What can make a kitten extra cute?

A creative Texas-based photographer who rescues cats has found the answer: costumes and sets.

Wendy McKee took in three cats, each of whom had large litters this year, leaving her with 17 kittens in need of homes. So McKee put her sewing skills to the test, drafting patterns and creating clothes to dress the kittens like TV and movie characters, including Princess Leia from Star Wars and Gandalf and Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings, as well as characters from Doctor Who and The Wizard of Oz.

The hope is that McKee's photographs of the kittens in the clothing on realistic-looking sets will draw enough attention to get the kitties adopted.

Photographer Wendy McKee created a tiny Princess Leia wig for this kitten.

McKee, a huge Doctor Who fan, says that this spot-on costume and meticulous set made for one of her favorite shots.

Little Dorothy sits at the end of the yellow brick road in this homage to The Wizard of Oz.

A kitten channels Frodo from The Lord of the Rings.

McKee says several people have asked about adopting this kitten, who was born without eyes. He's dressed as Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings.

Not surprisingly, the plan is working.

“I have had some interest from potential adopters, particularly for the Gandalf kitten who was born without eyes,” McKee wrote in an email. “They are just now at the age that I feel comfortable rehoming them, and I want to choose just the right forever homes for these little cuties.”

For now, she’s enjoying making the tiny outfits. “Setting sleeves into a sports coat for a cat is quite the adventure,” she wrote. “I feel strongly about having the costumes and sets be as accurate to the characters as possible.”

Though McKee is looking for homes for the kittens, she plans to keep their moms and have them spayed. “The second they are done nursing their litters they are headed to the vet for surgery,” she wrote. “I want to be a responsible pet owner, and I know that there are so many animals out there in shelters who need homes as well.”