Tarot of White Cats/Tarot de Los Gatos Blancos [Cards]

This is a must for cat lovers or even beginners to tarot (esp if they love cats). This tarot deck remains quite faithful to the Rider-Waite tradition but obviously all the people have been replaced by white cats except for the Fool is actually a dog.

The designers of this tarot chose cats as their centrepiece as they wanted to infuse the deck with the mystery and attraction that mankind has always had for felines and they have certainly achieved that with this deck. The choice of white for the cats signifies spiritual purity or spiritual rebirth.

The illustrations are stunning, the cats themselves are not cartoon like or disney-fied they are actually extremely well drawn and their faces and eyes are incredibly expressive; so much so, they seem to change their expressions depending on the meaning and position of the card. The drawings are clear, vibrant (but not gaudy) and as they are based on the Rider Waite, nearly all of the familiar symbolism is retained in these cards.

There are some deviations to look out for - the Strength card depicts a pink-robed white cat standing inside a giant lion's mouth, prising it open; the Judgement card pictures a cat angel at the bottom of the card blowing a trumpet while some cat spirits fly up into the sky; The Empress has kittens playnig at her feet, the Wheel of Fortune shows a cat turning a wheel with mice on it; the Sun has a cat on a childs rocking horse. Death shows the back of a black robed figure and all we see of him/her is a skeletal paw (and tail!); the Fool is a dog as mentioned before and the 10 of Swords depicts 10 swords sticking into a white blanket while in the background a white cat is making a hasty departure.

The cards feel lovely, smooth, vibrant and full of life, I was able to connect with this deck immediately which is a first. The reverse of the cards shows cats sitting in chalices and is really stunning.

I only really bought the deck because I love cats and all things feline but I was very pleasantly surprised when I investigated this deck further. It really has been done in such a way that you can produce decent and indepth readings either for yourself, family or perhaps to clients who are nervous or unsure of the tarot. If you are beginner, there is enough Rider-Waite influence/ relevant and easy to interpret imagery in this deck to be able to get going.

The Little White Booklet that comes with it describes the designer's reasons for choosing the white cats and gives some (but not very good) meanings for the cards. You won't need the booklet, you will see the cards and intuit the correct meanings for yourselves. The booklet will tell you how to do the 'cats eye' spread which is actually quite good.

Overall, a beautiful deck, capable of giving decent readings, stunning artwork, definitely worth the investment!

The cards could have been a bit firmer for my taste, but all things considering, it's a very nice deck. Good for beginners and doing reading for people (or cats) who are not so familiar with the tarot and could easily be scared if you used a "proper" deck. Lighthearted, but still true to the original Rider-Waite.

These are absolutely fantastic cards. The quality of the deck is spot on and the images are beautiful. My first deck was the gilded tarot and these cat images reflect exactly the same 'ideas' and 'meanings' so they are easy to use from the start. The small meanings leaflet in the packet isn't worth bothering with - just get a proper book that explains the meanings more efficiently! These cards (and the gilded tarot - oh yes, I've got the housewife's tarot as my 3rd deck) ... all reflect the traditional rider-waite meanings - ideal for a BEGINNER or a more experienced reader. I've only been studying Tarot cards for 3 months. I would recommend the Josie Ellershaw easy tarot book (and accompanying cards) to begin with but if you love cats get this deck too. If you just want a lovely deck to look at because you like cats get this one. I nearly bought the Pagan Cats deck - lovely to look at - but having studied every single card on this white cat deck I would recommend this for clarity of meanings throughout. Can't fault it. The images are 'sweet' but NOT too sweet and one could happily give a 'serious' reading using these cards as well as just enjoying them on a less demanding level. I have two decks now so I can use them for Josie's recommended life spread (plus anchor). I connect to these cards because I love cats and to read the tarot you really need to have a deck you enjoy looking at. I find the 'medieval' rider-waite etc. old fashioned cards very very dull and feel nothing looking at them. This deck is fun and inspiring and very very well thought out.