Now I Know What the “Vaccuming the Kitty” Photo is All About

by Joey deVilla on July 26, 2007

If you like checking out sites that feature interesting or humourous pictures, chances are you’ve stumbled across this photo:

La Shinda Clark’s photo of a boy vaccuming a cat with a Dustbuster
Click to see the photo on its source page.

I’ve always wondered what was going in the photo — often captioned in LOLcat-ese with something like “TIEM TO VACUME TEH KITTYNUTS” — and who took it. I had no idea that it was an award-winning photo:

La Shinda Clark, photographer at The Philadelphia Inquirer and 1995 Scholar, won third place for feature photos in the National Press Photographers Association 2003 Best of Photojournalism contest. In the photo, volunteer Cameron Tarzwell, 13, cleans loose hair that has been shaved from an anesthetized cat, Princess, in preparation for an operation. Tarzwell has been assisting a veterinarian for four years. The photo was one in a picture story on a spaying and neutering program in Chester County in Pennsylvania.

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

1 allan July 26, 2007 at 1:05 pm

somehow having a logical explanation just ruins it for me now.

2 Sherri July 26, 2007 at 5:02 pm

I’m much too (perhaps unhealthily) attached to my cats to laugh. Mostly I wince. Please, post warnings on future cat torture pictures so the faint of kitty heart can look away before it is inflicted upon our delicate souls. Trauma! Trauma!

Must Go Cuddle A Cat Now.

3 Rodney August 9, 2007 at 3:33 pm

C’mon, people, lighten up!
Torture indeed.
Get with the program.

4 Lori Nickerson August 14, 2007 at 5:53 am

This is horrible animal abuse my god you people are sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 cameron tarzwell April 16, 2008 at 10:14 pm

i never knew i was this populer.

6 VMP August 1, 2008 at 6:09 pm

kitteh bondage ftw! pedobear definitely approves!

7 STINGRAY September 25, 2008 at 2:43 pm

THE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS SICK HUMOR SHOULD SEE DOCTOR PHILL NOW!

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