People often mistakingly attribute a singular personality to cats—usually the words "aloof" or "snobby" are used to describe them. At best, they might be given the "evil genius" label. But in actuality, no two cats are alike. Each has their own distinct ways of being, whether that’s silly, sophisticated, affectionate, downright diabolical or somewhere in between.
This photographer has the pictures to prove it.
Nils Jacobi, better known online as
furryfritz, the catographer, has photographed literally thousands upon thousands of cats—from Maine coons who look like they should be in a perfume ad to tabbies in full-on derp mode.
Jacobi started on the traditional photography path in 2011, focusing mostly on human portraits.
When he noticed that his kitty content generated a lot more buzz online (no surprise to cat people), Jacobi started developing a niche, and now has made a career out of it. He not only does commissioned shoots for individuals, but is often called on for commercial work in magazines and pet food ads. In other words: cats on cats on cats. All day, every day.
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THE CATOGRAPHER on Instagram: "Crazy floofs 🤪 Charity photoshoot no.16 ✔️ I had so much fun shooting with these two fluffy guys. Thanks to their Pawrents for the hospitality. They were offering me snacks, Diet Coke (my favorite) and even gave me a small present they brought home from their vacation on Japan. Such an amazing appreciation. Thank you so much for everything! Can’t wait to show you more pictures of this photoshoot soon. Thank you so much for supporting my charity project with your generous donation of 200€ for the animal shelter @tierheimhilden Thank you @joserapetfood for adding kitty wet food worth 400€ Tomorrow I will finish my charity project with the last photoshoot. BTW: which shot is your favorite? #furryfritz #catographer #cat #catphotography #catphotographer #katze #katzenfotografie #katzenfotograf #siberiancat #nevamasquerade #fluffycats #funnycats #funnykitty #sillycat #katzenliebe #catlover #sonyalpha #charityphotoshoot #charity #supportyourlocalanimalshelter"This was certainly an unexpected life path, since Jacob admits to not even liking cats as a kid—a lot of that due to a temporary childhood allergy. It wasn’t until he met his adopted cat Fritz, aka the “love of his life,” that he started to have a change of heart.
Here’s Fritz in full Halloween glory.
Despite having worked with so many cats, Jacobi says that every photoshoot is unique, and that's what keeps things exciting. The key, he tells Upworthy, is being flexible and patient. “You can’t force a cat to pose in front of the camera. If it feels uncomfortable, you will notice it in the photos and it won’t look good.”
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THE CATOGRAPHER on Instagram: "Learn from your mistakes! I’m surprised how many of you send me DMs about my recent story. That’s why I wanted to give you some further information about this important topic. I don’t want to judge anyone! But it’s important that we all learn from our mistakes and don’t be afraid to tell other people how they can do better. If you say it in a nice way, people will be more open minded towards your opinion. Just don’t be judgy and keep it factual. Don’t get personal if you want people to listen to your arguments. Some of you were saying you didn’t know cats should not be kept as a single pet: "Left on their own, it's easy for single cats to become bored or lonely. This could result in health issues or behavioral problems. Some may even develop separation anxiety and act out their stress with undesirable behaviors like destroying furniture, spraying, excessive vocalizing, or aggressiveness." (Source: https://www.litter-robot.com/blog/keeping-a-single-cat-content/) Even more people didn’t know about the dried food issues: "While cats who eat only dry food will generally drink more water, they still don't get enough moisture to support all their bodily functions. These cats essentially live in a constant state of low level dehydration, which can lead to bladder and kidney problems." (Source: https://consciouscat.net/the-truth-about-dry-cat-food/) Feel free to share this post or tell your friends and family about it. Maybe they also didn’t know. Happy if I could help some people with that. FYI: I am just a Catographer, I’m not a vet. But I just got a DM from a vet saying dried food can make sense in special diets. I asked her to explain it to me so that I can tell it to you but the reply was: I don’t discuss with people on the internet ☹️ any other vet in here who can explain??? #furryfritz #catographer #catphotography #charity #charityphotoshoot #catphotographer #katze #katzenfotografie #tierheimhilden #britishshorthair #britishshorthairblue #britischkurzhaar #bkh #bkhblue #sonyalpha #katzenfotograf #cutecat #fluffycat #britischkurzhaarkatze"www.instagram.com
THE CATOGRAPHER on Instagram: "I come from another galaxy, human. Just here to fill up the food supply of our spaceship! The snacks on your planet are very delicious, especially these liquid ones! #ewokvibes 📸 Shot at the cattery @kittixats Which one is your favorite? #furryfritz #catographer #cats #cat #catphotography #catphotographer #britishlonghair #britishshorthairgolden #fluffy #fluffycat #britischlanghaar #kittycat #fluffykitty #katzenfotografie #katzenliebe #catlover #cutecat #ewok #meow"www.instagram.com
THE CATOGRAPHER on Instagram: "The Art of Catography 💡 👨🏻🎨 🐱 [📸 This effect is NOT created in photoshop. It’s a long time exposure with both continuous light and flash light] Meowdels: Loki and Cathy (@frozen.cats) I hope you enjoy watching this series because this is something I’ve never seen before with cats. I’m always happy to show you new experimental Cat content. Creators: Please don’t be a slave to the algorithm. Show us what you love, not what you think the algorithm loves 📸🫶 Which shot is your favorite? #furryfritz #catographer #catphotography #catphotographer #cat #kitten #kittenplay #cutecat #fluffycat #sonyalpha #lightpainting #trippy #trippyart #experimentalphotography #longtimeexposure #actionphotography #petphotography #siberiancat #siberiankitten #kittycat #colorful #lichtmalerei #katzenfotografie #katzenfotograf"www.instagram.com
THE CATOGRAPHER on Instagram: "Attack 👊 Charity photoshoot no.12 ✔️ Yesterday I met Bonnie and Bailey for my 12th charity photoshoot to support the local animal shelter @tierheimhilden I think I was not the only one who had a lot of fun during the photoshoot. Especially Bailey enjoyed all the attention and all the snacks 😹 Bengal cats have so much energy and I love channeling this energy to create amazing shots. Can’t wait to show you more of this series. Catmom Nicole and her Daughter Carolina were great assistants and together we managed to get some amazing shots. Once more I noticed that you can never have enough helping hands when capturing cats. Thank you for your donation of 150€ to support the local animal shelter! And thanks @joserapetfood for doubling the amount by adding wet food for 300€ to feed the hungry kitty mouths at the shelter. I appreciate it so much. 📸 Which shot is your favorite? BTW ⬇️ #supportyourlocalanimalshelter #furryfritz #catographer #cats #catphotography #charityphotoshoot #bengal #bengalcats #katzen #katzenfotografie #katzenfotograf #miezekatze #catlover #katzenliebe #adoptacat #tierheimhilden #sonyalpha #bengalkatze #bengalkatt #funnycats"He also stresses the importance of tending to the needs of each individual cat. Some respond to play more, kittens especially. Others are a bit more treat oriented. Occasionally he'll even pull out the “kitty drugs” like valerian, catnip or silvervine if a feline client is particularly high strung.
Actually, there is one thing that remains the same. Every photoshoot begins with a thorough sniffing of Jacobi’s equipment.
In case you're still on the fence about whether or not this guy has the best job in the world, one of the biggest perks is meeting kittens on the regular. It’s one of the things he finds the most rewarding, along with collaborating with shelters. For two years in a row, he’s participated in a charity photoshoot for his local animal shelter, and he has offered free photoshoots in exchange for shelter donations. You could say he’s using his talent to be a top-notch catvocate.
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THE CATOGRAPHER on Instagram: "Charity project 2022: DONE ☑️ For those who were following us recently: I wanted to support the local animal shelter with my work and offered free cat photoshoots in my region in exchange for a donation of at least 100€ to the animal shelter. For the second year in a row, I enjoyed visiting all these nice people’s homes and getting to know them and their kitties. Was it exhausting to have 16 photoshoots in 2 months? For sure. Was it worth it? Absolutely! I’m glad that I was able to expand my cat lover network this way. I’m pretty sure I will see some of the cats and their humans again. I’m also really happy that the shelter appreciates my work so much. They support me and I support them. Thanks for everything! Thanks again to all participants, Catmoms, Catdads and Meowdels! Thank you for the hospitality, the drinks, the snacks, the nice talk, the funny moments and of course your donations. Special thanks to @joserapetfood who supported my project, although I only asked on very short notice. After photoshoot no.6 they joined and doubled every donation in the form of cat food. At the end we raised about 6000€ together! What more can I say? I hope you enjoyed following my photoshoots. Check out my story highlight "charity". Reel coming soon! BTW 📸 which photoshoot was your favorite? #supportyourlocalanimalshelter #furryfritz #catographer #catphotography #catphotographer #cats #katzen #katzenfotografie #katzenfotograf #tierheimkatze #sheltercats #charity #charityphotoshoot #sonyalpha #catlover #katzenliebe #miezekatze #kitties #tierheimhilden"And of course, when not sharing images of his fabulous meowdels, Jacobi offers us vital info on his TikTok, like how to make kitty Christmas cookies:
Or you can stick to following his work on Instagram. It’s never without amazing cat inspo.