I’ve been secretly eyeballing this deck for about 3-4 months and was blown away with happiness when Danielle Gundry-Monji agreed to not only do a giveaway with me (from last month) but sent me an extra copy for reviewing! (PS she’s a total angel and if you aren’t already supporting her on social media you should be.) This deck was, like many, first launched on Kickstarter in April of 2019, being fully funded in less than a month in May, totaling 122 backers.
This 78 card deck, follows Danielle’s signature style using cats and cactus. Cats are an ever-evolving theme in her artwork, and its seriously beautiful and fun to see in a tarot form. Danielle herself has two cats, Taos and Saguaro, who she credits for a lot of her inspiration. She credits the inspiration, to them as cats exude feeling and depth, just as tarot does. Cats are her familiars, as they are for many people. So for Danielle, Tarot Cats was her adorable way of giving back to her familiars, who have given her so much already.
The Court Cards are as follows:
- Page=Page
- Knight=Knight
- Queen=Queen
- King=King
The cards specs are as follows:
- 78 cards
- 2.75 inches by 4.75 or 70MM by 120MM
- 330GSM Gloss Cardstock
- Gold Gilded Edging
- Rigid Two-Piece Box, with Matte art inside and out
My first impressions of this deck!
If you have been with me for a while, you know that cats, specifically my cats, are the life force that keeps me going. Because of this, I have basically had my eyes out for a good cat tarot deck for quite some time, and none of the ones I’ve found thus far had really resonated with me. When I first discovered this deck a few months back, the style of the artwork immediately caught my eye. Turns out Danielle and I actually went to college together, (we only just recently discovered this, it was a big university) which would be why (I think at least) her style was so quick to catch my eye. It’s very San Francisco meets Portland and is reminiscent of my college days, which is probably why I connected so quickly with this deck.
This deck is not only stunning, but there is a quality here that many decks are missing. The weight of these cards are heavy, but not too heavy, which we have talked about many times on this blog. They are of high quality, and an easy smooth finish, that slides easily in the hands. The high gloss finish makes shuffling easy, and although they are sturdy, they aren’t so sturdy that it prevents me from riffle shuffling.
She has organized the majors and minors with color codes. By this I mean, all major cards have a pastel blue border, while the minors are met with a creamy salmon color. It makes identifying even easier than normal, and I think is a subtle way of separating the suits without making it over the top.
Her artwork is, of course, adorable, as we have discussed before no art is ever truly bad, it’s just not a preference perhaps. In this case, it is very much so a preference for me. There is life in each of her cats, each displaying character and personality, where you can truly see the life behind the card.
I think most notably my favorite part of this deck isn’t even the deck itself, its that I can buy almost anything from Danielle, and it will always match perfectly with my deck. Since being given this deck, this sweet baby angel has also sent me a tarot cloth and drawstring bag for my deck. Both of which are hand stamped by her, and fit in so perfectly with not only the deck but my personal decor. She is clearly a creator, who has a signature style that makes it easy to collect her work.
Simple Ratings:
Shuffability
Artwork
Finish
Quality of Card Weight
Suitable for Beginners: