In this calendar, buff meets fluff (click link for article with photo)
Local men, kittens paired to raise funds for Hull cat shelter
By Johanna Seltz, Globe Correspondent | September 6, 2007
Hunky guys and cuddly kittens. It's an eye-catching combination, and with luck, the fund-raising calendar that boasts that theme will help raise as much as $10,000 for Hull Seaside Animal Rescue.
"The contrast of the fragile, little innocent kitty against a buff, tough guy with muscles -- we thought it was something different," said Joanne Berman, operations manager at the no-kill shelter for cats.
It's officially called the Hull Kittendale calendar, the name inspired by the Chippendales shirtless, muscular male dancers. The calendar guys -- except for two -- are shirtless. The cats -- except for one -- came from the shelter.
Everyone involved in the venture volunteered for the project, which took about a year to complete. All proceeds from the $20 per calendar price will go to the shelter, which typically houses 20 to 30 cats a day in a small leased building on L Street.
"Everyone went beyond the call of duty in terms of giving up their time and just dealing with the cats," said Berman, who took the photos. "Some [of the cats] were a little abusive and some of the guys got scratched. But every single time, if you waited long enough, the cats settled in. No humans or kittens were harmed during the making of this calendar. We want to be sure people know that.
"We took between 150 and 200 shots per guy. If we got between one and three that were usable then we were happy. It was always just whether the cat looks comfortable. That was my goal."
One of the more challenging shoots was of surfer Jon Crotty, whose mother, Chris, helped found the shelter and came up with the calendar's theme. "It was like a fall northeaster and it was blowing all over. The cat was getting a little crazy and there was salt water all over the lens of my camera. We managed to get one good shot. He's holding the cat and the surfboard. The edges are a little fuzzy, but it gives you that wintry feel. We used it for January," Berman said.
The October photo was taken behind the grieving angel monument at Hingham Cemetery, so the model -- tugboat worker Bill -- looks as though he has wings. "It was a very misty day. It's cool because this guy has dreadlocks and he has Dixie up against his chest," Berman said.
One model brought his own cat, Cash, and his motorcycle for the August shot. And Adam Roundtree supplied his own skateboard, and shelter kitten Jagger stayed on it long enough for Berman to get a photo for May.
The only models wearing shirts were a Cohasset firefighter whose chief thought it would be unprofessional to pose shirtless, and Johnny Cupcakes, the Hull T-shirt designer. The firefighter's solution was to cut the sleeves off his shirt, exposing his biceps as he held a kitten named Zee. Johnny Cupcakes is standing on the railroad tracks in Hingham, holding a kitten named Roxy in his cupped hands.
Robert Platka posed shirtless in front of his Hull home with a kitten named Midnight. He and his wife volunteer at the shelter and he agreed to pose "because it's part of the volunteer spirit. If you can do more, it seems like a natural thing to do," he said. An elementary school teacher in Scituate, he rides his bike to work, averaging 240 miles a week. "I'm hoping I won't be the least-tuned guy [in the calendar]. I think it'll be all right if they put in my age," said Platka -- who is 58.
The cover shot shows Lorenzo, a personal trainer from Hull, standing in front of a storm fence on the beach and holding JoJo, a kitten with double paws. "He has a look on his face that's very serious and the cat is smiling," Berman said.
The last photo she took was of Jason Anderson, a construction worker-fisherman-trainer, holding a delicate white kitten named Panda at Nantasket Beach. "This one is like wow," Berman said.
Of course I have to have one! If you want one too, send a check for $25 to HSAR (Hull Seaside Animal Rescue) PO Box 787 - Hull, Ma. 02045 with a note that it's for a Kittendale Calendar, and one will be mailed to you.
Love, Columbine
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