Stray Kitten in Shanghai Finds an Owner, Internet Fame

Recently, a series of photos shot by Shanghai-based photographer Kim Laughton gained the attention of Internet dwellers. The pics, found on Laughton's website, featured one of the Web's favorite subjects: a cute, cuddly kitty.

Over the course of several updates and a few captions, Laughton's photographs sketched out the story of how he rescued the adorable kitten that was soaked and crying in a Shanghai gutter during a rainstorm. We were intrigued by the pictures and wanted to know more.

Paw Nation contacted Laughton to find out about his photography and his foundling cat:

What's the kitten's name?
Utopia.

How old is Utopia now?
Around 8 or 9 months.

Tell us about the day you found her.
It was pouring, the kind of weather that soaks you even if you have an umbrella, and she was crawling along in the gutter mewing loudly. I picked her up after thinking about it for all of 30 seconds, and then had to walk home without her climbing away. She was making such a noise, people must have wondered what on Earth I was up to!

What happened once you had the kitten safely home?
When I got inside, I realized I had no idea what to do with a kitten, and spent the next couple of hours on the Internet trying to find out what to feed her. I couldn't buy any cat food in the nearby convenience stores, perhaps because most Chinese people feed their cats human food. In the end, she had some processed sausage and raw egg.

Do people frequently adopt pets in China?
I'm not sure. There aren't adoption centers as far as I know, but it wouldn't surprise me if kittens are fairly often picked up. You often see old women putting food out for stray cats, especially in parks. There are very few stray dogs, however. I think the government rounds these up to help stop the spread of rabies.


Utopia's webpage shows that you originally tried to find a home for her, but eventually decided to keep her around. What changed your mind?
Hard to say. I suppose I had the things she needed and she was healthy. After a few weeks, I couldn't imagine giving her away.

Do you do a lot of animal photography, or is Utopia a special case?
I don't usually do much animal photography. For the most part it doesn't especially interest me. In the same way that people feel compelled to take thousands of photos of their children, your own pets are far too cute to ignore. I don't think there's much that can be said to help with this affliction.

Do you have any advice for people who want to adopt strays?
The sensible advice here is probably, "Don't just grab a kitten from a puddle because it's making a fuss and looking bedraggled!" But if you do, don't make too big a deal of the process. Cats do a good job of looking after themselves, and have for the thousands of years that they lived with humans. It took me a little while to realize this, but once I did it reduced much of the stress.

Is there anything else you would like to share about Utopia's story?
I'd always assumed that owning a pet would be a massive responsibility, involving many expensive trips to the vet, chewed possessions, and mess. In this case, it hasn't been. Even the litter tray doesn't smell when you use those silica crystals! The very occasional shredded paperback is a small price to pay.

Kim Laughton's work can be seen at www.olivepixel.com.

Tags: kitten, kitten foundling, KittenFoundling, shanghai, stray cats, StrayCats