(On the occasion of International Cat Day, here is a piece from The Quint’s archives in celebration of feline wisdom)
Everyone and their internet-savvy grandmother knows about Humans of New York. Brandon Stanton’s photoblog, featuring street portraits and brief interviews of the inhabitants of New York, became truly viral globally with his 50-day ‘world tour’ spanning twelve countries. The statistics are very impressive: 14.6 million followers on Facebook and 3.7 million on Instagram.
Of the many, many spin-offs and copycats and homages that HONY has inspired, comedian Jim Tews’s Felines of New York is probably the best. Not only are the cat stories, a perennial internet darling, extremely funny, they also function as a brilliant counterpoint to some of HONY’s characteristics. The sentimental, often formulaic narratives of HONY are wonderfully undercut by the playful, mocking tone of these cat portraits. So, without further ado, we present to the gentle reader the felines of New York: