Whether the photo was taken months or years ago, a few local cat owners are excited that photos of their pets are leaving a mark in the year 2012.
Jordan Dublin of Altoona, Regina and Ed Patterson of Williamsburg and Andrew and Sally Smith of Tyrone were all selected by New York City publishing company Workman Publishing to have photos of their cats featured in their "365 Cats" and "365-Kittens-A-Year" calendars.
A photo of Marshmallow, cared for by Dublin, 13, graces the dates of June 29 and 30 in the kitten calendar. Her mom, Gina, said Marshmallow is a year and a half old, and was born as a stray on her friend's porch, so her family adopted her. The same friend also had a copy of the 2010 calendar and encouraged Gina to submit the photo that was selected.
Article Photos
Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec
Jordan Dublin of Altoona plays with Marshmellow, who is graces June 29 and 30 in the “365-Kittens-A-Year”?calendar.
"I said we'd try it," she said. "It's from when she was really small. It's just a nice close-up of her."
Gina added it was a "nice surprise" that the photo actually ended up being selected.
"I was surprised because of how many applications they get," she said.
Thousands of photos each year are submitted to Workman Publishing to be featured in the calendar from around the globe, said John Duggan, a publicity intern for the company. Entries are accepted throughout the year, and are submitted into a pool if they are not used the year they are submitted.
That is how a photo of cats Vinnie and Shawn taken in 2005 came to be featured on the Feb. 3 date of the 2012 cat calendar. Owner Andrew Smith was surprised to receive the notice in late October that the 7-year-old photo had made the cut.
"I thought I just wasn't selected," said Andrew, 54. "I forgot all about it."
His wife, Sally, had taken the photo as the two cats were sitting on the windowsill of their home, Andrew said.
"Vinnie has his paw on Shawn's back like they're best buddies," he added.
Once they found out the photo would be featured in the 2012 calendar, Andrew said he bought a dozen of them and gave them out to friends and family.
Regina Patterson is also proud that her Siamese cat, Sidney, made the cut for 2012, and will appear in the kitten calendar on Feb. 9. He is now 4 years old, but the photo is him at 8 weeks sleeping as he's swaddled in a blanket.
"My niece wrapped him up in that blanket all the time," Regina said of Sidney when he was a kitten. "He'd just sleep like that for hours. I just thought it was a cute picture, he looked so cozy and warm."
Regina submitted the photo in the summer of 2010, and said she was also surprised when she received the notification because she had forgotten she had entered. However, she's glad her "wonderful little cat" gets his time in the spotlight.
"I'd always been told [Siamese cats] were high-strung, but he is so loving," she said. "He's the most affectionate cat I've ever had, and I've had cats my whole life."
The Workman Publishing "365 Cats" and "365 Kittens-A-Day" calendars can be purchased at Barnes & Noble or on Amazon.com, according to the company's publicity department.
Mirror Staff Writer Beth Ann Downey is at 946-7520.
