Can't buy me love?

Maybe not, but you could get it for free during Asheville Humane Society's Valentine Adoption Weekend this past February 12-14. A total of 58 animals—18 dogs and 40 cats, including Sexy Simon, Hallmark and the delectable Russell and Stover—found homes, with adoption fees waived for felines. (FYI, the event helped to push the month's adult cat adoptions up 61% over February 2009. YES!)

"We certainly had a lot of fun, but it was WORK," says Asheville Humane's vice president, Katherine A. McGowan, CFRE.

True, anytime you stage an event that involves a photo shoot with a bunch of divas...er, cats, it's gonna be labor-intensive—but the sassy shots they got are among the best we've seen yet and left us wondering…how'd they do it?

"It's a trade secret!" reveals McGowan with a laugh. "We bought a heart background throw at a local retailer, clipped it to a wipe-board with binder clips so it was easily moved about, and used toys and noises to distract the kitties while we snapped photos like crazy."

Oh l'amour!

P.S. Here are more tips on how to take great photos of animals.

See what else Buncombe County has been up to.