We let outside one of our two cats for romps in the apartment building courtyard. Neko is older, slower, and too big to fit under the front gate. Cali is younger, quicker, and skinny enough to squeeze through in pursuit of birds or squirrels. He asks to go outdoors, she doesn’t (thankfully). Today, Neko played hide-and-seek, so to speak, among the center area greenery. I happened to be carrying Leica Q2, because we (Annie and me) had prepped for a neighborhood walk before letting the fluffball walkabout; supervised, as usual.
The Featured Image is nearly a 100-percent crop. Yep, the camera captures loads of detail—and I can trust the autofocus, even shooting through foliage. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 1:43 p.m. PDT.
We adopted Neko from the San Diego County animal shelter in March 2012—about two months after our Maine Coon-mix Kuma disappeared. City workers found his collar in a canyon, strongly suggesting a coyote got him. We held out hope he might yet return, which is why six weeks passed from the time we first saw Neko to our formally adopting him (he’s so handsome, why didn’t somebody else take him home). His name means cat in Japanese.
Cali came to us unexpectedly in October 2014. Four-and-a-half months earlier, she showed up in the bed of our daughter—who, college student at the time, cared for Cali but later couldn’t keep her. Mom and dad really didn’t want another pet, but we’re glad to have her. She is a treasure.