The perfect union: men and their cats

When American photographer David Williams started shooting men together with their domestic cats, he could not have imagined that the series would gain such popularity. Now several dozen photos and stories about men who adore cats have turned into a book and a separate blog on Tumblr.

"I started shooting the series "Men with Cats" in 2009 in Colorado. The first hero was my colleague from the grocery store. He wore a long beard, listened to heavy rock and adored his cat. Then I began to look for more and more real men who are difficult to suspect of loving cats."

With his book, David wants to inspire people to treat cats more carefully — to take them from shelters and help stray animals. He seeks to change people's perceptions. "I hope that the photos and stories from the book will help people get rid of gender stereotypes," says Williams.

Paul and two of his six cats — Cuauhtemoc and Mateo

"Cats are a real zen. Living in Mexico City and sharing this city with more than 20 million people is quite exhausting. The best part of my day is coming home. I close the door and know that my six cats are waiting for me. It relaxes perfectly."

"I'm not a cat person at all. For me, the life of any animal is important, and I had other pets at home. Nevertheless, my cats mean a lot to me, I found love in them."

"I talk to my cats, and they answer me in their own way. I make up stories about how they spend their days, collect cat forts, and even dress them up for the holidays."

"Arthur is a girl, but we didn't know that when we took the cat for ourselves. Then the vet told us. But we still decided to raise her as a cat, because by that time we had painted the room blue and painted cars on the walls. I'm kidding, of course, but we bought her a blue collar. And the cats themselves don't seem to care about gender."

"I decided to be a cat person because I'm at work most of the day, and when I come home tired, Diablo seems to revive me with his energy."

"Most people living in the mountains get dogs. This is such a "mountain man" mentality, probably. And I've just always loved cats. I grew up with them."

John and Yuki

"Cats can be very demanding. If she wants to eat or some delicacy, she will be ruthless until she gets her own. As a rule, most of all she needs my knees and my attention. If the knees are out of access, she lies down on the table in front of me. This is a small price to pay for endless love and friendship."

"Now that my wife and I have two small children, it has become more difficult to give our "firstborn" Freya as much love and warmth as before. Every evening, as soon as the children finally go to bed, we naturally want to rest. However, it is at this moment that Freya does not miss the opportunity to demand affection. As a rule, she wins."

"I was driving through New Jersey with my friend, and we stopped at a McDonald's. When we were returning to the car, I heard meowing from the trash and went to check what it was. I don't know if she was left there on purpose or if she just got lost, but in the end the cat went to my house. She was so sweet and seemed to be thanking me for saving her. By the way, while we were driving home, she was eating my Filet-o-Fish."

"After we took the cat from the shelter, we thought about the name for several days. In the end, my girlfriend suggested Cocoa, and I was delighted with it."

Amani and Pozza

"He likes to watch TV, salmon and grilled chicken. His favorite TV series is "The Walking Dead" and everything housewives like."

"He leaves smelly surprises where someone he hates is sleeping."

"They're trying to get attention all night and won't rest until you wake up."