What kind of camera is good for taking pictures of cats with their eyes open?

I have purchased two digital cameras and neither of them have allowed me to take a picture with my cat's eyes open. They are always closed.

I had an old Sony DSC S50 many years ago and it allowed me to take semi-okay cat pictures, but since it was taken from me, I've found no other camera (especially a new one.. that was a cam from like 2000) that can.

If there are any cat lovers out there who take good pictures of their cats with a digital camera, I'd love to hear tips/tricks/what brand of camera they use.

If you want good results every time, get a digital SLR.

Failing that, try to defeat a few things on your cat that might be causing distractions. Turn of the red-eye reduction so the repeating flash won't make them close their eyes. Turn off the focus-aid lamp, if possible, and use manual or preset focus. If your cat is ten feet away, for instance, point your camera at something ELSE that is ten feet away and hold the shutter button half-way down as you turn towards your cat, recompose and wait for the right moment to shoot.

We have taken all kinds of pictures of cats with all kinds of cameras without much trouble.
Nikon Coolpix 4300 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstei...
Nikon D200 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstei...
Nikon Coolpix 4600 -
"Red-eye" fixed in Photoshop Elements 5.0 by cloning jacket lining
http://www1.snapfish.com/slideshow/Album...

Check out my Flickr icon. How's THAT for open eyes?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstei... Of course, if you could see the full-sized photo, you would see that the cat's eyes are not real. They are my own blue eyes.

I use an Olympus digital that's about 6 years old. It does the job for my feline family members ... don't use a flash, and let the cats get comfortable with the camera. Use the zoom to get a closeup without being in their face ... works for me.

Perhaps your cameras are "pre-flashing" to eliminate red-eye, and the pre-flash makes the cat blink. See if you can set the cameras so they don't do this.

i have an olympus dslr, if i do not use the flash, and use a tripod, i can usually get a pretty good shot of my kitty cat with her eyes open...but the flash will make the cat split the scene before i can get a second chance...

If the eyes are ALWAYS closed, the cat must be dead. Get a camera that can photo the past.

Avoid flash. Red eye reduction will cause the cat to blink (and probably run), turning the red-eye reduction off will make its eyes glow green with the flash. Always avoid flash where possible, built-in flash tends to bleach out colours and you will lose the texture and shine from animal fur. If indoors, take it during the day and use a tripod if necessary. Better still, take some shots of it outside, it will give you the best light possible (slightly hazy sunshine is most effective for good overall light without glaring highlights). It will also provide much better backdrops and a more natural setting for your subject (never forget that a good portrait depicts something of the sitter in the whole composition).