Tarot of the Cat People

I am enjoying this deck and have been using it for daily draws and all my readings since I got it.

People seem to think it is hard to read with or that the images are mostly decorative like a pip deck where you have to go by number and suit. I haven't found that to be the case. Some of the major arcana cards are basic archetypes but most of the minors have interesting people and cats doing interesting things if you really look at them.

It is slightly different from RWS though, you can't expect the images to add up to RWS meanings.

In the 80's when I tried out this deck I couldn't read with it at all because I was looking at the LWB and trying to get the images to add up to those meanings. I remember being very confused by what the LWB says about the King of Swords. It talks about persuasion by force of personality and I had no idea what that meant. But if you just look at the card it is quite clear what is meant.

Does anyone else enjoy reading with this deck?

I used this deck exclusively for about 18 years. (My first deck - Aquarian - went into hiding when I moved; subsequently my sister gifted me w/ the Cat people. I probably was better off without the LWB; don't remember. I think part of the confusion that happens is that Cat People differs here and there from RWS meanings. I think the deck is best read intuitively. These days I have a plethora of decks, and the Cat People sit patiently and wait, oftentimes. But they are faithful when I call upon them, which I do partilcularly in moments of a certain kind of doubt that wants an old and trusted friend.

I love this deck. It was my first deck and I recently bought a second copy- I'm currently comparing it with the Sharman-Caselli and the Secret and didn't want to risk damaging my original copy by carrying it everywhere and leaving cards lying around where my real cats can investigate them

No. And that makes me sad because I adore cats! And I have no idea why not, I really really love the art. But it just won't talk to me. sniff.

This was my first deck as well, but I find it absolutely unintelligible these days. I just cannot connect with the images anymore, beautiful as they are. It was my only deck from about 13 to 21, but my use of it declined after age 18 or so and I couldn't quite work out why that was until I'd bought a different deck. The art is amongst the very best I've seen in tarot though!

lolakate said:

This was my first deck as well, but I find it absolutely unintelligible these days. I just cannot connect with the images anymore, beautiful as they are.

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I wonder if this is part of reading intuitively. When we read the pictures instead of using them as mnemonics for learned meanings, maybe they just wear out after a while.

Maybe the topaz colors of the cups suit throws some people off as well. It is a very emotional color-set for me, it works. But if people are used to blue colors for cups and earth tones for pentacles this deck might not work so well.

Thanks for telling me your expreiences with the deck! It sounds like it really can be a good friend for a long time.
-Myrrha

Possibly it is a part of intuitive reading, I would agree. I used to go very fixedly by the meanings until I was about 20 or so, then I worked out how to read without pre-defined meanings and concepts. I didn't have any other tarot books or decks available to me for quite a long time when I was young so there wasn't any interference in terms of meanings etc., I'd only ever known the Cat People tarot. Now I rarely use the meanings in books and things, not because I've studied them particularly but I just find I am a lot more intuitive than I gave myself credit for - the pictures have to speak to me for it to work. Still, I loved that deck a long time, and if you're into cats and beautiful costumes (which I am less of these days) then you really can't get bored of it.

I used to have this deck, and agree that the artwork is very striking and beautiful. I really liked the dusky and mysterious Page of Cups and the knights in this deck.

Unfortunately I found the images a bit too static for me. They all look very similar and don't actually portray any action or event that could get my mind working. For me, it was a halfway house between a full scenic and pip-style deck, but I couldn't really read with it.

Hi all,
The Tarot of the Cat People reads very well for me. There are a couple of cards that are out of order. I don't have the deck with me right now but if I remember correctly the Five of Cups (or is it the Five of Pentacles?) is one that has switched meanings with another card but that doesn't seem to bother me in a reading. The art is wonderful!

I had this deck, but gave it away. The artwork is lovely and very unique and some of the cards are quite beautiful. I am not sure why I never connected to it, as I love cats, but maybe I found it a bit too tropical or tribal feeling to grab me. I love jewel toned decks and this is very earthy. I seem to go more for fairies, fantasy, Victorian and Medieval decks. But it is quite nice. Enjoy your new deck!