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Dumped in the Country
Dumped in the Country
colorcarnival


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Abandoned (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: Animals
Camera: Olympus E-500 EVOLT
Lens: Olympus 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Zuiko Digital Zoom
Date: Nov 1, 2008
Galleries: Animals
Date Uploaded: Nov 2, 2008

 It was not intentional to enter two cat shots in challenges so close together but that is just how things kind of worked.

This photo is meant to highlight the growing problem of people just dropping off their animals in the country (rural areas). How do you abandon a cherished friend like this? Why not try and find them a home? It's difficult for someone like me to understand the logic behind it.

If you cannot support a pet, don't get one. If you do get a pet, have them spayed or neutered. Help control the pet overpopulation!

Here's a poem I saw online, and I hope the correct author receives credit. I'm sorry for being a downer by posting this poem but I'm going for emotional impact here. Although it is about a dog, i think it can apply to any pet who has been abandoned:

A Dog Sits Waiting
By Kathy Flood

A dog sits waiting in the cold autumn sun,
Too faithful to leave, too frightened to run.
He’s been here for days now with nothing to do
But sit by the road, waiting for you.
He can’t understand why you left him that day
He thought you and he were stopping to play.
He’s sure you’ll come back, and that’s why he stays
How long will he suffer: How many more days?
His legs have grown weak, his throat’s parched and dry
He’s sick now from hunger and falls with a sigh.
He lays down his head and closes his eyes
I wish you could see how a waiting dog dies.

[Nov. 9th, 2008 09:58:43 PM]

I do not totally know this cat's story. He ran into some opening in a barn and I did not see him any more. But he was quite dirty and messy. Looked kind of plump tho so I am thinking he might just be a mouser.

Oddly enough, just yesterday (Saturday) I was talking with a clerk at Big Lots. She commented on all the kitty toys I was buying (I'm a sucker now!) and we discussed her own pet, one she adopted because he was dumped off where she lived in the country. It happens all the time, people. :(

Statistics
Place: 42 out of 148
Avg (all users): 5.8077
Avg (commenters): 7.0000
Avg (participants): 5.8868
Avg (non-participants): 5.7532
Views since voting: 1148
Views during voting: 285
Votes: 130
Comments: 25
Favorites: 1 (view)

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AuthorThread
 03/19/2009 11:30:43 AM
I absolutely love this photograph! It shows so much expression on the cat's face! And I love cats, which brought it home for me! Great job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/19/2009 11:14:35 AM
Wow that cat is Such A cutie
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/19/2009 10:47:21 AM
This is very nice. What a gorgeous, dirty, cute little kitty! Nice color and focus. I would have liked to see the tips of the ears.

It's a shame when an animal is abandoned like that. We recently adopted an older male cat that somebody left near our house (we live out in the sticks). He's super affectionate and lovable. I can't understand how anyone could just leave him out in the woods to die like that. It's amazing how heartless and cruel some people can be. I think there must be a special place in Hell for people like that.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/11/2008 09:18:54 PM
How could anyone score the image lower than 4??? It's an outrage. At least most of the voters recognized this as being above average. The kitten is adorable and the texture is excellent -- I can feel that soft fur and prickly straw. I want to reach into the picture and pick it up.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/10/2008 05:32:06 PM
hey michelle .. your story makes me so sad and the poem made me cry .. i totally agree that if you cant do the time with an animal then dont have one .. they are for life and that's that .. and how on earth could someone abandon an animal .??.
i try & stop myself from imagining all the horrible things that can happen to animals .. when i walk past a pet shop and see the young animals in the windows waiting to be sold my imagination takes over .. where will they end up .. who will look after them .. we drive into picton and everytime we go past a kennel there's this dog tied up .. every single time .. i have never passed that kennel when he wasnt there .. how sad is that .. i cant imagine treating an animal like that and thats not bad compared to some experiences pets can have .. i wont go on ..
ps ... its a gorgeous little kitten and you've photographed him to perfection .. he looks scared too .. wonderful processing and wonderful image .. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/10/2008 09:55:57 AM
I have five adopted cats now, my wife is bringing another feral from work home, and I live in an area where people constantly dump them. This little guy looks like a survivor......but that sucks on so many levels. Nicely done.
Beautiful kitten!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/10/2008 02:52:11 AM
hey i gave this a seven. It has a out of worldy feel to it, like what a dream would look like. A little unsetteling even. Very nice job
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/10/2008 01:15:50 AM
I did a quick vote on this challenge but never came back for commenting. This was a shot I definitely wanted to come back to, for many of the same reasons you outlined in your notes. Breaks my heart to see animals just dumped like trash. I love the picture. A bit of dirt, but otherwise a very healthy looking young cat. I'm hoping he is indeed a barn mouser and not a dumpee.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/10/2008 12:08:06 AM
Kitties rule! :-)
Great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
11/09/2008 09:48:55 PM
beautiful...love the depth of field and edit
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/08/2008 11:15:22 PM
Not clear without the title. Well executed image though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/07/2008 11:43:22 AM
this doesn't communicate abandoned to me at all! unfortunate because it's a nice picture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/07/2008 08:50:52 AM
Terrific focus on the little guy. Wish the ear wasn't cut off at the top.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/06/2008 09:32:22 AM
Good sharpness (of the eyes), and the blurred background helps to focus the attention on the subject. Nice!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/05/2008 10:39:50 PM
Great captured expression!!! Terrific processing! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/05/2008 08:10:10 PM
I like the light here. Almost like it's under-exposed, but not. Composition is a bit tight though. More like a pet portrait rather than depicting an abandoned kitty. I think more space and distance would have emphasised the sense of abandonment and isolation.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/05/2008 08:07:21 AM
That is some lovely bokeh - I will be interested in seeing which lens produced it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/04/2008 10:35:57 PM
Oh, so CUTE!!! Without the title though, I'd not have gotten "abandoned" in looking at the shot. It's a very well done shot. BTW...did you take the kitten in?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/04/2008 07:01:26 PM
So cute.I hope you took her home with you.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/04/2008 06:09:28 PM
who could not love that face so cute 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/03/2008 10:24:12 PM
I like the detail in the shot ... good levels
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/03/2008 08:24:19 PM
this makes me want to cry, because my kitty was abandoned and in horrid shape; i hope this one gets a home; nice dof
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/03/2008 07:02:19 PM
Meets Challenge:2
Technical:2
Interestingness:3
Creativity:1
TOTAL: 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/03/2008 02:22:39 PM
Ohhhh, so cute!! Cute factor = 10. Actually, I think I'm mesmerized by the cute factor and can't come up with anything constructive to say! Nice dof.

...

So cute!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/03/2008 11:42:02 AM
The expression on the face says it all. I like the processing. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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