Cat People
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Dec 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| FourLeafClover |
30 Dec 2003 |
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Anyone else here use Cat People? I find that Cat People is the only deck I've seen that I really feel connected to. Perhaps this comes of being a fantasy reader and a major cat lover (read: sucker.)
I think what attracts me, besides the gorgeous, dark-but-luminous artwork, is the expressiveness of the people (and cats!) portrayed on the cards.
It follows the Rider-Waite formula fairly closely, but not restrictively. The Rejuvenation card (instead of Judgement) is a source of delight, though I have yet to pull it in a reading! Oh well.
Somehow, though, whatever it is, this deck speaks to me.
Anyone else a fan?
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| lunalafey |
31 Dec 2003 |
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try this for past Cat People discussions.
I have this deck, a must for a cat lover. I mostly use it for readings regarding my daughter, she's a Leo and the deck just fits. I love the artwork too.
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| Macavity |
31 Dec 2003 |
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(see above!)
I suspect (any/this) slavish cat fan's opinion must be questioned? But I *do* like the deck very much. You make some very good points - I agree with them! }) But seriously, I think it can be quite a difficult deck. Initially some of the cards seemed to be quite... similar? But I found the book-of-the-deck helpful in that respect. I sense Ms. Kuykendall thought a great deal about traditional "meanings" of (not only) the RWS and, in many cases, devised an entirely original take on them?
With some critics I share (stylistic) mixed-feelings over the "people" (I'm not e.g. into Sci-Fi) but I am much more positive than most! I think as a WHOLE it hangs togeather wonderfully well. Often traditional card roles depicted by the "people" is expanded upon considerably by the reactions of the cats - A clever device. She handles the cat's non-verbal (even verbal!) gestures so accurately too...
I share your enthusiasm for individual cards - I especially (for a change) like the Minor Arcana. Some are perhaps visual puns on tradtional meaning(?) e.g. the Three of Pentacles, the Eight of Wands? Even notorious "black-spots" (the RWS swords) have signs of hope e.g. the Ten of Swords, or of escape e.g. the Eight of Swords and notably VIA the cats? I never dwell too long on the Five Pentacles... But, even there, a suggestion of "reincarnation"? I must concede, overall a somewhat acquired taste? Essential for cat fans? But IMO well worth a second (and third!) look? There is considerably MORE to this deck (than even the visual spleandours) that meet the eye? :D
Macavity
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| tabbycat |
31 Dec 2003 |
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I have it too and think it's a lovely deck, but I only use it to read for my cats.
And, Macavity, please call it S-F or speculative fiction, as some of us who are fans of the genre consider that 'sci-fi' (which is pronounced 'skiffy') is an insulting term, rather like calling Star Trek fans 'trekkies'.
Jilly
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| Demonesse |
31 Dec 2003 |
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The book reads like a B-grade sci-fi (I am an SF fan but am used to calling it sci-fi and don't feel insulted at all) movie, with lots of generalisations. Too much (forgettable and mostly useless for reading) detail in the book, far too little in the deck, such as the "algae ponds" and architecture, of which you see very little or nothing of the sort in the deck. The costumes and hairstyles are imaginative, but hardly representative of the different suits. Also, the print quality is very grainy (regardless of the fact that it is paint-splattered). A nice deck for your collection, but a poor reading deck, except perhaps for the Majors.
Edited.
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| Sulis |
31 Dec 2003 |
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This was my first deck, it was gifted to me by my (then) boyfriend about 15 years ago. I read the book which I thought was quite badly written and very hard to read and all I can say is it put me off tarot for a good few years.
I find this deck really hard to read with as there is very little symbolism to go on and as Demonesse has said the suits aren't represented very well by the costumes of the people.
I'm not a sci-fi fan so maybe that was a problem too.
Love and light
Sulis xx
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| EarthAngel2911 |
31 Dec 2003 |
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This was the first deck that I purchased for myself once I decided to go full-steam-ahead into Tarot. I am a complete cat lover, so maybe that's why I felt drawn to this deck. That and the art. I actually like the art quite a bit. The grainy effect that people see is the way it's supposed to look. I believe I read that she accomplished that effect splattering paint with a toothbrush.
I don't think this is the best deck to begin with, but a lot of people have more patience than I. :) I get more of a feeling for the meaning of the cards by looking at the cats than the people. I think the people are rather expressionless, but if you know cats, the cards will make more sense. And I do like the take-offs on some of the traditional imagery.
I do have the companion book, but I don't think that it really added anything for me. I like some science fiction-type movies but don't read that style book, so it didn't hold my attention long enough for me to even get through the story of the Outer Regions.
But the bottom line is, if a deck really speaks to you, then it's worth getting to know. There are a plethora of decks to choose from today; something for everyone. And a deck that one person finds deeply meaningful may not hold a connection for you. Sometimes I connect to a deck and cannot even explain why. It's a mystery. :)
Have fun with your Cat People deck!
Blessings,
Karen
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| FourLeafClover |
31 Dec 2003 |
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I havn't read the book. I got the deck at a secondhand bookstore (said the girl who goes shopping for books after she gets off work at the bookstore!) and there was no book with it. I picked it up because it was cheap and beautiful, and to tell the truth it's what sparked my interest in Tarot. It came in a very battered box, but the cards are in perfect condition. I looked up the book on Amazon, but from what I've seen I'm not really interested in it.
Yes, Macavity, some of the cards ARE rather similar and that does give me some difficulty, but I chalked it up to being a total beginner :P. I'm glad it's not just my inexperience!
I did my first really sincere reading with this deck, though, and it turned out to be bang-on. It almost scared me!
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| WolfSpirit |
01 Jan 2004 |
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I had to dig up this deck from the bottom of my tarot basket ;) I bought it because I like cats, the expression on the cats' faces is priceless but I am disappointed by the cards that don't have a cat on them but just the image of one (like the Wheel of Fortune for example).
I don't use it much as I have other decks that read more easily for me, but well for a cat lover the deck has its charm.
A card that comes up a lot for me is the page of pentacles and the page of pentacles in this deck is certainly one I can relate to (although I only look like that when I am going to a fancy dress party)
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| _N_ |
28 Apr 2004 |
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I bought the Tarot of the Cat People because my husband saw it and really liked it. I admit that it was one I didn't feel particularly drawn to because it seemed corny, a whole deck based on a fantasy world, but since he liked it, I figured he might be more likely to let me read for him with it. I ordered the set of deck and book - it came today.
I'll eat crow on this one - the deck is beautiful and I feel a good vibe with it. Of course my husband had to say "told you so" :D
N
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| HudsonGray |
28 Apr 2004 |
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I got one when they first came out way back when, the book wasn't available then at all. She was in the process of writing short stories or a novel about the deck characters but nothing was expected for quite a while.
It was one of my first decks, and hard as heck to try to read with. I love SF and cats, but even that didn't help me make sense out of it. It just wasn't one that worked for me.
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| _N_ |
28 Apr 2004 |
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Well, everyone reacts to decks differently - individuality is a good thing :D . For me, I actually found the cards rather easy to read, just from looking through them I was "getting it" if you know what I mean ;)
Maybe it's due to the fact that coming back to tarot only recently, and not just delving into the tarot again, but starting with oracle decks too, I'm not full of a lot of preconceived notions of how a certain card MUST look because I haven't worked closely and exclusively with only one style of cards?
N
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| Jewel |
29 Apr 2004 |
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I love cats and fantasy so needless to say I will never part with this deck, although I do not read with it. I thought the concept of the world Ms. K. created was great and had wished that it was better written. A dear friend of mine recently sent me a book by Andre Norton based on the world of the Tarot of the Cat People. I have not read it yet, but I am definetly looking forward to it, and pull out my deck to see if I can find any correlations.
For all you cat lovers, if you have not seen the Tarot for Cats, you need to. It is a majors only deck, but is WONDERFUL, and very very funny too. In my opinion it is the best cat deck created so far.
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| Bean Feasa |
30 Apr 2004 |
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I love cats, and when I bought this deck I really wanted to like it. I find it fascinating, but rather strange and cold, and haven't clicked with it at all. Still to be fair, I haven't made an awful lot of effort beyond an initial browse. So I'm going to hang onto it and try it out a bit more before I pass final judgement on it.
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| Jewel |
30 Apr 2004 |
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The fiction books by Andre Norton based on the world of Tarot of the Cat People are "Mark of the Cat" and "Year of the Rat". Amazon has a 2-in-1 book that contains them both. The book is in memory of Karen Kuykendall (1928-1998). The book is based on the "Traveler's Report" which came from Ms. Kuykendall's records. The book states that the "Outer Regions" were immortalized by Ms. Kuykendall in her books and in her tarot deck Tarot of the Cat People. Just thought I would share this with Tarot of the Cat People fans.
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| DeeLite |
30 Apr 2004 |
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I bought this deck first, as you are supposed to purchase a deck you are drawn to and this drew me, straight away, as I am a dedicated cat lover. But struggle?? I just cannot, for the life of me, get a grasp of anything from the cards at all. Has anyone any tips, anything at all, that would help me along? I really love the artwork and would love to get a grip of them. Are there any recommended books?
Thanks,
Love and Light
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| HudsonGray |
01 May 2004 |
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Debs, there are a couple other cat decks out that you might be able to work with better. Tarot for Cats is great, but only 22 cards & hard to find now. Baba Prague, on this list, has a deck coming out that can be pre-ordered till June 1 over at her site: www.bohemian-cats.com Take a look over there, it comes iwth a 200 page book if you order the book/deck set.
Tarotgarden.com has several cat decks listed. One of those might be easier to read with than the Cat People Tarot (I, for one, never could get it to work for me either).
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| mooncat2 |
01 May 2004 |
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Like everyone else I bought this deck because I love cats - it was one of the first decks I bought but I have never clicked with it, never read with it - in fact I've almost forgotten I had it. Apart from the cats it does nothing for me at all.
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| fairyhedgehog |
01 May 2004 |
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I enjoy looking at Tarot of the Cat People, it is my new deck. But I can't see it being great for readings.
I would love Tarot for Cats but it is always far too dear for me on ebay because of being out of print.
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| DeeLite |
01 May 2004 |
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Thanks for that Hudson, I am going to have a little look at that now! My purse has really suffered from being back on line!!! This is just a shoppers delight!!! Tahnks for all your input folks!
Love and Light
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| wolfen045 |
06 May 2004 |
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After reading through this thread, I got the deck and the book handy and are rereading both. I really like the deck, but I have to agree with those who have stated that the book is not that helpful. Although Kuykendall gives long lists of keywords/meanings for each card , the ''stories" that describe each card seem to have little to do with these meanings. And the SF elements don't add much to the more traditional tarot meanings. I used this deck quite often when I first got it several years ago and I found it to be quite accurate for myself and others I read for.... So I give the deck a thumb up but the book a thumb down...Blessings and Blessed be, wolfen
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The Cat People thread was originally posted on 30 Dec 2003 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.
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