Greenwood residents Michael and Deirdre Cross have rigged their cat Cooper with a collar camera, documenting his life as he roams through the neighborhood with a series of photographs.
Here Cooper is in the bushes, looking back at his owner.
And here he is in someone else’s backyard.
This is how he does it, with a camera attached to his collar that’s programmed to snap a photo every two minutes. So if you see Cooper roaming the neighborhood, you might want to wave and smile. You can see more photos on Cooper’s Flickr set, and the Seattle PI has a profile on his exploits.
By the way, Cooper will be on on the Animal Channel on a show called Cats 101, tonight (Saturday) at 8 p.m.
24 responses so far ↓
1 Alonzo Neighbor // Dec 6, 2008 at 11:22 am
Cute Kitty, but no self-respecting cat would go for that big box around their neck. Perhaps he is on an onging supply of catnip.
2 phinny life // Dec 6, 2008 at 12:27 pm
i LOVE this! I always wonder what cat’s do when they are out and about!
3 Kelly // Dec 6, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Unique concept, but really – I am tired of cats roaming the neighborhoods of Seattle. What is the point of having a pet if you just let it wander around outdoors and annoy the rest of your neighbors? You might as well befriend a squirrel and call that your pet too. I can sort of understand the concept of outdoor cats in more rural areas, but this is a CITY! Chances are, you don’t have an acre+ of land for the cat to roam, so instead the cat gets to bother and annoy all of your neighbors. The number of Lost Cat posters and reports of coyotes eating people’s “pet” felines is not surprising. The roaming cat, to me, signifies a pet owner who is NOT willing to take proper responsibility for his or her animal. The roaming cat also signifies a pet owner who has a total lack of respect for his or her neighbors who might not want your animal relieving itself wherever it pleases. Not everyone loves cats the same way that not everyone loves dogs. It is only fair that cat owners keep track of their animals the same way that dog owners do.
4 Mike // Dec 6, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Kelly, what planet did you live on before coming to earth? Relax. The world is not a gated community.
5 Kelly // Dec 6, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Okay, Mike, then next time I want to take a pee I’ll do it in your yard!
6 Alonzo Neighbor // Dec 6, 2008 at 7:07 pm
@Kelly – lighten your mood by checking out the following site:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/
7 PhinneyMom // Dec 7, 2008 at 11:07 am
We do not have a cat, but I greatly appreciate the kitties in the neighborhood as they keep the rats and mice away from our compost pile. So they do have a purpose in our neighborhood.
8 Katy // Dec 7, 2008 at 11:08 am
I love this idea, and Cooper ended up with some pretty good shots!
I don’t mind cats wandering around, but maybe that’s because I grew up in a mid-sized city in the 70′s when ‘indoor cat’ was not a common concept. In fact, I was quite surprised at the vehemence of Seattle shelters and people on this subject – they seriously make you feel like a monster if you express some sympathy for the concept of outdoor cats.
My own two cats are indoor-only, but I often feel bad about that, since they obviously have a real instinctive desire to roam and go outside. Mine demand to spend hours on the balcony, for example, and clearly want to go further.
9 etta // Dec 7, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Glad Cooper didn’t wander into our backyard to document our dogs playing “toss the cat”. They did that with a neighbor cat who happened to wander into the fenced yard one evening, just before I let the dogs out. Luckily, I was out there with them and they did respond to “leave it,” but only after playing a couple of rounds of cat toss. Luckily, the cat survived without apparent injury. But really, if a cat is dumb enough to wander into a yard that smells like a dog, there is nothing that the most consciencious dog owner can do to protect them.
There are a lot of dangers out there for cats. But, ultimately, it’s up to the cat owner to decide whether the risks (dogs, raccoons, cars, other cats, etc.) outweigh the benefits of outdoor roaming.
10 Orange Cats Rule // Dec 7, 2008 at 2:00 pm
This is a cute idea! I have a cat that could not be contained inside and always wonder what kind of outdoor adventures he is having (he now lives in a rural area with my parents).
11 Michael // Dec 7, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Um…less than 30 seconds on Animal Planet? Oh well. From all the hype here and in the P-I, i was expecting The Cooper Show! Cute idea, though, to feature roaming housecats on a Creature Cam doc.
12 seattle mike // Dec 7, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Yes, he’s adorable. Let’s hope the last photo on Cooper’s camera isn’t an oncoming car or an aggressive raccoon. Cats belong indoors. They don’t have the judgment to negotiate city streets. Yes, they want to roam around, and children want to run into traffic. We’re responsible for their safety (both cats and children), so keep your cats safe and indoors. There’s a reason that outdoor cats have only half the lifespan of indoor cats. (And don’t get me started on the number of native songbirds that domestic cats kill.)
13 Allison // Dec 8, 2008 at 12:50 am
Most outdoor kitties do just fine. I know bird lovers and others may disagree, but my little Tuxedo does juuust fine outdoors, and she’s a happy, well-adjusted city cat, in part because she gets to go outside and do what cats do. One of the things some cats do is kill birds, but I serously doubt housecats are making a dent in the bird population what with all of the other factors. It’s kind of like saying that sea lions are destroying the salmon runs…..
14 Allison // Dec 8, 2008 at 12:53 am
PS. Mike, with all due respect, I’d rather have a cat that lives a shorter happier life. My cat’s 8 now and she still has amazing muscle tone and general health, and I attribute that to her active outdoor lifestyle. Indoor cats can be happy napping on laps and beds, but they don’t have the kind of strength, reflexes, and muscle tone of a cat that climbs trees and whatnot.
15 seattle mike // Dec 8, 2008 at 10:49 am
I have a hard time imaging being killed by a raccoon or hit by a car or dying of feline AIDS as a “happier life.”
I absolutely love cats. We have two and I can’t imagine life without them. But we keep them inside because that’s what’s best for them.
As for outdoor cats and their effect on birds, you can’t argue with three basic facts:
1. Cats are not a natural part of ecosystems.
2. Cats compete with native predators.
3. Cats transmit disease to wildlife.
See what the American Bird Conservancy has to say about cats and the bird population.
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf
16 seattle mike // Dec 8, 2008 at 11:25 am
You know, my comments come across as more antagonistic than I intended. I believe that outdoor cat owners also love their cats. I just can’t understand the decision to put them at risk (plus the other downsides of free-range cats).
17 Ballard Gal // Dec 8, 2008 at 11:58 am
Cute idea, but I wish folks kept their cats inside. I find it selfish of people to allow their cats to roam around. It’s disrepectful of their neighbors.
18 John // Dec 8, 2008 at 2:09 pm
17 comments and counting on the merits of indoor vs. outdoor cats. Certainly no one can say Seattle residents shy away from tackling the hard-hitting issues that affect Americans every day.
19 seattle mike // Dec 8, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Okay, Seattle residents – No more talking about something if there’s something more serious you could be talking about instead. John will shortly be issuing a list of the only acceptable topics to discuss.
20 Sheila // Dec 8, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Back to the subject – I love the photos that Cooper took.
21 prek // Dec 9, 2008 at 12:49 am
I love it. I love how cats in Asia are mostly the outdoor types, in Japan they’re on the streets even when it’s snowing. It amazes me that people see cats as exclusively indoor fat felines on catnip types.
22 Michelle // Feb 13, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Kelly
Get a life already. Don’t prove you live in Seattle with that attitude. Go Cooper!!!!
23 TUN HOTELS // May 15, 2009 at 2:35 pm
wow…. nice picture dude,….. i like it…
24 chaz // Oct 28, 2010 at 8:24 am
Seattle Mike, you sound like a pansy. Cats go along with that whole “live free or die” thing. That idea probably scares you to death. Grow a pair.
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