Cats on Catnip by Andrew Marttila
My rating: 5/5 cats
this book is by the photographer who took all those excellent cat pictures in Shop Cats of New York.
there’s very little text, just a 7-paragraph introduction, but it is surprisingly full of interesting (to me) information.
interesting fact #1: he has a degree in neuroscience AND he takes pictures of cats.
interesting fact #2: In my experience meeting hundreds of cats and kittens through my camera lens, only about four in five adult cats react to catnip, and most are immune to its effects until they’re about four to six months old. I’ve tested catnip on dozens of kittens and only a handful have reacted.
interesting fact #3: While creating this book, I was astounded to discover how few people have witnessed their cats on catnip, or when they did, what paltry amounts they offered…If I have one lesson to impart, it is this: Don’t be stingy. Catnip is non-addictive and harmless and provides a temporary respite from your cat’s grueling workload of napping all day.
although there’s a point where it seems like it might be too much, right?
and in fact, some of these could serve as before/after images in some after-school ‘just say no’ PSA:
before:
after:
but for the most part, this does indeed look like a healthy fun time for cats. some of them show off their inherent cat-flexibility with impressively limber yoga poses:
and even the chubboes get into the spirit and wanna dance:
while some get downright frisky:
to be honest, i don’t think i’ve ever been as happy as any of these cats in all my life:
although some stubborn cats are determined to be grouchy and resist catnip’s euphoria no matter what:
that one’s mood seems more familiar to me.
but damn – they really do look like little feline stoners. you just know they’re thinking all kinds of convoluted thoughts and wanting to write it all down in poetry and also maybe get a burrito:
i am guilty of being a paltry-amount-provider of catnip throughout my cat-owning time on this planet. i had no idea you were meant to treat it like tony montana treats coke and just mound it all over the place. this book is inspiring me to maybe finally make room in my grieving heart to bring a new furbaby into my home, especially this picture, which looks a bit like my much-missed maggie, only not as precious:
and, this one, which – after from my much-missed maggie, may be the second-prettiest cat ever:
anyway, cats. catnip. adorable.
