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50 Captivating Images By Masayuki Oki Celebrating The Quirky And Playful Side Of Cats (New Pics)
Interview With ArtistMasayuki Oki is a photographer from Tokyo who has a unique beat: snapping photos of stray cats all over the city. His adventure started in 2013 when he stumbled upon a cat in a park and couldn't resist capturing its moments. Despite not picking up a camera until he was 30 and initially not being very good at it, Oki found joy in photography, especially when it involved cats. He's been in love with cats since he was a kid but couldn't have one due to his family's situation, so he pours that affection into his photos instead.
Masayuki's work focuses on showing off the personalities of these street cats, from their lazy naps to their curious stares. He believes every cat has its own story and tries to tell it through his lens. For the artist, photographing cats isn't just about getting a cute shot; it's about understanding them and sharing a bit of their world with everyone else.
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"After a hard days of work on the fishing trolley, Molly goes hone with a days pay to feed the family"
Just like last time, Bored Panda reached out to Masayuki Oki, a Tokyo-based photographer with a unique focus: capturing the everyday lives and diverse personalities of the city's stray cats.
Oki was captivated by the adaptive behavior of cats, especially their tactics to obtain food, which mirrored some of his own life's challenges. He remarked, "Before starting cat photography, I didn't know that cats go all out to charm their way into getting food. When I saw this behavior, even the proudest cats would act affectionately to achieve their goal. At that time, I was a corporate employee and not a very affable person. My work wasn't going well, so I tried to apply the friendliness I learned from cats to improve it. Although it was too late to see any improvement, I learned it was an important lesson for me."
Despite the challenges posed by the declining stray cat population in Tokyo, Oki finds joy in every cat he meets. He shared, "I consider it lucky whenever I encounter a cat, so I've never felt any difficulty in photographing them. Even if I don't get a good shot, I'm happy just to know that the cat is healthy. However, the number of cats in Tokyo is gradually decreasing due to TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) efforts. There are more days when I don't encounter any cats. As a result, I have started going to cat islands for photography."
This is as it should be - every cat needs a temple dedicated solely to it for its owner to use to worship it.
Masayuki acknowledges the impact of other photographers on his work while humorously considering cats as his primary instructors. "I learned the philosophy of photography from Masato Terauchi, a Japanese photographer famous for his pictures of Mount Fuji. Although I am self-taught in cat photography, sometimes I feel as if the cats are telling me to capture the moment, making them my photography teachers. Personally, I also love the photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson."
"Smile for the camera! Not like that Otto, just relax and say Cheese"
The photographer also expressed a deep desire to further understand and bond with cats, envisioning a world where he could communicate more directly with them. "The world of cats that I see is very limited, and I believe there is still much about their world that I don't know. I don't know what kind of moments those would be, but being considered a friend by a cat and being able to talk with them would be the most surprising and joyful experience."
Reflecting on his decade-long journey, Masayuki remains committed to spreading happiness through his photography. "I've been photographing cats for 10 years now. I've always hoped that my cat photos would bring happiness to people around the world, and I approach my photography with that belief. It might sound laughable, but my feelings about this haven't changed. So, if I could hold a photo exhibition somewhere in the world and publish a photo book that brings happiness to someone, that would be great. I have an exhibition in Taipei in March, and I've received an offer to create a notebook with someone from Chile. I believe my dreams are gradually taking shape. Also, I hope to be able to photograph cats somewhere in the world."
No matter how many times he was told, Henry still expected the 4pm trolley.
Well, that's a neat flower. Shall I do more more than simple stare at it in awe?
"1, 2, 3, well I think I had enough of training for now. Now some sleep"
"I like a nice park bench, okay? Don't hate me because I'm practical."
All members are now present, the Conclave of Feline Domination can come to order.
"I am waiting for the little grey cells to kick in" - Hercule Purroit.
Tennessee Williams' lesser known play 'Cat on a Hot Tin Fluorescent Light Fixture'.
Show me your stray cats and i'll know everything about your community. These guys are clean healthy and well fed. That's amazing to see. so loved and cared for. a lot of notched ears - so mostly vaccinated and spayed. just a joy to see.
Yup. And not afraid. So stray but not feral. Well taken care of by the community 💞💞
Load More Replies...You may have noticed that some of these cats have notched or tipped ears. That shows they have been trapped, vaccinated, and neutered or spayed. It is vital to fix stray cats so they don't add to the stray/feral cat population.
In my area it depends on which ear is the one notched. Right ears means vaxxed and fixed, left ears often mean they are "owned" by someone who is homeless themselves. Different patterns for different people/groups/tent cities.
Load More Replies...These are some of the best cat pix I have seen on this site, and that is saying something. Thank you! Please tell your photographer to keep sending in fabulous pix like these!
The absolute best collection of cat content I have ever seen. Thank you so very much (-:
I know a lot of people are trying to make this look like a cat being stray is not a problem, but IT IS A PROBLEM and stray animals are always in danger. It only takes one sick human being. Cute photos and all but perhaps people just, you know, DIDN'T ABANDON THEIR PETS! You making your pet homeless because you are too lazy, uncaring or both, only shows you are a horrible person. These comments make me stomach turn and making the homelessness of pets seem cute is sick!
Show me your stray cats and i'll know everything about your community. These guys are clean healthy and well fed. That's amazing to see. so loved and cared for. a lot of notched ears - so mostly vaccinated and spayed. just a joy to see.
Yup. And not afraid. So stray but not feral. Well taken care of by the community 💞💞
Load More Replies...You may have noticed that some of these cats have notched or tipped ears. That shows they have been trapped, vaccinated, and neutered or spayed. It is vital to fix stray cats so they don't add to the stray/feral cat population.
In my area it depends on which ear is the one notched. Right ears means vaxxed and fixed, left ears often mean they are "owned" by someone who is homeless themselves. Different patterns for different people/groups/tent cities.
Load More Replies...These are some of the best cat pix I have seen on this site, and that is saying something. Thank you! Please tell your photographer to keep sending in fabulous pix like these!
The absolute best collection of cat content I have ever seen. Thank you so very much (-:
I know a lot of people are trying to make this look like a cat being stray is not a problem, but IT IS A PROBLEM and stray animals are always in danger. It only takes one sick human being. Cute photos and all but perhaps people just, you know, DIDN'T ABANDON THEIR PETS! You making your pet homeless because you are too lazy, uncaring or both, only shows you are a horrible person. These comments make me stomach turn and making the homelessness of pets seem cute is sick!