Yesterday for the 1st time since moving to the States I went to a neighborhood barbecue, mostly full of typical White high middle class American families.*
It was... weird. It was highly gender coded, wives on one side doing one thing, husbands the other doing another, barely mixing. Like they would naturally segregate?
If that's what's normal I think it explains a lot about American politics.
Content warning: Cats have a special talent for taking over cities. Street artists clearly love them just as much as we do! This collection shows how many forms cat art can take in public spaces. We have gathered giant lifelike murals, glowing paste-ups, sculptures, stain
Cats have a special talent for taking over cities. Street artists clearly love them just as much as we do!
This collection shows how many forms cat art can take in public spaces. We have gathered giant lifelike murals, glowing paste-ups, sculptures, stained glass, graffiti stickers, painted rocks, and snowy little interventions.
Some of these cats hide in boxes. Others stretch across entire buildings. A few only need simple graffiti lines to steal the scene. Scroll through our ultimate cat list and move from huge 3D street art pieces to tiny, unforgettable street moments.
📦 Cardboard Box Cat — By Nego in Torrellas, Zaragoza, Spain 🇪🇸
Nego turns an ordinary building corner into a giant cardboard box. The cat peeks out as if the whole house has become a toy. It is funny, smart, and perfectly scaled to make the street feel more playful.
💡 Nerd Fact: This joke lands even harder because it taps into real cat behavior. Utrecht University notes that cats with access to simple hiding boxes adapt faster to stressful environments, so the cardboard box is not just a joke. It is also the kind of hiding place cats actually use to feel safer.
🐈 Gatet Gegant — By Oriol Arumí in Torrefarrera, Catalonia, Spain 🇪🇸
Oriol Arumí turns a quiet building into a giant local favorite. The official Torrefarrera Street Art Festival guide lists the 2020 mural as Gatet gegant on Carrer Serra Llarga, and the illusion really does make the whole block feel like the kitten’s living room.
🔴 The Red Cat — By LeHo Artwork in Taipei, Taiwan 🇹🇼
This glowing cat was presented in LeHo Artwork’s post about the mural as part of the 幻獸 series for Taipei’s lantern festival, which helps explain why the cat feels warm, luminous, and slightly unreal. The 3D illusion makes it seem as if the red body is radiating straight out from the wall.
🗽 Tombili — By Seval Şahin in Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey 🇹🇷
Not every great cat piece needs to be painted on a wall. According to Kadıköy Municipality, sculptor Seval Şahin made the statue voluntarily, and it was installed at the spot in Ziverbey where Tombili became famous for this relaxed pose. It turns a beloved neighborhood stray into a permanent piece of urban memory.
💡 Nerd Fact: Tombili’s monument became its own mini civic saga. Kadıköy Municipality says it only happened after a 17,000-signature campaign, and Hürriyet Daily News later reported that the statue was stolen and returned days later after public outrage.
🐾 Squishee the Alleycat — By SWIFTMANTIS in Papaioea, New Zealand 🇳🇿
This is not just a realistic cat portrait. On the artist’s official mural page, SWIFTMANTIS explains that Squishee was a real local alley cat living under their old brick studio in Palmy before eventually earning a home with them. Painted for Street Prints: Papaioea 2020, the mural carries that real affection as much as the technical skill.
💡 Nerd Fact: Squishee’s story kept growing after the mural was finished. On the artist’s own print page, SWIFTMANTIS says later editions became a memorial print with Squishee’s real paw print, and 10% of sales go to Manawatu Alley Cats Trust.
😾 The Dream of Separation — By DALeast in Paris, France 🇫🇷
DALeast’s official site lists the 2019 Paris work as The Dream of Separation, and that title fits the image beautifully. His signature tangle of metallic lines makes the two cats feel as if they are colliding, splintering, and vibrating all at once.
😺 Cat! — By Näutil in Réthoville, Manche, France 🇫🇷
Näutil keeps things loose, playful, and full of character here. The graffiti cat feels wonderfully expressive without needing much realism. That is why it pops so nicely against the wall.
😸 Pelle Svanslös and Maja Gräddnos — By Charlie Granberg in Uppsala, Sweden 🇸🇪
Charlie Granberg gives Pelle Svanslös and Maja Gräddnos a bright and friendly presence, but the mural is bigger and more site-specific than it first looks. Destination Uppsala highlights it as a 15-meter mural of Peter-No-Tail and Molly Cream-Nose in Påvel Snickares Gränd, which makes it feel completely at home in the city that gave the character life.
💡 Nerd Fact: Pelle’s stories carry more history than the phrase “beloved children’s cat” might suggest. The official Pelle Svanslös site says the character began on Uppsala radio in 1937, and the books quietly folded in wartime Sweden through blackout rules, ration cards, and even a Danish cat nickname that plays on Quisling.
❄️ Summer and Winter — By Braga Last One in Les Pennes-Mirabeau, Bouches-du-Rhône, France 🇫🇷
Braga Last One makes this fluffy cat feel like it belongs to two seasons at once. The 3D illusion, fur texture, and split atmosphere give the mural a surreal edge without losing its soft touch.
♻️ Iberian Lynx — By BORDALO II in Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹
BORDALO II does not just depict a lynx. He builds it out of the waste we leave behind. That makes this street art animal both beautiful and unsettling, and it makes the environmental message hard to miss.
💡 Nerd Fact: This animal choice hits even harder now. Reuters reported that the Iberian lynx was moved from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2024, while BORDALO II’s own Big Trash Animals statement says the whole series is built on the contradiction of using waste to depict creatures whose habitats are damaged by waste.
🪜 Valparaíso Cat Stairs — By Unknown Artist in Valparaíso, Chile 🇨🇱
This is one of those pieces where the whole street becomes the canvas. Turning the stairs into a giant cat face is simple and bold. It is exactly the kind of public street art that makes a city feel playful.
😼 Cat — By Stamatis Laskos in Naousa, Imathia, Greece 🇬🇷
Stamatis Laskos gives this cat a stretched and fascinating shape. It feels somewhere between a graffiti creature and a sleepy house cat. It is quirky, lean, and full of personality.
🐯 The Cat — By Dan Leo at Waterford Walls, Waterford, Ireland 🇮🇪
Dan Leo’s mural feels sharp, graphic, and almost totemic. Waterford Walls listed it simply as “The cat” and placed it on Park Road opposite People’s Park, which suits the piece perfectly. The bold shapes and color blocks give it a clean punch that reads from far away.
😻 Meow Meow — By Tianooo The Cat in Hamburg, Germany 🇩🇪
Tianooo’s small cat paste-ups have a way of completely stealing the wall around them. This little Hamburg piece is sweet and full of emotion. It is the kind of tiny street art that makes a city corner feel warmer.
This is a very simple idea, but Vladi lands it perfectly. The 3D box illusion and the cat’s relaxed expression sell the joke. Together, they make the mural feel light, funny, and instantly shareable.
Uriginal goes full graphic here. Strong geometry and bright colors carry the piece. The result is crisp, cheerful, and ready to energize the wall around it.
💤 Sleeping Painted Cat — By Jack Lack in Grenoble, France 🇫🇷
There is something wonderful about a giant mural that chooses calm over drama. Jack Lack makes this sleeping cat feel soft and peaceful. It is a perfect match for the quiet side of the building.
⭐ Cute Star Cat — By Sagie in Jönköping, Sweden 🇸🇪
Sagie leans into softness here, and it works beautifully. In the artist’s post about the mural, he notes that one ear was actually made of wood and glued onto the wall, giving the dreamy cat a subtle sculptural twist. That handmade detail makes the whole piece feel even more like a giant bedtime story.
🐭 Cat Waiting for Mouse — By LIZ ART BERLIN in Berlin, Germany 🇩🇪
This street art piece is all about brilliant placement. LIZ ART BERLIN uses the real mouse hole as part of the artwork. It turns a simple paste-up into a perfect little joke between the wall and the street.
🌿 Rustle in Feilding — By SWIFTMANTIS in Feilding, New Zealand 🇳🇿
SWIFTMANTIS uses a highly detailed style here, but the story behind the mural is just as memorable. On the official project page, the artist explains that Rustle traveled from London to Feilding mid-pandemic to be reunited with his mum Sophie after six months apart. The painted leaves make that real cat feel like it is quietly spying on the city from its own green hideout.
🫒 Olive — By SWIFTMANTIS in Christchurch, New Zealand 🇳🇿
This mural lands because it is deeply personal. On the official mural page, SWIFTMANTIS describes Olive as a Christchurch city stray painted for Flare Street Art Festival to help her find a home, and the note now happily adds that she has since been adopted. That turns the wall into more than a portrait. It becomes a public act of care.
David Speed makes this cat feel like it was painted with pure electricity. The fluorescent pink glow pushes the piece right to the edge. It is a perfect mix of neon sign, bold graffiti, and pop spectacle.
❤️ Cat Lover — By Wek / Spray Lover in Lisbon, Portugal 🇵🇹
This piece keeps things tender and beautifully direct. Spray Lover focuses purely on the cat’s softness and presence. The street art mural feels affectionate without needing any extra visual tricks.
🏙️ Giant Cat Mural — By LexusOne in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia 🇷🇺
LexusOne works on a huge scale here. The size gives the cat a calm, guardian-like presence. It feels like the entire building has been turned into a lookout point for one enormous neighborhood cat.
💕 We Will Meet Again… — By Unknown Artist in Unknown Location 🌍
This one is simple, text-based, and still surprisingly effective. It works because the graffiti line is funny and tender. It is just dramatic enough to sound like something only true cat people would understand.
🪟 Stained Glass Cat — By Kateryna Shelyhina in Unknown Location 🌍
This is not a standard graffiti mural, but it absolutely belongs here. The stretched cat silhouette and stained-glass treatment are elegant. They give it a graceful sense of movement that feels both handmade and magical.
🚐 All Cats Are Beautiful — By Pro Boy Nick in Unknown Location 🌍
The charm here is how temporary the art is. Pro Boy Nick turns a dirty van window into a surprisingly elegant cat portrait. It proves that even street grime can become a pretty great canvas.
💡 Nerd Fact: This sits inside a broader street-art lineage sometimes called reverse graffiti. In a Guardian piece on Paul “Moose” Curtis, the method is described as making an image by removing grime instead of adding paint, which means the drawing is literally made out of the clean parts.
✊ Cats Against Racism — By Unknown Artist in Adelaide, Australia 🇦🇺
This is exactly the kind of small intervention that can completely change the tone of a place. Covering hateful propaganda with a cat sticker is funny and sharp. It is a perfect example of street art doing something immediate and human.
JPS has a gift for making stencils feel quietly cinematic. This street art cat is perfectly placed and well observed. It feels less like a painted image and more like a real animal that just decided to sit there.
This mural is all about pure softness and restraint. WA presented this anamorphic Lima intervention as Gatito durmiendo, and that slight perspective trick helps the sleeping kitten feel even softer. The painting turns a simple pose into something deeply peaceful.
🐾 Big Ginger Kitten — By Mr Meana in London, England 🇬🇧
Mr Meana gives this kitten just enough perspective and attitude to make it pop. It feels like it is climbing right out of the wall. This 3D street art is playful, oversized, and hard not to smile at.
🎀 1312 Hello Kitty — By Unknown Artist in Unknown Location 🌍
This piece works because it takes something instantly cute and flips it into something confrontational. The clash between the familiar Hello Kitty face and the sharper message gives the graffiti its punch.
👀 Cat Watching the Dog — By Street Artist N.M in Flensburg, Germany 🇩🇪
The fun here is in the delayed reveal. At first, it looks like an ordinary dog moment. Then you realize the cat on the wall is actually painted. That makes the whole piece feel like a tiny live-action street prank.
😺 Happy Cats — By K. Skretutsky in Kyiv, Ukraine 🇺🇦
This is more playful public sculpture than traditional wall art. But it absolutely belongs in our street art cat collection. The big smile and colorful mosaic surface make it feel like a piece of the city designed purely for joy.
🎨 #Caturday Stencil — By Unknown Artist in Unknown Location 🌍
Sometimes all a wall needs is one neat black-and-white cat shape. This stencil is quick, minimal, and very charming. It easily proves that street art does not need massive scale to leave a big mark.
⛄ Snow Cats Climbing Trees — By Unknown Artist in Unknown Location 🌍
This is exactly the kind of temporary street intervention that feels small and brilliant at the same time. Turning clumps of snow into climbing cats makes winter itself feel like part of the artwork.
💡 Cat Lights — By Unknown Artist in Zelenogradsk, Russia 🇷🇺
These cat lights are not a typical graffiti mural, but they show how deeply feline culture is built into Zelenogradsk’s public space. The official Visit Kaliningrad guide describes Kurortny Avenue as a street full of cat-themed urban details, including cat traffic lights, murals, and even a Cat Museum. It is public art, local identity, and pure charm all rolled into one small detail.
💡 Nerd Fact: Zelenogradsk did not stop at cute cat details. The official Visit Kaliningrad guide says the town’s cat museum helped set the feline theme for the whole place, and its event calendar even lists “Zelenogradsk Cat’s Birthday” on March 1.
🐈 Katzenstele — By Siegfried Neuenhausen in Braunschweig, Germany 🇩🇪
This monument has a very different energy from the murals in this post. The Städtisches Museum Braunschweig identifies it by its official title, Katzenstele, and notes that the large sculpture has been part of Braunschweig’s cityscape since 1981. It feels solemn and affectionate at the same time.
💡 Nerd Fact: This monument is so woven into Braunschweig that the city still plans around it. In a 2023 document, Braunschweig described the Katzenstele as a popular photo motif and a special attraction for children, which is why officials approved work on a new pedestal to keep bins and bikes from crowding it.
⬛ Black Shadow — By Unknown Artist in Unknown Location 🌍
This piece proves how little it can take to bring a wall to life. A simple black cat silhouette tucked into a niche feels just right. It almost looks like the building was simply waiting for it.
🐈 Cat Meets Cat Graffiti — By Unknown Artist in Unknown Location 🌍
This is half artwork and half perfect timing. The real cat passing the line-drawn graffiti cat is magical. It turns an already nice street piece into one of those rare moments that feels almost too good to be accidental.
🪨 Painted Cat Rocks — By Unknown Artist in Unknown Location 🌍
These painted rocks are tiny, and that is a huge part of their appeal. They feel like little gifts left in a public space. They are the kind of small cat street art that can brighten your day out of nowhere.
🐾 The Cat Trace — By Unknown Artist in Unknown Location 🌍
This one is charming because it turns walking into a discovery. A simple trail of paw prints is enough to make the sidewalk feel playful. It looks as if a cat just wandered through and left a little story behind.
💨 Smoke Cat on the Wall — By 0331C in Unknown Location 🌍
This is one of the strangest cat pieces in the set, and that is exactly why it works. Using soot and smoke to make a cat silhouette is clever. It gives the wall a ghostly, almost disappearing presence.
🐱 Banksy’s Gaza Kitten — By Banksy in Gaza, Palestine 🇵🇸
This piece hits hard because the kitten is playful while the setting is anything but. ABC News reported that the mural was painted on the remains of a home in Beit Hanoun destroyed during the 2014 war in Gaza. That contrast makes the image impossible to take casually.
💡 Nerd Fact: The kitten was never meant to function as a standalone mural. Reuters noted that Banksy folded it into a satirical mini-video about Gaza and said he used a kitten because people online click on cats when they would otherwise scroll past destruction.
From towering eagles carved into mountaintops in India to playful glass cats on European streets, animal-inspired sculptures appear across the globe in surprising forms.
This collection features eight remarkable creations: a monumental eagle in Kerala, a climbing cat column in Germany, recycled scrap-metal animals, and a child and dog seamlessly carved into the streets of Antwerp.
1. Child and Dog — Batist Vermeulen, also known as Tist in Antwerp, Belgium
A seamless stone carving embedded directly into the street, depicting a child resting alongside a dog. A hidden piece of public art blending sculpture into daily life. More about it!: A Timeless Tale of Friendship Immortalized in Antwerp
2. Katzenstele — Siegfried Neuenhausen in Braunschweig, Germany
“Katzenstele” in downtown Braunschweig, German by sculptor Siegfried Neuenhausen, a former professor at the Braunschweig University of Art. The cat monument has been drawing attention to stray cats in Braunschweig since 1981. It stands as a symbol of appreciating all the kitties in town who don’t have a loving roof over their heads.
3. Kingfisher — JK Brown in UK
Made entirely from scrap metal, this kingfisher sculpture by artist JK Brown shows the bird clutching a fish in its beak. The work combines natural beauty with industrial remnants.
5. Merino Ram — Matt Sloane in Tasmania, Australia
Created by metal artist Matt Sloane, this ram is made from repurposed steel parts and gears. It pays homage to Tasmania’s sheep farming heritage while showcasing intricate craftsmanship.
Built from colorful shards of stained glass, this cat sculpture is shown climbing a wall. The light passing through the glass gives the figure an ever-changing look. More!: The natural movement of this cat sculpture is amazing
A massive bear made from recycled materials and painted details, created by Portuguese artist Bordalo II. It’s part of his well-known “Trash Animals” series, bringing environmental awareness into public space. More!: 22 photos – A Collection of Street Art by Bordalo II
8. Jatayu Earth’s Center Eagle — Rajiv Anchal in Kerala, India
This sculpture is the world’s largest bird statue, depicting the mythical eagle Jatayu. Created by artist Rajiv Anchal, it stretches across 200 feet and is part of Jatayu Earth’s Center, a park dedicated to myth and nature.
I have this idea, and please tell me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking every country and culture has their own equivalent of a burger and fries.
Is considered the great American (incert your own country) food Is fairly inexpensive, and is the most common fast food or casual diner food Kids love it! If someone orders it in a restaurant where there are other options, they're jokingly considered boring or have a lack of imagination.
How did we get here? When a culture tolerates small amounts of corruption and accepts bribery as normal deal-making, we get there gradually, even if it appears sudden.
1. The obsession with short-term profits severely undermines long-term positive impact. 2. The lack of diversity among founders and investors propagates harmful exclusion. 3.
Back in March, when the #fediverse came together to help save us, we changed our name to “Texas Observer Lives!”
Today, we changed it back to just "Texas Observer" because we need YOUR HELP to survive into 2024! It's up to our readers to preserve the voice of progressive #Texas by joining our fall membership drive.
The influencer industry is huge today, but how did it take over social media and the cultural sector?
On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke to Emily Hund about the social and economic forces that created the industry and how it still depends on precarity all these years later. It’s a fascinating conversation that also considered where it goes next!
Paris Marx is joined by Emily Hund to discuss the creation of the influencer industry, how it’s been formalized by companies who profit from it, and what can be done to make it fairer for the people who work in it. Emily Hund is the author of The ...
... my entire life, I have worked in one way or another to try and make the Trek / Culture future come true. And now I'm chatting to you, on a platform based on something *you* created that is a seed of that future. I find that incredible.
#TheFederation / #Fediverse / #Culture is sooo close, so damned close. The free association of sentients as equals, beyond all our ridiculous, pernicious -isms.
The musician helped create the Moog synthesizer and composed groundbreaking albums and film scores, but lived in seclusion for almost 10 years to hide her gender reassignment
A new Nazca Line has been announced in #Peru. It is a feline, so it comes at great time for #caturday.
For those who are curious, Nazca lines were made by a pre-Inca civilization called the Nazca. They lived about five hours south from Lima, in the desert, and they were built in such a way they lasted until today. Nazca people were also known for being able to dig fresh water from the Pacific ocean (do not ask me how because I do not know).
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Una nueva línea de Nazca ha sido anunciada hoy en #Perú. Es un felino.
Para quienes se sientan curiosos, las líneas de Nazca fueron hechos por una civilización anterior a los Incas conocida como los Nazca. Se ubicaron unas cinco horas al sur de Lima, en el desierto, y las construyeron de tal manera que duran hasta hoy. Los nazca también fueron conocidos por ser capaces de extraer agua dulce del océano Pacífico (no me pregunten cómo porque no sé).
