--- title: World's Largest Cat Painting Sells for $826,000 description: A canvas that is believed to be the world's largest cat painting was auctioned off at Sotheby's in New York on Monday for $826,000. canonical: https://time.com/4100028/worlds-largest-cat-painting-sells/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-04T19:14:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:58.328Z og:title: World's Largest Cat Painting Sells for $826,000 og:description: The painting is called My Wife's Lovers og:url: https://time.com/4100028/worlds-largest-cat-painting-sells/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: World's Largest Cat Painting Sells for $826,000 twitter:description: The painting is called My Wife's Lovers twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production video:duration: 01:49 video:published: 2014-12-12 section: video topics: cat cafe, animal adoption, rescue partnership, no-kill shelter, pet cafe, New York small business, cat care, cat personalities genre: feature, profile tones: playful, warm, casual, enthusiastic emotions: joy (medium), affection (high), amusement (medium) sentiment: positive audience: cat lovers, New York residents, pet adoption supporters, lifestyle readers people: Christina, Emilie Legrand organizations: Meow Parlour, Kitty Kind, Union Square Pet Co. transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable --- # World's Largest Cat Painting Sells for $826,000 > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Inside New York's First Cat Cafe [Watch (HLS stream): Inside New York's First Cat Cafe](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0MiiFeak.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2014-12-12. Meet the cats of NYC's first cat cafe, Meow Parlour, and hear more about the growing trend of paying to play with cats from the cafe's two owners._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Two founders of Meow Parlour, New York's first cat cafe, introduce the cafe and explain why they opened it after visiting cat cafes in France and Japan. They describe their partnership with the rescue group Kitty Kind, which handles adoptions, and mention the seven resident cats and plans to expand to twelve. The segment closes with them describing the individual personalities of the cats. ## Key points - Meow Parlour is described as New York's first cat cafe, founded by two people who both love cats. (00:06) - One founder had visited cat cafes in France and Japan before opening the New York location. (00:18) - The cafe partnered with Kitty Kind, a non-profit, all-volunteer, no-kill rescue group based out of Union Square Pet Co. (00:33) - Kitty Kind handles all of the cafe's adoptions because they know the cats best and understand their personalities. (00:43) - The cafe's stated goal is to expose the cats to visitors so they get adopted; cats that don't suit the cafe are moved to a proper home. (00:48) - The cafe currently has seven cats, and the founders plan to have a dozen. (01:01) - The cats are named Gillian, Sqwinkles, Spot, Liza, Luck Eleven, Kirsten and Marley. (01:06) - One founder says she has had cats all her life and is trying to make sure the cats are comfortable at the cafe. (01:22) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:33] Founders and origins of Meow Parlour. The two founders introduce themselves and explain why they opened a cat cafe after visiting cafes abroad. - [00:33 to 01:01] Partnership with Kitty Kind rescue. The cafe explains its partnership with a volunteer no-kill rescue group that manages adoptions. - [01:01 to 01:49] The resident cats and their personalities. The founders name the current cats and their plans for expansion, then describe their individual quirks. ## Key quotes - [00:22] Emilie Legrand: "And so, because we both love cats. And we were sad" - [00:43] Christina: "Kitty Kind handles all of our adoptions for us. So" - [00:48] Christina: "understand their personalities." - [01:33] Emilie Legrand: "So we have these cats that have like really different quirks to them." - [01:35] Emilie Legrand: "And they're all very, very unique and super individual" ## Questions this video answers - What is Meow Parlour? [00:06] - Why did the founders open a cat cafe in New York? [00:18] - Who handles adoptions for the cats at Meow Parlour? [00:43] - What happens to cats that do not suit the cafe environment? [00:55] - How many cats does Meow Parlour have and how many does it plan to have? [01:01] - What are the names of the cats at Meow Parlour? [01:06]  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Nov 4, 2015 7:14 PM UTC  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Nov 4, 2015 7:14 PM UTC A canvas that is believed to be the world’s largest cat painting was auctioned off at Sotheby’s in New York on Monday for $826,000\. The enormous composition is titled _My Wife’s Lovers_ and was painted by Austrian artist Carl Kahler around 1893\. It weighs 227 pounds, measures 75-inches-by-102-inches and is so large it had to be hung on a specially constructed wall, according to the [CBC](http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.3300077/updated-world-s-largest-cat-painting-sells-at-auction-1.3300082). The cats featured in the work of art belong to the painting’s commissioner, Kate Birdsall Johnson. However, only 42 of her 350 felines made the cut for the piece. The cat named [Sultan](http://theweek.com/speedreads/586896/worlds-largest-cat-painting-sells-mystery-buyer-826000), a $3000 purchase for Johnson, sits in the painting’s center spot. Cat enthusiasts were entranced by the painting while it was on display at the auction house. “When _My Wife’s Lovers_ first went on exhibit on Friday, two women showed up with folding chairs and just sat and stared at the painting, taking in each different cat and their painted personality” the CBC reported. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] I'm Christina [00:06] Ha. And I'm one of the founders of Meow Parlour. And [00:09] I'm Emilie Legrand and I'm one of the founders of [00:13] Meow Parlour. I [00:18] had visited cat cafes in France and in Japan before. [00:22] And so, because we both love cats. And we were sad [00:26] we couldn't get to a cat cafe in New York, so if you're [00:29] sad you just build it. [ LAUGH ] We partnered with a [00:33] rescue group called kitty kind they're based out of the [00:36] union square pet co. They're a non profit all volunteer [00:40] no kill shelter [ MUSIC ] [00:43] Kitty Kind handles all of our adoptions for us. So [00:46] they're the ones who know the cats best and [00:48] understand their personalities. Through the exposure [00:53] we really hope they get adopted. And if it urns out for [00:55] some reason they don't like you know, other cats. They [00:58] don't like people. Then, we're already home, then, into [01:01] the proper situation. For the moment, we have [01:06] seven cats, and we're planning on having a dozen cats. [01:08] Gillian, Sqwinkles, Spot, Liza, Luck Eleven, Kirsten and [01:09] Marley. Marley. We're cat ladies. [01:15] [ LAUGH ] Yeah. I mean we love cats and. [01:22] I've had cats all my life so I'm really trying [01:26] to make sure they are really comfortable here. Our [01:28] residential super cat lady. [ LAUGH ] So [01:33] we have these cats that have like really different quirks [01:35] to them. And they're all very, very unique and super [01:38] individual and I think it's so interesting to get to. [01:40] Interact with them and get to know them better. 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