At first, I thought this book was written by the author of the well-known book Humans of New York. It’s not. However, I am a cat lover, so I appreciated seeing the photographs of over one hundred cats and reading their accompanying quotes.
Jim Tews, who does lives in New York, was inspired to start the Felines of New York Tumblr account after meeting a group of feral cats on the streets of New York. Alongside a full-page photograph of the cats are pieces of dialogue that somewhat match the cats’ personalities, appearances, and names.
A few cats swear. Milo, from the Upper East Side worries about climate change, and a black and white cat named Didid laments not finishing college. Some cats are outside, others in their homes. One lucky cat stays in a bookstore. There are no humans interacting with the cats, but there are a few pictures featuring kittens.
I think I would have enjoyed the book more if some of the dialogue was re-written. Some of it I really liked because it seemed to suit the cat’s photograph and behavior (I like being a little mysterious), and others did not (I invented the telephone). Overall, an appealing book for a teenaged or adult cat-lover.