As T.S. Eliot wrote, “A cat has absolute emotional honesty” - and I think that’s exactly why I’m drawn to finding a cat-themed Tarot deck. Ideally one that looks cute but is also a good deck I can use properly.
Has anyone worked with a cat-themed deck they absolutely love? I’m particularly interested in ones where the cats aren’t just cute additions but actually enhance the card meanings. Would love to hear about your experiences and which decks have that special magic!
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There’s a reason we often talk about witch familiars being cats and not dogs. They can certainly see something we can’t, so it makes sense to have a cat-themed deck, especially if you have your own familiar.
There are two good decks, one a bit more serious and the other a little more cutesy.
I like this one, it’s a traditional RWS deck and the cat knocking over the cups is just perfect. If you have a cat, you know why.
My other suggestion has a more unique art style.
I like the hand-drawn look and the dog as the Devil made me laugh 
if you do a reading for a cat lover with this one they’ll get a kick out of it.
Both have guidebooks and standard RWS cards. I’d choose the one with the artwork you like best.
I’ve been using The Grimalkin Tarot by MJ Cullinane a lot recently. Probably not as popular as the ones Sploots shared, but it fits my style more.
The artwork really speaks to me and I’m getting a lot out of working with the darker cards. Also been enjoying Tarot Cats by Bunny Dee. It’s a nice blend of cat imagery with traditional tarot meanings.
Both decks have something about cats while still following standard tarot structure.
Cat Tarot by Megan Lynn Kott is fun for daily pulls.
The cat themes work well with the card meanings. I wasn’t expecting much, but it’s become one of my go-to decks.
Cats Rule the Earth Tarot might work for you if color matters in your readings (the first one linked). Catherine Davidson and Thiago Corrêa gave each suit its own colors - oranges for Wands, teals for Cups, blues for Swords, greens for Pentacles. The Majors use color well, too. The Empress is all golds and pinks, The Moon is deep indigo with those glowing cat eyes.
I usually notice the color first when I pull a card, then look at what’s happening in the scene. Sometimes I pay attention to whether the spread goes from warm colors to cool ones - it can show a shift in energy.
I have both of those. Yep, cat lady.
Try doing a reading while sitting on the floor at cat level. I call it the ‘Cat’s Eye View’ reading. The illustrations work better when you’re down there looking at them from where a cat would be.
Each card shows cat behavior that matches up with the traditional meanings. Like the Fool card has this kitten about to jump off a cliff chasing a butterfly, pure kitten energy right there.
The guidebook is worth reading through before you start. It connects the cat moments to the card meanings pretty well. The artwork isn’t just cute cats either, even the way their tails are positioned means something.
Might get you an intuitive hit if you’re familiar with cats.
Bohemian Cats Tarot nails that blank, knowing cat stare and wraps it in a Victorian look that feels lived-in rather than fussy.
Sounds like a new edition is coming back after a long out-of-print stretch. I reach for Pagan Cats when I want something direct. Soul Cats is softer and more dreamy. Both read cleanly, like the art already understands the card.
Pick what your eyes can stand to look at for a long time.
Been working with the Cats Rule the Earth Tarot lately.
Did you know that in ancient Egypt, killing a cat was punishable by death? Cool how that ties into the mystical side of things.
The deck balances the cute cat imagery with real tarot depth. Each card captures the meaning through cat behavior and expressions, which actually works better than I expected. It’s become one of my go-to decks for readings. The cats convey the card meanings in ways that feel natural and easy to interpret.
Have you checked out The Pagan Cats Tarot?
The cats aren’t just slapped on there just to sell to cat lovers. They actually match the energy of each card. What I like about it is that each cat feels like it belongs on its specific card. The deck has both the cute factor and actual substance.
Worth looking into if you want a cat deck that works well for readings.
If I’m doing pet Tarot readings, I like to use a deck like this (usually a cat or dog one) just to match the theme, and the illustrations match the intuition of the reading.
The Tarot of the Cat People has become my main deck lately. The artwork mixes fantasy with cat themes in a way that works for me.
Each card has these cat-humanoid figures in different settings. The imagery helps me understand the card meanings differently than with traditional decks. I wonder if anyone else uses this deck? Does the sci-fi fantasy style help or get in the way of readings?
For me it helps, especially with the court cards. The cat personalities come through pretty clearly in those.
You had me at gold and pinks.
No judgment, but I think there’s more to choosing a deck than just the visual appeal. I had the Bohemian Cats Tarot and while the Victorian aesthetic is gorgeous, I found myself not connecting with it after a few months. The artwork I loved looking at didn’t always speak to me intuitively during actual readings.
Sometimes a deck that seems less visually striking at first ends up being the one you reach for because the symbolism clicks with how your brain works. A pretty deck is nice for collecting but if you really want to work with it, its more the system and how you resonate with the cards than the artwork.
Got another deck because I have no self-control. The Mystical Cats Tarot by Lunaea Weatherstone caught my eye next…
