The Power of a Good Portrait

When spending another few hours with the felines the other day I was drawn ultimately to the fat cats that had obviously once had owners. I hate to see animals that were once house pets go into a shelter. I feel like all they think about is "what did I do momma?" Other than that I feel obligated to try accomplishing the impossible in getting good portraits of the shyest little cats and kittens. many wont come from the backs of their cages and one shy girl kept playing games with me when I would open her cage door, she went into her cabinet and when I would open her cabinet she would then return to her cage and this continued for a good 5-10 minutes and I just had to give up, I was working up too much of a sweat and getting a little impatient.
This is Moxy

Moxy

ID 52252
4yrs 10.9lbs
Domestic Short Hair mix, Tortoiseshell 

Moxy has been in the shelter since the beginning of March due to abandonment followed by a surrender to the shelter. He is shy and not fond of dogs but loves to be rubbed on. He is so handsome and elegant. Although this photo has a good depth of field I still wanted to portray him as the little prince he really is. The exposure of the photo is OK but seems to have hit a bright spot on the left side of the cage that kind of drowns out his pretty coloring. The catch likes are predominant making him look less cuddly and more mischievous, he can also seem a little frightened even though he is not curled back into a corner.

In this photo I have brightened Moxy's eyes and edges of his ears. The fronts of his paws are lightened as well as the highlights on the bridge and tip of his nose. I lightened the background to try and bring him forward a little in the composition. His eyes glow with subtle catch lights and his pose makes him look proud. He is a very independent kitty with a touch of mischief. I feel like the photo brings out his personality to make him more adoptable to his perfect owner.