Baba the Cat

Baba the Cat is a cat. She is listed as one of the authors of the 2020 book A Cat's Tale,[1] along with her owner, Paul Koudounaris. The caprice of the book is that Baba serves as the narrator, having dictated the story of feline history to be published in book form. It is illustrated with photos of Baba wearing cosplay costumes of the eras discussed in the book, as well as of many famous people mentioned.

Baba_the_cat_book_cover

Rescue Cat

Koudounaris noted in an afterward to A Cat's Tale as well as in interviews that Baba was a rescue cat adopted out of a Los Angeles City Animal Shelter. He mentioned that he had in fact gone to the animal shelter to adopt a different cat, but when he arrived the morning the other cat was to be released for adoption there was a mix up. The cat he intended to take had been taken by another party. As he was dejectedly leaving, Baba, who had just been brought in as an owner surrender, reached out to him from a cage. Baba, he asserts, chose him, and his being at the shelter at the exact right time to meet her was destiny.[2]

Cosplay Modeling

Koudounaris began taking photos from the cat in costumes when she was a few years old. Koudounaris would often photograph her in elaborate costumes of historical characters and popular culture figures. Nothing in the photos was ever Photoshopped—all the costumes were made by Koudounaris, often he says from old doll and teddy bear costumes, which he would resew and style for her. Doll wigs were used to create elaborate hairstyles. The photos garnered attention, and amassed a large following on social media platforms like Instagram, and written up on popular websites like Vice.[3] By profession a history author, Koudounaris decided to do something more with Baba's unique skills as a model, and determined to put together a book which combined the photos with a cat's take on history.[4]

A Cat's Tale

Henry Holt and Company purchased the rights to the subsequent book, which was released internationally in November 2020. A Cat's Tale was named one of the best new books of the year by Barnes and Noble,[5] and praised by Smithsonian Magazine as "the most unique cat history book ever published."[6] In the ensuing publicity surrounding the book, Baba's photos appeared on various magazine covers and in mass market magazines such as People.

References
  1. Koudounaris, Paul (2020). A Cat's Tale: A Journey Through Feline History by Baba the Cat, as Dictated to Paul Koudounaris. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 9781250217721.
  2. Hunt, Jenna (December 8, 2020). "A Cat's Tale; Baba and her Human Tell History From a Feline Perspective". Hi Desert Star. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  3. Laden, Tanja (January 5, 2017). "The Photographer Purrsuing the Purrfect Cat Purrtrait". Vice. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  4. Spacek, Nick (November 10, 2020). "Paul Koudounaris on Tracing the Secret History of Felines in A Cat's Tale". KC Pitch. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  5. Hunt, Jenna (December 8, 2020). "A Cat's Tale; Baba and her Human Tell History From a Feline Perspective". Hi Desert Star. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  6. Nuwer, Rachel (November 23, 2020). "A History of Felines, as Illustrated and Narrated by a Cat". Smithsonian. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
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