Cat's Eye Tarot Deck — Feline-Illustrated 78-Card Deck by Debra Givin

Short description:

Cat’s Eye Tarot deck by Debra Givin reimagines all 78 traditional tarot cards through the world of cats — real feline behaviors, postures, and expressions replace human figures throughout the Major and Minor Arcana. A charming and surprisingly intuitive deck for cat lovers and seasoned readers alike.

Description:

Quick Specs

• Brand: US Games Systems
• Author/Artist: Debra M. Givin, DVM
• Size/Quantity: 78 cards, 4 3/4" x 2 3/4" x 7/8" deck, 64-page booklet
• Best for: Cat owners, RWS-tradition readers, those working with cat spirit or familiar energy

Domestic Cat Behaviors as Tarot Archetypes

Debra Givin is a veterinarian who spent decades in exclusive feline practice in Portland, Maine, and that professional intimacy with cats is the entire foundation of the Cat's Eye Tarot. Every one of the 78 cards depicts realistic domestic cats doing cat things, not costumed or anthropomorphized figures. The Fool is a young cat stepping off a ledge with the unearned confidence of a kitten who has not yet learned its limits. The Hierophant is a senior household cat whose authority is respected by every other animal in the home, because feline social hierarchies are built on earned status rather than rank. Givin let actual cat behavior drive the symbolism rather than forcing cats into pre-existing human roles.

The deck follows Rider-Waite-Smith structure throughout, which means readers schooled in the RWS tradition can transition to this deck without relearning the system. The 64-page companion booklet identifies the specific breed or type of cat depicted in each card and explains how the feline behavior shown maps to the traditional card meaning. Givin's explanations are detailed and grounded in genuine ethological observation rather than sentiment. The Five of Cups shows a mother cat watching her kittens carried away by a stranger, a scene with an emotional specificity that no human figure could match. Browse my full tarot deck collection for other thematic and tradition-structured decks.

The Cat as Familiar and Liminal Guide

Cats have occupied a liminal role in human spiritual traditions across cultures. The Egyptian goddess Bastet represented both domestic protection and the fierce solar eye of Ra, and cats were mummified in her honor at Bubastis. In Celtic tradition, the cat sith, a large black spectral cat, could cross between the worlds of the living and the dead. In European folk magic, the cat's reputation as a witch's familiar derived from its nocturnal habits, its apparent ability to see in darkness, and its uncanny stillness before it strikes. Givin's deck draws on this accumulated psychic authority without making it explicit. The cats in the Cat's Eye Tarot simply are what they are, and what they are carries centuries of liminal weight.

The artwork is painterly and realistic rather than stylized fantasy illustration. The cats in this deck look like cats you could encounter in a shelter or in your own home. That familiarity is a deliberate feature. Cat owners who read with this deck report that specific cards frequently show cats with the exact expression or posture of their own animals, which creates an intimacy with the reading that more abstract decks cannot replicate. This is not a novelty cat deck. It is a serious RWS system viewed entirely through feline eyes, published by US Games Systems with full quality production.

How to Use the Cat's Eye Tarot

The Tarot Fellow Standard

I stock the Cat's Eye Tarot because Givin's professional depth as a feline veterinarian makes this more than a themed deck. The behavioral accuracy is real. The cat ethology in the 64-page booklet is specific enough to function as a study text on its own. Most cat-themed decks substitute cute imagery for genuine symbolic content. This one uses actual feline behavior to map tarot archetypes with rigorous precision, which is a genuinely different thing. Cat owners who also read tarot tend to find this deck unusually resonant, and it works equally well as a primary reading deck for anyone comfortable in the RWS tradition. Explore my tarot study books for resources that complement any thematic deck like this one.

Frequently Asked Questions