Kittens 2010 Photo Contest

Our winner is Amanda Taylor from Rochester, Minnesota, for this photo of Emmett, a stray. "Emmett was one of four foster kittens my husband and I took in," Amanda writes. "They needed a temporary home to get healthy before they could be spayed/neutered and available for adoption through a fantastic local animal program we volunteer for, Camp Companion. He is actually still available for adoption; two of his siblings have been adopted already. "Emmett is just about the sweetest, most adorable kitten I've ever known. From the start, he has been a 'lap kitty' and loves to snuggle. He was quite ill when he was first found and thus did not have a voice. He would open his mouth so wide to 'talk' and nothing would come out. But he is a very happy and healthy little boy now. This little munchkin holds such a special place in my heart--his wonderful personality is so immediately evident, and no one can resist scooping him up in their arms for a cuddle. He will make someone the most wonderful companion--he is a real gem!"

Sophie, a shorthair from Columbus, Ohio. "Playing, prancing, and looking cute is all in a day's work," writes curtis0509.

Leo and Daisy, Maine coons from Shelter Island, New York. "Even at just 8 weeks old, Leo and Daisy (yawning) were inseparable," writes omiopa. "They are now each about 20 pounds. Born on Christmas Day, they were the best present! Leo is so smart; even the vet says that Leo thinks he is a dog. His favorite trick and pastime: catching his treats in mid-air when we throw them to him. Snuggling with us and each other is commonplace; they're always craving love and affection from anyone who passes them by."

Mo, an orange tabby from Colville, Washington. "Mo in the heather," writes liza_68.

Jujube, a domestic shorthair from Geneva, Florida. "Jujube is a foster kitten looking for a home, but I don't think he'll find one in this coffee mug!" Contributed by abstractor815.

Macchiato, a tortie from Oklahoma City. "Three and a half weeks old," writes nanopia.

Paloma, a tabby from Cincinnati. "This is Paloma at about 4 months," writes mollymasset. "A co-worker found her wandering around the parking lot of a local Starbucks and rescued her. I immediately knew she was meant for me. She is my little purring machine."

Sake, a domestic shorthair from San Francisco. "Playing hide and seek," writes V1N4,

Gatsby, a domestic from Piscataway, New Jersey. "Gatsby was only 3 weeks old when he was left behind by his mother in a ditch near my building," writes crystallinity. "After a couple weeks of bottle feeding, he is now a weaned, healthy, playful, 7-week-old kitten! This photograph was taken when he was about 4 weeks old. My husband and I are so happy to have him in our home!"

Ashelyn and Jax, a dark tortie and orange tiger from Southgate, Michigan. "Sister and brother take a nap in the sink," writes IndeCat.

Misto, a ragdoll mix from Visalia, California. "My little girl loves to 'help' my husband water the plants," writes YoungsCook.

Mars (I never knew what her breed is), from Riverside, California. "We were playing, and I decided to take a picture of her," writes MarsLover. "Isn't she adorable? She was a month and a half in this picture."

Kevin, an orange tabby from Lawrence, Kansas. "Kevin slips on his sandals, like any fashionable kitten would do," writes jperryman.

Squiggy, a American shorthair manx from North Platte, Nebraska. "Squiggy was abandoned by his mom on the first day of his life," writes Wedda. "After lots of T.L.C., he has become a happy and joyous addition to our family."

Edward Deggleston, a cat from San Francisco. "This little kitten (now responds to Cat) was found in a junkyard near Pirate's Cove in San Francisco," writes posinina. "He could barely walk and was without a mother, so I took him to my home of five friends, and we've been caring for him ever since. This was his first experience with pillows and blankets; he was happy and comfortable, to say the least."

Bruce, Jack, Ort, Boo, Tara, Runt, and Loudmouth, purebred American shorthairs from Ames, Iowa. "All my kittens were partially raised by 'Uncle' Baker," writes cameobaker. "As soon as mom was done with her babies, Baker would take over, cleaning them, keeping them in line, and letting them 'nurse' off him. As you can see, the love between them was completely mutual. I don't have kittens any more, and I lost Baker two years ago, so this is a very special picture to me."

Chachi and Gus, rescued farm cats from Duvall, Washington. "The sweetest little grey kittens in the world lying on their backs in a kitty bed," writes RiaE2010.

Jackson, an unknown breed from Springdale, Arkansas. "Jackson used to sleep on this polar bear doll all the time," writes mysticpoet524.

Sydney and Lex, domestic shorthairs from St. Paul, Minnesota. "Tired from playing a rousing game of chase the string, Sydney and Lex curl up where they are most comfortable -- next to each other," writes biskerj.

Maya, a Siamese/tabby from Brea, California. "Maya enjoys feather wands, jingle balls, and sleeping in on the weekends," writes vescott314. "Full of love and energy, she also practices yoga positions in her sleep!"

Rudy, a Bengal tabby from Gainesville, Florida. "After a few hours of playing with all of his toys, Rudy took a well-deserved nap," writes RubyLime. "He needed more room for his nap, though, and stretched halfway out of his bed!"

Halak, "Hal," an alley cat from Spencer, Indiana. "Hal in a rare moment of sleep," writes lstantz.

Bodhi, a Siamese from Perris, California. "I had this bag from a shopping trip, and Bodhi just loved it," writes dalejr8fan01. "He kept jumping in and out of it and playing with the tissue paper for days. I had to get a picture."

Coco-nut, a Persian mix from Oaktown, Virginia. "My Coco's usually up for nap time with people around her, making her unique," writes ravvan. "She finds her comfy spots anywhere, and my lap happens to be one of them!"

Kaja, a Siamese from Siauliai, Lithuania. "I love our mornings." Contributed by MegaLatte.

Tessa, a tabby from Toronto, New York. "Tessa loves sitting in the light and chasing her shadow," writes Mandy2010.

Jeter and Zoe, mixed breeds from Los Angeles. "Jeter and Zoe snuggling in the bathroom sink together," writes badachi.

Cricket, a barn kitty from Athens, Georgia. "I adopted Cricket one day while waitressing at a local restaurant," writes stripeycat. "Someone had a box of kittens on the patio, and I managed to snag the last little one after a busy brunch shift. She turned out to be the runt (she's still really tiny), but she's very smart and very sweet. I named her Cricket because she bounces around like one; we soon discovered that crickets are the only bug she eats! Here she is, all tucked-up into a little ball, on the day I brought her home."

Howie, an orange tabby from Mount Laurel, New Jersey. "Hawaiian Howie wishing he was lounging on the beach ... but for now he will have to settle for this festive tissue box," writes mdibartolo.

Biff and friends, mixed breeds from Austin, Texas. "Biff and friends playing on a lazy afternoon," writes leesjoy. "Unfortunately, the fish just isn't feelin' the love."

Biff, an "other" from Austin, Texas. "Three weeks old," writes leesjoy.

Baby Bruno, a mixed breed from Window Rock, Arizona. "My mother and I took in a litter of kittens from a stray that lived in a vacant house nearby," writes desiree1. "Both my mom and Bruno's mom are gone now. My mother was hinting for grandkids when she wrapped him. He fell right to sleep after that."

Boomer, a domestic shorthair from Reading, Pennsylvania. "This was her favorite place to go when we first brought her home," writes bma70.

Oliver, a domestic tabby from Chicago. "This photo was taken the day I picked up Oliver from his foster mom, who rescued him from the alley behind her house," writes manneck. "My friend Shad was singing 'Movin' on up, to the East Side' when Oli reached out to him. He is a sweetie, now 2 years old."

Winston, a mixed breed from Franklin, Tennessee. "One of the hats I have knitted for my sweet kitten Winston," writes misssaraann. "He feels like velvet and knows how to turn on the faucet for fresh water!"

George, a domestic shorthair from Glen Haven, Nova Scotia. "George loves napping with his mouse," writes speddie.

Tib, a tortoiseshell mix from Akron, Ohio. "My bedside table used to be one of Tib's favorite spots for a nap," writes Niso.

Ghandi, Dalai, and Tiger, mixed breeds from La Mesa, California. "Mom was an abandoned stray who adopted me and delivered eight kittens in my house," writes lmcmanus. "They were just sleeping in their little kitty cozy when we took this picture."

Max Johnson, a rescued stray from Grand Prairie, Texas. "Just a Baby!" writes mlj.

Gabriel, an alley cat from Bronxville, New York. "Orphaned at 4 days old, Gabriel is shown here at 1 week old, falling asleep after a bottle feeding by my mother," writes Bunkarino.

Bean, a domestic medium hair from San Rafael, California. "Bean found my yarn stash, grabbed the nearest ball, and commenced 'celebrating' by batting and chasing it all over the family room," writes Elkaarda. "Once he (and all furniture in the vicinity) were wrapped in white, sparkly yarn, he lay down and took a nap. Then I snapped his photo."

Boomer, a domestic shorthair from Reading, Pennsylvania. "She's a very cool kitty!" writes bma70.

Dazie Anne, a tabby from Pompano Beach, Florida. "Dazie playing peek-a-boo!" writes bluesfankac.

Bessie and Daisy, domestic shorthairs from Londonderry, New Hampshire. "My kittens when they were just a couple months old," writes pearlofthegirl. "They are sisters."

Kobe, a red-hair tabby from Roslyn, Pennsylvania. "He loves to get under the covers.... This is how I found him in my bed!" writes blong05.

Stella, an exotic shorthair from Toronto. "Caught fresh every day," writes fashiongodess.

Stella, an exotic shorthair from Toronto. "She's so small she fits in a teacup," writes fashiongodess.

Patriot and Soixante-cinq, mixed breeds from Phoenix, Arizona. "Patriot (born on the Fourth of July) and little sister, Soixante-cinq," writes mcneil138. "Their mother was abandoned when her owners moved. She chose our house to have two litters of kittens. The mother died when the youngest kittens were 3 weeks old, so everyone pitched in to take care of the kittens, including Soixante-cinq's older brother, Patriot (black cat).

Cleo, a mixed breed from South Glens Falls, New York. "I took this picture of my kitten Cleo after she fell asleep in the box," writes itatlionmeatball57. "Look at the smile on her face!"

Chloe, a blue tabby Persian from Bellevue, Washington. "This is Baby Chloe, whose disposition is as sweet now as an adult as it was in this photo when she was a kitten," writes catmandoo2. "She loves all people, even those she has just met, and therefore everyone falls instantly in love with her also. However, she has one distinguishing feature that no one expects when they first meet her: When she meows, she sounds exactly like a screech owl!"

Tazz, a Maine coon mix from Northwood, New Hampshire. "This little boy was the perfect little shelter cat," writes ColleenBerri. We adopted him when he was a little kitten and knew he was perfect instantly. He always loved sleeping in the napkin basket; this picture was taken when he could still fit inside. We love our little devil. R.I.P."

Dearie and Pumpkin, mixed breeds from Richmond, Virginia. "The sisters love to nap on their green Martha Stewart fuzzy blanket!" writes OakFan.