diff --git a/ui/dr-ui/src/library/thumbnails_fetch.rs b/ui/dr-ui/src/library/thumbnails_fetch.rs
index 92c3603..1b9479f 100644
--- a/ui/dr-ui/src/library/thumbnails_fetch.rs
+++ b/ui/dr-ui/src/library/thumbnails_fetch.rs
@@ -890,6 +890,9 @@ pub(super) fn serve_prefetches(shared: &PrefetchShared, events: &Sender<Prefetch
             (wanted.generation, conn, jobs)
         };
 
+        // One catalog connection for this wish's row checks, opened at the
+        // first and kept for the rest, rather than one per neighbour.
+        let mut catalog = None;
         for job in jobs {
             let current = shared
                 .wanted
@@ -899,7 +902,7 @@ pub(super) fn serve_prefetches(shared: &PrefetchShared, events: &Sender<Prefetch
             if !current {
                 break;
             }
-            if holds_original(&job.cache) {
+            if holds_original(&job.cache, &mut catalog) {
                 continue;
             }
 
@@ -926,11 +929,24 @@ pub(super) fn serve_prefetches(shared: &PrefetchShared, events: &Sender<Prefetch
 
 /// Whether the cache already has this original — a row check, not a read,
 /// so asking costs nothing and touches no `last_used`.
-pub(super) fn holds_original(cache: &CacheContext) -> bool {
+///
+/// Asked on `held`, which the caller keeps across a batch of these: a
+/// connection per question was an open per prefetched neighbour, four of the
+/// five a develop landing made. Opened here on first use, and again only if
+/// the batch moves to another catalog.
+pub(super) fn holds_original(cache: &CacheContext, held: &mut Option<(PathBuf, Catalog)>) -> bool {
     let Ok(store) = dr_catalog::Cache::open(&cache.dir, cache.budget) else {
         return false;
     };
-    let Ok(catalog) = Catalog::open(&cache.catalog_path) else {
+    if held
+        .as_ref()
+        .is_none_or(|(path, _)| *path != cache.catalog_path)
+    {
+        *held = Catalog::open(&cache.catalog_path)
+            .ok()
+            .map(|c| (cache.catalog_path.clone(), c));
+    }
+    let Some((_, catalog)) = held.as_ref() else {
         return false;
     };
     store.holds_original(catalog.connection(), cache.image)