“Shop Cats of New York”

Reviewed by Melanie Maxwell

I love cats. Some of my friends say I’m fanatical about them. Others have described my behavior as bordering crazy cat lady territory. I consider myself more of a cat enthusiast. I only have two of them. So, that seems to be within the realm of sanity, doesn’t it?

Still, that does not mean I like cat “things.” Sometimes people I’ve known have confused my love for cats with a misconception that a cat chotchke would be an appropriate gift for me. (I love men, too, but I don’t have a glass curio cabinet filled with little porcelain statues of them.)

I admit, that anytime I’ve received such a gift of cat-themed apparel, cat-inspired jewelry, etc., it goes directly to the donation bin at Goodwill or The Salvation Army. I’m sure someone who fancys this stuff would be thrilled to add it to their collection.

One time, someone gave me a large, hardcover coffee table cat book. What did they expect an adult woman to do with a book like this? Especially when they inscribed a personal message to me. Well, it got donated, too. Hopefully, it ended up on a pink frilly canopy bed of a young girl also named Melanie.

Having said that, I’m surprised to announce that I just discovered a book that might appeal to other cat people who felt the way I did about these things (and to accumulators of all things cat, as well).

While standing in line for Kathy Griffin’s book signing at Warwick’s in La Jolla last week, a book displayed atop stacks of other books caught my attention. The cover was a photo of a grey cat with green eyes. It sort of looked like the perfect combination of my cats, both grey; one a sleek Russian Blue mix, and the other a husky striped tabby.

Then I see the title, “Shop Cats of New York.” I stopped the conversation I was having with my friend Rich Wise about his recent trip to the Hamptons for Thanksgiving mid-sentence, and exclaimed, “Look at that book! Can you please hand it to me?” Because the line we were in snaked through the store’s shelves and tables piled with books, he asked, “Which book?” The people in front of us saw where my eyes were laser focused, and, because they were closer to it, offered to grab it for me.

I was practically purring with each flip of the page filled with delightful stories of each cat. Reading descriptions of their heritage, personalities, the particular business they rein over and their owners made me forget about the line that trailed out of the store. Plus, the gorgeous photos captured the epitome of each of their catly queen-and-king-doms.

A perfect synopsis can be found on the book’s back cover: “They inhabit New York City’s most legendary and coziest spots—the Algonquin Hotel, a whiskey distillery, Bleecker Street Records, a pilates studio, bookstores, bike shops and in bodegas around the five boroughs. True New Yorkers—masters of people watching—they perch on wine crates, piles of books, and a classic hotel countertop, taking in all the activity around them. Shop Cats of New York introduces forty of New York’s favorite felines as popular cat blogger Tamar Arslanian and Instagram pet photographer Andrew Marttila capture these deeply loved and well-cared-for animals in their city habitats and reveal how they have come to reign over their urban kingdoms.”

Jackson Galaxy, host of Animal Planet’s hit show “My Cat From Hell,” writes: Shop Cats of New York vividly illustrates the very nature of the human/cat dynamic. It is a testament to our ongoing love affair, a visual triumph, and a book that all cat lovers should have in their collection.”

Cats are such cool creatures. But, New York cats … superbly enchanting: As is this book!

“Shop Cats of New York”

By Tamar Arslanian (Author), Andrew Marttila (Photographer)

Hardcover, 176 pages

Publisher: Harper Design (Nov. 1, 2016)

ISBN-10: 0062432028

ISBN-13: 978-0062432025

Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.6 x 9.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ShopCatsofNewYork/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

NOTE: Barely a month since its release, “Shop Cats of New York” is completely sold-out online and is now in preprint. However, until those new shipments are sent to online retailers (scheduled for 12/21), many brick-and-mortar bookstores still have a few copies in stock.