Felines of New York will celebrate its launch on November 22.
“You can never have too many cats,” said no one ever.
Owning more than two cats above a certain age may be frowned upon, but few creatures are as universally hilarious. Just look at your Facebook feed.
Having recently shared some events for dog lovers, it’s only fair we give equal time to the book launch of Felines of New York, Jim Tews’s twist on Brandon Stanton’s famous Humans of New York. Instead of scrappy artists trying to make rent, or elderly couples holding hands on park benches, Tews takes a street-level (and couch-level, and carpet-level) view of the ordinary lives of New York City’s cats.
We have lofty ambitions from Reginald, in Midtown: “I have an idea for a movie I want to pitch to Pixar. It’s based on my life, It’s about a cat who lives in Manhattan.” We have grave confessions from Miss Kitty on the Lower East Side: “I’d never tell the girl this, but I’ve been hiding her socks for years. Behind the fridge.” We have an a-ha! moment from Diego in Fort Greene: “I just realized I liked the idea of catching something more than I liked actually catching it.”
The celebratory evening will take place at Littlefield in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, with a comedy line-up featuring The Onion‘s Todd Hanson, as well as Mike Polk, Maeve Higgins, Doogie Horner and more. And Tews will be there, answering cat-related questions and signing copies two days ahead of the book’s release.
Tews himself is a little bit famous (though probably not as famous as these cats are about to be). As a stand-up comedian he made his television debut on Last Comic Standing, and last year he featured in an episode of Louie. His love of cats has compelled him to photograph and interview over 200 furry friends for this project.
You might be wondering whether these cats are, in fact, real New Yorkers. “Yes,” says Tews, “You can see that hardened look in their eyes.”
“Felines of New York” will celebrate its launch on November 22 at Littlefield, 622 Degraw St, Brooklyn, at 8pm. Tickets ($10 – $12) can be accessed here.