I'll admit it. I'm a huge cat fan. Always have been and always will be. No shame here! I especially have a fondness for tabby cats like this guy. So stinking cute! If you know me or follow my posts on facebook you've probably seen photos of my cat Pepper who is also a tabby. I got Pepper at the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, MN almost exactly 4 years ago. Although she sometimes drives me bonkers, I can't imagine my life without a cat in it. I mean who else can catch and kill a housefly in less than 5 seconds? She keeps me safe! She also once proudly brought a bird into my apartment, but that is a story for another day! Prior to Pepper, my family had two other tabby cats, Trixie and Max. Trixie and I basically grew up together. We got her when I was in first grade and she made it 17 cat-tastic years. Max was only with us for about 5 years, but they both hold a very special place in my heart.

My friend Kayla and her husband Mike have done an amazing thing. They teamed up with Minneapolis Animal Care & Control and are fostering the 6 kittens featured in this post until they are old enough to be adopted in a few weeks. Mike and Kayla already have 2 dogs and 2 cats of their own, all rescues like these guys, so it is pretty cool that they made space in their home for 6 more. Please help spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested in adopting a kitty. Otherwise Mike and Kayla will really have a full house once they get bigger. I think I'd be the only person crazy enough to still visit them with 8 grown cats and 2 dogs running around. Hey, we all have a little crazy cat lady in us. Just embrace it! The kittens just want to hang out with Mike and Kayla's big kitties, but the big ones are less than impressed by these 6 little guys invading their space.

If you are interested in adopting any of these kittens, shoot me an email at [email protected] and I will put you in touch with Kayla. If you can't adopt, consider fostering or volunteering. If you are in the Minneapolis area, check out the Animal Humane Society, Minneapolis Animal Care & Control, and Second Hand Hounds (just to name a few of the wonderful organizations in the area) to see how you can help.

And in the wise words of Bob Barker, "Help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered."

Katie Mueller is a senior portrait photographer based out of Albertville, MN.

Katie is also the owner of Boulevard Real Estate Photography - Minneapolis Real Estate Photography.

www.katiemueller.com