Life

Newborn Kitten Photo Shoot Will Make You Squee

by Lily Feinn

Professional newborn photoshoots are becoming a must-have for proud parents celebrating their new addition — but why should humans have all the fun? One family has started what I hope will be a trend, and introduced their newest feline member in the classiest way possible: with a newborn kitten photoshoot. Swaddled in gauzy fabrics and laid in a basket, this furbaby is just as cute as any newborn, if not cuter. Since the photos were posted on Facebook June 4, they have gone viral, with nearly 7,000 likes and 16,000 shares.

Cassie Borcherding of Storybook Moments Photography was no stranger to typical baby photoshoots when her most precious subject yet wandered into the garage of her family's Missouri home. Borcherding found the stray kitten just after Memorial Day, and was uncertain at first if they could care for it. The mother of four led a search for the kitten's original owners, she told ABC News: "I attempted to find the original owner via Facebook sales pages but had no luck. Elsa seemed a bit wild so I thought chances of finding the owner were slim." Soon her four-year-old daughter Emma had formed a strong bond with the kitten, and begged to let her stay.

"After seeing how well she did with the kitten and after being unable to locate an owner, we decided to keep her," Borcherding told BuzzFeed. Her daughter named the kitten, who they believe to be about 10 weeks old, after her favorite Disney princess, Elsa.

As soon as they had decided to adopt Elsa, Borcherding's daughter requested a photoshoot. They had no idea that this silly project would turn viral, but first they had to get the rambunctious kitten to stay still.

"We started with the swaddling, which wasn’t too hard. I just laid the kitten on my lap belly up and gave her a good tummy rub to relax her and started wrapping," Borcherding told ABC News. "She didn’t protest much and once I got her snug she was content and purred the entire time. We did three wraps. The last wrap being an Elsa-inspired look." Borcherding found that the kitten was even easier to photograph than an actual newborn, happily snuggled up in the wraps. Who would think that kittens like to be swaddled, too? From a quick 30-minute shoot, the results were magically adorable.

These pictures may be one of the smartest marketing moves possible, drumming up tons of traffic to Borcherding's Mexico, Missouri photography business's Facebook page. The story of Elsa the kitteh has touched thousands of people and been shared by many media outlets.

To seem more of Elsa the kitty, visit Storybook Moments' Facebook page.

Images: StorybookMoments/Facebook