Ernie: A Photographer's Memoir

For all you cat-lovers, 'Ernie' is the antidote to all those cutesy cat books. This is a (sometimes) scary cat with balls, attitude and character, who knows what he wants and how to get it! A philosophoer, athlete, model - Mendoza's photographs capture the real Ernie as he is,in your face, with plenty to say. This cat is where cats are really at.

So sang Hoyt Axton about a cat named Kalamazoo in one of his songs (Della and the dealer), but I suspect that a lot of cats have interesting stories if only they could tell, especially Ernie the subject of this book. Now this is no ordinary cat book - most cat books are found in the natural history section of bookstores but I found this in the art and photography section. You won't get a detailed analysis of cats' behavior here but you do get some dramatic photographs showing what cats get up to. Tony Mendoza spent two years taking around 10,000 photographs of Ernie while living in rented accommodation in New York during the early eighties. Tony had never lived with a cat before and became fascinated by Ernie. Tony had difficulty getting his photographs published, but when eventually he succeeded, book sales far exceeded expectations. Despite its success, the book eventually went out of print and became a collectors' item. Eventually, public pressure mounted and Tony found a new publisher. This new, improved edition includes some extra photos omitted from the original book. The text is highly amusing. Tony expresses his own thoughts about some of the situations while also suggesting what Ernie might be thinking. What really makes this book great is that Tony clearly respects Ernie, who definitely seems to be the dominant power in the relationship. All the photos are black and white, which may disappoint some people, but the quality makes up for that. Tony's photographic instincts ensured that he captured Ernie in all his moods, making for a very interesting book. If you're looking for soppy pictures of a cute kitty, you won't find them here - Ernie doesn't seem like the type of cat to waste his time posing for such shots anyway. Ernie (it seems) likes to live life on the wild side but is very protective of his own territory. Beware any other cat or (worse) dog that encroaches. This book will make a wonderful gift for cat lovers everywhere but its appeal goes far beyond that substantial market. Ernie might even convince a few non-believers that cats are a lot more interesting than they ever imagined.

I love this book! It is beautiful with it's substantial cloth hard cover and stunning black and white photos. Amazingly talented photographer, Tony Mendoza, shares with us wonderful photos and clever stories of his loftmate's furry friend, a sprightly cat named Ernie. Mendoza has a sharp wit and a great sense of humor. It's not all about Ernie, we also catch a glimpse of what it is like to be a struggling artist in New York City, determined to succeed. I received my copy of "Ernie" as a birthday gift. Since then, I have given it to other friends and they were equally delighted and amused. WONDERFUL!

As you'll be able to see from this "memoir", cats are not only cute but also fierce, funny, witty, courageous and flexible. Tony Mendoza photographs his cat Ernie as Ernie is simply being a cat of his own. The photographs show exactly how cats are, without the cheesiness or patronizing cuteness.Ernie's definitely a cat with character. I own two cats that bear similar markings to Ernie's and I only wish a skilled photographer such as Tony Mendoza would document their lives. Even if you don't like cats, the photography is astounding without being pretentious. It is a great book to read to your cats at bedtime.

The great thing about this book is that the photos in it are not cutesy kitty shots. Mendoza lived with Ernie the cat for 2 years and he really captures the cat's personality in these images. You know how sometimes your cat gets this weird look in her eye and then goes flying off at top speed to attack something that you can't even see? That crazed energy? That's the mood that Mendoza captures in his photographs. Ernie has striking facial expressions which look great on film. The photos remind me of the wild and crazy things my own cats used to do -- that's why I think this book is a GREAT gift for cat owners. The picture of Ernie attacking Tony's hand with his mouth spread wide -- as if he could actually eat his whole hand if he tried hard enough -- priceless. Also, FYI, there is text accompanying most of the photos.