Last December, Christmas came early at the Kyoto shelter! Shelley Mae, a professional photographer based in Tokyo, generously offered to take pictures of our kitties, and the result is truly incredible.

Cats are always photogenic, as you can tell from the countless posts on our website and Instagram. If you’ve visited our cat cafe, then you probably couldn’t resist taking some photos for yourself. And if you really love cats, then your social media accounts are probably flooded with every kind of cat photo, from the most hilarious poses to the most striking. It is simply impossible to resist the urge to capture that silly moment, or sweet face, or adorable cuddle. However, we discovered that nothing quite captures all the features of a cat like a professional photo shoot!

When we were first presented with all the photos, we were told to pick our top 40 choices to be edited and gifted to JCN. At first, we thought this would be an easy task. 40 would be more than enough! But then as we continued through the list, starring more and more, we realized this would be much more difficult than anticipated.

First we had the hilarious ones that were too funny to resist, such as Ron here posing like a Playgirl model. Shameless and owning it. We simply had to have this photo.

Then there were these three. Tuxie, who is about to join his forever home, looks as though he is attaining enlightenment, while the other two couldn’t care less.

And we couldn’t resist Pepe, who looks ready to fly away with those ears.

But then there came photos like Heart’s portrait here.

This is a photo we keep coming back to. Confidence and vitality are always feelings that photographers and models try to capture. Yet never before has it been done with such impact. How can a cat so effortlessly look so magnificent?

While our first three photos pulled at our hearts, reminding us why cats are such lovable creatures, Heart here shows us the deeper meaning behind our shelter. Heart is a living being, the same as any of us. Looking into that piercing stare tells us that he wants to be a part of this world just as much as anyone. When you catch those eyes, he makes you pause and realize that cats are not just pets, but our companions, comrades. We live alongside them, and they us. The same way every human life has value, so do cats.

We can’t thank Shelley Mae enough for sharing her talent with us and giving us the opportunity to share the many sides of a cat. Please enjoy her art, and as you do, consider: what do you see within these cats?