Meet The Royalty Of The Urban Jungle: Gorgeous Street Cats

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Animals have a very special place in my heart. And although my main work revolves around fine-art nature photography, a big part of it is focused on pets and animals in general.

Because street cats are a very common sight here, people accept their presence and often pass them by without much notice. So I try to give the felines the attention they deserve. I want to reveal their regal beauty and uniqueness. I want to share my awe and admiration towards them with others. After all, they are small-scaled tigers and lions walking among us.

A turning point occurred when my partner and I tried to rescue two newborn kittens that were found in a cardboard box out in the scorching July sun. They still had their umbilical cords attached, and the vet said right away their chances for survival were quite low. Still, we did our best. One of them passed the next day while the other fought for about a month. I documented the whole experience and it was as humbling as it was heartbreaking.

I shared some of these images and the story with the world in hopes that it would help people understand how important it is to spay and neuter their pets, to prevent any such misfortune from an innocent being.

This experience has also encouraged me to continue photograph feral cats, to show how they live on the streets, so that perhaps more people would be moved to adopt or help in any other way they can.

Ultimately, my wish is to show how similar we all truly are: we are all living creatures –we are born, we live, get older and die; we experience pain and pleasure and we all try to avoid the former and move more towards the latter. I feel that at the fundamental level, each of my images tries to deliver this message and awaken a spark of compassion in the viewers.

And this is our newest family member, Louie: a rescue who was found during a rainstorm. We took him in when he was one-month old, and our dog has quickly took on the role of the adoptive mother. He's growing so fast and I'm having a lot of fun documenting all of his adorable poses and mischief.

There's really no way to describe the joy adopting an animal can bring to everyone involved.

Not only will you be saving a precious life, you'll be getting a best friend who will never cease to amaze you with its capacity to love and trust.

And if you're currently unable to adopt, perhaps next time you see some stray cats in your neighborhood you can leave some food and water outside, to help them make it through the day.

You're welcome to see more works on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AlexGreenshpunPhotography

And on the site: www.alexgreenshpun.com