Photographing cats requires more than just fiddling with a camera. An essential element for good cat photography is a genuine love for the little creatures, and animals in general. Trying to force a cat to do something at a particular moment is usually completely counter-productive. If, on the other hand, the animal feels that the photographer's vibe is in synch with its world and its dynamics then it will spontaneously produce an endless series of fantastic poses. Thanks to the positive feeling that he creates with his feline models, Adriano Bacchella succeeds in portraying them throughout their day and in various environments, eventually capturing their inner character. The extraordinary shots in this book seem to succeed in penetrating the particularly reserved feline spirit, presenting it to the reader without any intermediation, other than the ight and profound captions, written by a journalist who is in love with cats.

This photographic tribute to our feline friends provides a uniquely intimate appreciation of cats by depicting them au naturel, going about their day in domestic comfort or exploring the wild, blinking and snoozing in the sun, batting at toys, curled up in an armchair, play-fighting with siblings, dangling from ledges, perching and pouncing, and purring with pleasure. Artfully shot by an acclaimed photographer in sensual, rustic settings, these images of many breeds manage to achieve something remarkable by capturing the very essence of feline nature. With a poetic, insightful text and chapters devoted to adorable little kittens along with close-ups of the most mysterious of all beastly aspects, the cat's eye, this special volume practically crackles with the sounds of our contented whiskered companions—and their human admirers.