of the things I never do is use a toy, and I have often found myself following the boys around trying to get their attention. Also, the lighting is not something I have thought too much about.

I have also been frustrated because I use a mid-level digital camera, and it is so slow to actually click the picture, that, even when I think I have gotten a good shot, it's over before the pic is taken.

I can't wait to begin "practicing"...thanks again, Lorien.

[Lorien]

24. I can't wait to see the results! Those are two great looking felines

you have there-both with remarkable eyes.

Yeah, my camera is the same way-I press the button and often it has to "think" about whether or not it will snap the photo. I can't tell you how many great photos I've missed because I have such a slow camera! That's why my cats are seated or laying down in most of the pics-the camera is so slow that photos of them on the go are nearly impossible. I've only managed semi-decent action shots of the kittens and Ashiki because they leaped so often that I was bound to catch them in mid flight eventually.



even a shot like this is lucky with a slow camera!

[Grateful for Hope]

26. You did get some wonderful shots of Ashiki

no doubt!!

How is Ashiki doing, BTW?

[Grateful for Hope]

27. Here's a few pics...:-)

I got some good ones of Spidey, but only one of Jake as he is sleepy today.

This is Spidey in front of the mirror -- so the the background is also him:




Spidey feelin' fine:






Jake...feelin' sleepy:

[Grateful for Hope]

28. One more of Jake

Colors are a little weird, but I like it of him.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Your post brought to mind pics of 2 pups I used to have.

I brought home a GSD pup, Sasha, to a mixed breed, Gemini. They became very close immediately. Sadly, they are both gone now.
This picture shows their relationship, and how fast a GSD can grow. These pics are about 5-6 months apart.
The pic on the right is when I first brought Sasha home, and the one on the left is a few months later.

[Lorien]

8. Gemini looks like he/she can't believe how big Sasha is getting!

what sweet and beautiful pups. :loveya:

[BrklynLiberal]

9. They were a riot together for many years. Great memories.

[Grateful for Hope]

6. Awwww, Lorien

Such adorable boys...and, they are just as adorable now. How wonderful to have some pics to look back on!

[superconnected]

14. Those are so precious!

What a wonderful keepsake.

Oberson looks like a beautiful kitten. He doesn't seem to have trance of his mane in that pic. Now he looks very stately.

[Eurobabe]

25. Awww, look at the baby!!!

You make me want a little coon....

[roguevalley]

29. holy god. i didn't know you could own lions in town. what a couple

of babes.