My first End of Life/Celebration of Life Session Ever.

So last Friday on 9/26/25 I did my first end of life session for an adorable himalayan 9 year old cat named, Lucky. I have been dreaming of doing these sessions for over a year now.

He lived with his momma, Grace, in a cute apartment in New Haven, CT. 2 days before this shoot Grace inquired with me. We knew we had to make this happen asap. Grace and I chatted on Facetime the night before. We talked about how he was doing - he had cancer, she showed me his favorite spots to lay in her apartment, and then we went over how the shoot would look like - she and I agreed we wanted it to be as natural as possible. I told her I also may cry during their session… lol, just because I love pets so much and this is so close to my heart.

I got there at 1:30pm that afternoon. Lucky was laying on the mat in her kitchen, which is where he had been most days as of recent. He did though, get up once I entered the living room (attached to the kitchen) and came and greeted me at my feet. He lifted his head up slightly and rubbed against my legs and let me pet him a few times. He then strutted back and laid back down on the mat in the kitchen. We laughed and we both cried through the entire session. Who knew photography could be so emotional… Once I saw Grace crying, that was it, I was done. Mascara ran down my cheeks. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Grace, pouring her heart out in the most gentle way to her beautiful little boy.

At one point Lucky got up and laid on Grace’s shoes in her room - which she told me he liked to do a lot in general. He mostly wanted to lay on the comfy kitchen mat, which was more than okay as we did not want to push him to do anything he did not want to. This spot in her apartment is where it got most emotional. In the quiet on the floor, not even noticing the cars going by on her street because we were so focused on Lucky. His sister, Sphinx, is an all black medium haired cat. She was in the background at times too but let her momma have this special time with Lucky. Of course I got to get some shots of Sphinx at the end as well, as I was leaving.

I was more than honored to be in some of these final moments with he and Grace. We kept saying that we will see him again in Heaven; and I truly believe that.

Fast forward to Monday 9/30/25. I go on Instagram like I usually do. I saw Grace had posted that Lucky passed away that morning at the vet. My heart sank. I started to cry and texted her right away.

Pets are amazing because of so many different reasons. The biggest one though, they are family.

Blessings to Grace and Lucky in Heaven - until we all meet again.