According to Tamar Arslanian, co-author of “Shop Cats of New York” (Running Press, out now), her collaborator, Andrew Marttila, is something of a cat whisperer.
“He always knows what treats to crinkle to get their attention or what one toy to use to get them to look at him,” said Arslanian, who lent her words to the book, while Marttila handled the photos.
The adorable new tome is a revised, expanded version of the pair’s 2016 book, which had gone out of print. Most, but not all, of the dozens of cats featured are new.
When it comes to photographing his four-legged subjects, Marttila lets them do what they will. He never manhandles or poses the animals.
“I let them call the shots,” said Marttila, who is based in San Diego. Arslanian is a New Yorker, who lives in Gramercy with three cats of her own.
To her, the book is not just about cats, it’s about the city. Nearly all of the establishments featured are local small businesses, and the felines are a part of the fabric of the stores — or the hotel, as is the case with Hamlet who resides at the legendary Algonquin Hotel.
“If you love New York, it’s just another angle, right?” she said. Have a look at eight of the cats in the book.
Gracie
The book’s cover cat is a rescue from the Bronx, who is at least partly Snowshoe Siamese. She greets literary folks at Williamsburg’s Quimby’s Bookstore.
Her most endearing quality is her ability to mimic waving Japanese good luck cat figurines (maneki-neko) with her pretty white paw in front of the store’s window.
Gracie has so many fans and admirers that the bookstore’s owner has had to put up signs advising customers not to disturb her while sleeping.
She’s “definitely a ham,” said Marttila.
Hamlet
This chunky orange feline is the eighth male cat named “Hamlet” to hold court at the storied Algonquin Hotel in Times Square, which was first opened in 1902.
Marriott bought the hotel in 2010, but, thankfully the global chain hasn’t done away with the furry resident.
“I’m very happy to see and hear that [the hotel is] keeping the tradition alive,” said Arslanian, though she noted that “the cats used to have wider [space to roam], more free rein over the hotel.”
Hamchop, as the current feline is known, spends much of his time in a reading nook known as “Hamlet’s Corner” where he can watch what’s going on outside on 44th Street.
Freya
The spicy, small-figured gray cat lived a tough life on the streets of Brooklyn before finding her home in Gowanus’ Brooklyn Glass, an artist-owned studio that offers glass-blowing and neon classes.
She is the second cat to patrol the space, which Arslanian said “has a tendency to get feisty, independent girl cats.”
Freya fits the bill. She was one of the hardest cats to photograph for the book due to her elusive nature — and the staff doting on her.
“She’s a funny girl,” said Arslanian. “I love that [the staff] loves her so much.”
Shakira
There are plenty of hiding spots at Time Galleries antique shop, and this tubby tabby loves to make use of them.
“We couldn’t find her for the longest time,” Marttila confessed.“This photoshoot may have taken a little bit longet.”
Eventually, he was able to get the Staten Island rescue cat to come out.
“I had to really entice her with a crinkle ball. And then once I got a treat to her, she was all mine,” said Marttila
Patience & Fortitude
Brewery dogs are a dime a dozen, which was one reason Arslanian was excited to feature Wild East Brewing Co’s two cats. Having brewery cats harkens back to the very origins of the specie’s domestication — cats first began living alongside humans to protect stored grain.
The two cats are named after the marble lion statues outside of the New York Public Library. Those icons were symbols of the hardscrabble qualities New Yorkers needed during the Great Depression, and Patience, a long-haired ginger, and Fortitude, a gray tabby, have weathered their own trying times. The two were rescued from a hoard of 40 cats.
Sammy & Hazel
The two cats live together at Chelsea Florist, but Arslanian stresses that they’re not an official couple.
“Sammy has girlfriends elsewhere,” she said, noting that he loves to laze about on a mat just outside the shop door and occasionally stroll about outside.
“A lot of people in the neighborhood know him,” Arslanian said.
However, Sammy is no fan of the neighborhood’s dogs and the florist’s owner claims he comes from a lineage used to hunt dogs in the woods of Morocco.
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