- The Fool becomes Bold Kitty, a young cat ready to explore the world.
- The Hierophant is now Sacred Cat, a spiritual master of the skies.
- The Magician is shown as Magic Cat, a wise old cat practicing the arts.
- The Hermit becomes Cave Cat, the feline keeper of inner wisdom.
- Death becomes Nine Lives, a brave kitty on its ninth life.
Reader, I love this deck so much. It's my favourite of this year, hands down. I have tried to write a clear and unbiased review, but I found it very hard! My apologies if I gush a bit - I'll try to keep it to a minimum.
I. First Impressions
Unboxing Experience:
The Witch’s Cat Tarot arrived in a sturdy two-part box - solid and satisfying, the kind you don’t feel guilty keeping on display. Inside, the deck was neatly tucked with the little white book (LWB) perched on top, as if a cat had claimed the prime sunbeam spot. The presentation feels playful but also thoughtful, much like the deck itself. The images and text are glossy, adding to the luxurious feel, and while the box is plastic wrapped, the cards are held together by a paper band.
Artwork Style:
The art strikes a balance between cute and meaningful. It’s slightly cartoony in style, but not in a way that undercuts depth - think of it like a wise but mischievous cat batting at a rune stone. The palette uses mint greens, warm oranges, and muted purples, which give the cards a gentle, cosy atmosphere. But don’t be fooled by the softness: look closely and you’ll find runes, astrological symbols, alchemical marks, and other layers of symbolism. At first glance it’s fluffy; at second glance it’s full of secrets.
II. The Cards
Major Arcana:
The Majors have been completely renamed with a cat twist. Death becomes Nine Lives, The Lovers are The Kittens, and The World transforms into The Window Perch. Some are whimsical, some profound, but all feel carefully chosen. There’s a sense of humour here, but never at the expense of meaning.
Majors have their numbers at the top, in Roman numerals, and their (new) names across the bottom. Astrological symbols sit in each corner. Although the images do, technically, have a frame, the Majors treat it more like a suggestion than a boundary - one way they differentiate themselves from the Minors. There's no colour cohesion among the Majors, and the cats are from many different types.
I do want to point out one card that feels, to me, like a totally different art style - Rick and Morty was my first thought when I saw this one, and that hasn't changed. I can see what Tree and Sonja were going for, but it does feel odd to me among the cosy images on the other cards!
Minor Arcana:
The Minors follow suit (pun intended). Cups are Whiskers, Pentacles are Paws, Swords are Claws, and Wands are Tails. The renaming feels organic—you can tell thought went into mapping feline behaviour to tarot archetypes. The illustrations are fully scenic, with clear narratives that make reading intuitive, especially for beginners.
Minors have their names written out across the bottom of the card. Suits are colour coded;
- Tails have an orange background and ginger cats
- Claws have a lavender background and black cats
- Whiskers have a light blue background and white cats
- Paws have a sage green background and brown cats
Ace through Ten images are firmly within their frames; the Courts occasionally allow some of their belongings to spill over the edges.
A few of the Minors specifically follow on from each other - the Eight and Nine of Tails are written as two parts of the same story - which makes for a lot of fun when you're looking through them!
Card Stock and Size:
The cards are a comfortable size to shuffle (about standard tarot dimensions). The stock is sturdy but flexible, with a glossy, smooth finish that doesn’t glare under lights. They feel durable without being stiff, and they riffle shuffle surprisingly well for a mass-market deck.
III. The Guidebook
Writing Style and Readability:
The LWB is compact and accessible. The tone is clear, friendly, and to the point - no dense walls of text. Each card gets a short meaning, often with a cat-flavoured spin.
Card Meanings:
Meanings lean traditional, but they’re framed in the playful language of the deck. For instance, Catnip (Strength) is about calm confidence - being chilled out and not overreacting. It’s simple, but it works, and it leaves room for intuition to fill in the blanks.
Majors get two pages of meanings - a small image of the card, keywords, a description of how the image relates to the meaning - I love this section, as it explains the various runes and plants used in the art (yes, even the plants have meanings in this deck!) - the meaning, and a spell you can do using the card. Minors don't have the spell, so each card has a little bit more than a page. Each suit gets a page explaining what that suit represents, too.
Please note that although the book orders the Courts as Apprentice, Witch, Sage and Crone in the Paws and Whiskers suits, Sage is the King card and Crone is the Queen. They're the right way around in the Tails and Claws suits.
Spreads and Techniques:
Here’s where the guidebook comes up short: there aren’t any sample spreads included. For me, this turned into an opportunity - I ended up creating a few cat-themed spreads myself, which has been half the fun. But beginners may miss having a quick layout or two to start with.
IV. In Use
Intuition and Connection:
This deck surprised me. For all its fluff and whimsy, it reads with sharp clarity. It has a knack for poking me with a claw when I need it - direct, but never cruel. The connection is immediate, and it feels like a deck that wants to work with you rather than at you.
Clarity of Readings:
Readings flow smoothly, and the cards tell a story without strain. The renamed Majors and suits are memorable, which helps you slip into the deck’s world quickly. And the details - like the hidden runes or astrological symbols - reward you for looking closer, often adding unexpected depth. I found my spreads were eager to talk to me. However, my spreads consistently lacked Whisker cards; this deck is best on practical issues, and spreads rather than daily cards. It doesn't mean it can't do those things, just that for me, the results were better on practical spreads.
Suitability for Different Skill Levels:
While it’s approachable, the renamed cards may trip up absolute beginners. I’d recommend it more as a second or later deck - once you’ve got a grounding in standard names and meanings. Like a cat, it seems to reveal itself more the longer you spend with it. It's cute and friendly enough to use with anyone (be careful of that Ten of Claws!) but there's enough depth of meaning here to keep you going for quite a while. This is going into my regular rotation, and I'm going to be recommending it to people for a long time.
V. Overall Impression
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Strengths: charming artwork, thoughtful symbolism, intuitive readability, and a perfect balance of playful and profound.
Weaknesses: the guidebook could have gone further with spreads or deeper commentary.
Value for Money:
Given the quality of the artwork, symbolism, and production, the deck feels fairly priced. You’re getting a lot of depth for something that looks, at first glance, like just a “cute cat deck.”
Recommendation:
Definitely get this one. There's amazing depth here - I've been working with it for a few weeks now and I know that I've still only scratched the surface. If you’re a cat lover, this might just become your new favourite.
Final Thoughts
This is one of the most charming decks I’ve worked with this year. On the surface, it’s a soft and playful cat deck. But spend a little time with it, and it curls up beside you, flicks its tail, and starts whispering secrets. It’s both comfort and clarity - like having a cat who lets you know when you’re overreacting, but also sits in your lap when you need reassurance.
If this deck was a tarot card, it would be the Empress - not the soft, gentle Empress lying in her garden, but the one who rips out what's not thriving to make room for what is. It won't let you rest on your laurels - it'll push you to be more, to achieve what you're capable of, without ever being cruel to you.
💬 Your Turn:
Have you worked with the Witch’s Cat Tarot yet? Do you think renamed suits and Majors make decks more magical - or more confusing? Let me know in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment