Biography & Photos
Your cat is ready to be adopted! Congratulations & well done on getting your cat this far.
Writing a descriptive bio, and taking quality photos that really show off the uniqueness and personality of the cat are important to getting the cat adopted. A great photo can help direct potential adopters that are browsing the adoption website, into clicking on the foster cat's profile to learn more.
Your Foster Coordinator needs to know if your cat is ready for adoption. Please talk to them BEFORE filling in the bio form or submitting photos.
Taking A Good Photo
This is ALL the room you get to showcase your cat. Photos are very important. You have to make it count.
Take A Lot of Digital Photos
The picture is the first thing people see when they visit the listing. If the cat has a poor picture, visitors may move on to another cat without clicking or reading your cat’s description. If you want to give your cat the best chance possible, take large, clear, good quality (high resolution) pictures of the cat alone. A good picture is often the difference between a cat who generates inquiries and one who doesn’t. Taking a photo on your phone is fine.
You may have to take 50 pictures to get 1 or 2 really great shots. Keep trying. If your first attempts fail, don’t be discouraged. Just keep trying.
Take photos in natural light.
Pictures taken in natural light are usually much better than those taken with a flash. Lighting is very important for accurately capturing a cat’s colouring and detail. Have the sun or light source behind you and check to make sure you’re not casting a shadow on your subject.
Focus your photos.
Pictures should be in focus with the cat's eyes open and ears forward.
Use treats/toys.
Using treats and/or a toy can help capture the cat’s best expression. Sometimes having two people makes this process easier.
The cat is your subject.
The cat should take up the majority of space in your picture. Avoid excessive amounts of background. The cat’s eyes should be focused on you. Try to capture at least one “hero” shot, where the focus is on the cat's face. A full body picture is also a great way to show size and scale.
Use a neutral backdrop.
Try taking pictures using a neutral backdrop (e.g. a solid colour wall). Select a background that contrasts with the cat’s colouring. Darker‐coloured cats will show up better against a lighter backdrop.
Check out the competition.
Visit the adoption website and look at the photos of similar cats and see which ones pop out to you. Then try to mimic these shots with your own foster cat.
The link to filling in a foster cat's bio can be found here.
You can write your own bio for the cat, or fill in the details and let the creative team come up with something. You need to be honest in the bio. There is no point trying to make a shy cat seem boisterous. Some adopters may actually be looking for a shy cat. If you are not honest in the bio the chances of the cat being returned to TCR become higher.
Personality
Describe who your cat is. Shy, adventurous, playful, energetic, snuggler, etc. Use words that are positive and will entice a potential adopter. Does the cat like being picked up? Runs around like a crazy kitty at 3am? Likes to be patted. Doesn't like to be picked up? What toys do they like to play with? Do they eat well? How are their litter habits? Do they like the resident cat or dogs? How do they behave around kids? Shy around strangers? Think of all the things you love about your foster cat and make sure you include this.
Funny Quirks
Provide information about training, tricks or cute behaviour. My foster cat loves to drink from the water fountain with one paw in the air. He will only sleep cuddled up on the couch with me. Foster cat loves to chase springs all day long. The cat makes a cute noise while eating her wet food.
History
If you know the history of the cat include this in the bio. It can help get the cat noticed, people like to feel they are helping to rescue a cat from a bad situation; which they are. The cat came from an overcrowded shelter in Texas, the cat came from a hoarder situation. The cat was found on the street. If you don't know the history of the cat, that's okay.
Special Needs
If you have a cat that requires medical attention you need to make sure you go into details. Diabetic cats, very overweight cats, any cat that may require extra time or money from the adoptive parent.
Note: We do not consider a cat to have special needs if they are FIV positive, require special food, have missing or deformed limbs, need an adult-only home, or are shy. You still need to mention this in the cats bio as potential adopters need to know. Just put it elsewhere.
Special Notes
Allows for any additional information that the foster family thinks prospective adopters should be aware of. For example "If we had the room for another permanent cat, we would adopt Kitty in an instant!" or "At this time, Kitty is very shy around young children, but mature children over the age of 12 would be fine."
Writing A Good Bio
Creating a fun and informative bio is key to getting your foster cat or kitten quickly adopted by the right parents. Highlight the cute and unique things about the foster cat, and let potential adopters know why they should consider your cat.
You will improve your cat’s chances of finding a home if you write a thorough description. A good bio is part press release, part story telling - try to pull the reader into the bio so that they can start to imagine a life with this new feline friend.
Use positive language when describing any issues. It can be very helpful to read the bios of other similar cats up for adoption with TCR if you need inspiration.