A farewell story: Amber + Clive
Amber has to leave soon. The world's calling for her next big adventure, which sadly, means a lot of impending goodbyes are on the horizon. But the most painful of them all will be to Clive. Her best friend, her counsellor ... her cat.
You know those people, the kind that when they walk into a room, they just have a certain aura about them and instantly lift the mood? Well that's Amber. Just as her name suggests, she glows with a desire to live life to the fullest. So it came as no surprise, when Amber, my dear friend, announced that she was leaving Leeds for Canada. In just under a month, she'll be off with a one way ticket, about to start her new role as Head of Art at Camp Canada.
Amber asked if I would take pictures of her and Clive together, for her to cherish on her travels, so of course it was my pleasure to do so. Amber recently found a new home for Clive - a place in the West Yorkshire countryside, which he will share with 3 other cats. So following the news, I went to capture Amber and Clive together, just enjoying each other's company as they usually would.
Amber & Clive. A lot like Bonnie & Clyde, but without the robbery, serial murders and life on the run (I think). Let's just say they're a pretty tight pair and share a bond that I've never really witnessed before between a lass and her cat.
When Amber first met Clive, he'd fallen out of a neighbour's bush, only days old, all matted and covered head to toe in fleas. At the time, Amber wasn't herself, a lot was going on and she ended up stuck in a pretty dark place. When she found Clive, she took one look at him and knew that they both needed each other. She found a companion to help her through the low points. She found herself. The pair became best friends and each other's rescuers.
“I was struggling to leave the house, work or even get in the shower. Clive was my fluffy ball of light that carried no judgement of my mood but would quite happily live in my shadowy company.”
“For 3 years he’s brought so much love and joy to my life. Relationships can come in many different forms, I’d never look at an animal as a lesser lifeform. They’re just different but through difference still have the power to create a positive impact on someone’s life, and in my eyes, this creates an un-matched equality. This is a two-way street. We don’t just help them, they help us.”
Just like Amber, Clive is a bit of free spirit and spends most of his days outside on the nearby allotment, catching rats and other delights for his mama. So as you can imagine, it took a bit of planning to make sure that Clive was at home, when the sun was out - the house light and bright for the best possible pictures. I remembered Amber telling me about how when Clive goes out, he'll often return after she meows his name down the street. As we neared the end of the shoot, Clive was getting a bit fidgety, eager to go back out exploring, so the three of us headed out onto the cobbled backstreet. I asked Amber to demonstrate her cat call. Clive instantly pattered after her.
It's the final picture of our shoot and unintentionally does a pretty good job at capturing the end of their time together. It marks their final goodbye.
“Thank you for being a beautiful soul, for being my best friend, causing chaos and bringing me back to life.”
If you would like a photoshoot with your little pal and to have your story told on the Pet Stories blog, get in touch or visit the packages page for more information. Limited availability throughout June and July!
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