Cats have mystified us for centuries, and have in recent times become the source of adoring grins and sighs of desire with cat videos on YouTube and Internet memes. Catching on to our fascination and obsession with them is the mobile app Neko Astume or Kitty Collector, a recent phenomenon from Japan that has once again entrapped the human mind in an endless cacophony of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ .

The freemium game only has one goal – to collect all 48 stray cats around your vicinity (in the game environment, of course). You achieve this by buying as many toys as possible and making sure that there’s enough food to keep cats coming. The only interactions with the cats are taking the occasional photograph of the most endearing cat poses with the in-app camera and receiving the occasional memento – a token of established kinship. Yet, this strangely satisfying game has taken the Internet by storm.

Behind this game is a real itching: why are cats so addictive?

Artists themselves have been fascinated by these little munchkins as well, for a whole range of reasons – from legends to their elegant poise, independence or for just being cute. Their art has given us some insights to understanding this furry trend. As we explored, we could not help but point out some familiar faces between art and the cats of Neko Atsume too!

1. Snuggling in Warm Socks

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Jeff Koons , Cat on a Clothesline (1994–2001). Polyethylene (312.4 x 279.4 x 127 cm), 5 unique versions (Blue, Yellow, Aqua, Orange, Red).

This huge sculpture of a cat hanging casually in a woolen sock is probably one of the cutest things to grace any Jeff Koons exhibition. The cat, along with four other editions of various colours, are part of Koons’ Celebration series – from which his infamous Balloon Dog sculpture was from.

Koons has been criticised for ‘trivial’ and ‘banal’ works. But he has defended his works as having no hidden meanings and should been seen as it is. In this case, we can’t help but agree. Cats are adorable, 'nuff said.

2. Odd Eyes

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Louis Wain, anthropomorphic cat paintings.

How Louis Wain come to paint cats is a bittersweet story. When he was 26, his wife suffered from breast cancer. While she was sick, she was comforted by their pet cat, which brought her a great amount of relief and joy. Inspired by this, Wain started sketching cats and continued to publish them after his wife passed away.

In his later years, Wain’s mental condition became increasingly erratic, as were his paintings. His works became more abstract and colourful, using more flowers and intricate patterns in his works. The works became textbook examples on understanding mental disorders. For Wain, the cats were his therapy, and we can’t help but notice how strangely hypnotic his paintings are.

3. A Voracious Appetite

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Marguerite Gérard (1761 – 1837), The Cat’s Lunch (Le Déjeuner du Chat)

Cats are finicky eaters, for sure. Take for example, the stray cats in Singapore who know best how to get their dinner – from kind-hearted cat ladies with origami boxes full of kibbles to crawling up against unsuspecting kopitiam diners, mewing piteously for a fish ball.

This was one of the many things Marguerite Gérard observed in her career as an artist. She had the fortune of being the sister-in-law of French painter and printmaker Jean-Honoré Fragonard. His influence and connections allowed her to not just learn art but also pursue art without financial burdens. This cushy career path allowed her to observe daily life on the streets of Paris… amongst them, the time-honoured habit of feeding cats.

Gérard clearly knows how well-treated these cats are. See the adoring eyes of the maiden while the plump (read: fluffy) cat slurps luxuriously from a hand-held plate as poor Ruffles stares hungrily with anticipation.

4. Just My Type of Don Juan

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Pablo Picasso, Dora Maar au Chat (Dora Maar with Cat), 1941. Oil on canvas. 128.3 cm × 95.3 cm (50.5 in × 37.5 in).

Pablo Picasso was famous for his cubism paintings, and infamous for being quite the lady-killer. Picasso was married twice and had several mistresses – amongst them was Dora Maar, his muse and inspiration. Dora Maar became the subject of several Picasso masterpieces, including Guernica, The Weeping Woman and Dora Maar au Chat (above), which became one of the most expensive paintings ever sold at US$95.2 million.

Dora emanates a powerful yet unimposing grace with her strangely grotesque hands and elaborate ensemble. Picasso’s addition of a little black kitten comes across as a cheeky touch to the painting, but is laden with significance. Picasso famously quipped that Dora was very much like an ‘Afghan cat.’ While some have commented that the cat symbolised feminine temperaments, others have sharply pointed out its similarities with Édouard Manet’s Olympia which depicts a little black cat symbolising seduction.

5. Riddle Me This

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Gustave Moreau (French, 1826–1898), Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1864. Oil on canvas; 81 1/4 x 41 1/4 in. (206.4 x 104.8 cm)

This little mysterious, riddle-loving kitten is one of this writer’s favourite cats. The sphinx, which is often depicted as a winged creature with a lion’s body and a woman’s face, is as iconic as the Pyramids of Giza. She is a major character in the Greek hero Oedipus’ tragic adventure to follow his destiny. The Sphinx also lends itself to the famous riddle in the myth: ‘What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three at night?’

Oedipus and the Sphinx are amongst the most depicted scenes in Greek Mythology. Interestingly, the Sphinx has been given more cat-like qualities, such as this Gustave Moreau painting – perhaps to touch on the Sphinx’s mysteriousness and sensuality.

6. Traditional "Hello Kitties"

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Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese Ukiyo-e) 1797-1861, Janken of Cats (Neko no ken).

Before the anthropomorphic cats from Japan, there was Utagawa Kuniyoshi, a master in Japanese woodblock prints and paintings. While he often paints Kabuki actors, mythical creatures, women and sceneries, he is also well-known for his Western-influenced cat caricatures.

He harboured a love for cats throughout his life as they often visited his studio. Utagawa started including them in his paintings, sometimes as a political critique or just for laughs.

7. Cats and Playthings

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David Chan, Androgenie – Baby Cat, 2009. Collection of Singapore Art Museum. Photo and text source.

Just enter the keywords “cat playing” and an endless stream of cat videos will result. Owners gain pleasure from the mischievous and persistent way cats play with their toys. What happens when you merge the two?

Born in Singapore, David Chan (b. 1979) gained notable attention in 2004 with his series of paintings depicting modified animals and hybrid human-animals. His works explored the issue of genetic engineering, expanding to become commentaries on urban lifestyles and behaviour.

Here, a toddler whose body is paired with a cat’s head is surrounded with small and cute reproductions of everyday objects. These objects sinisterly include instruments of violence, such as a machine gun. However, as this is presented in a highly aestheticized manner, the threat of violence is nullified by the toy-packaging.

8. The Ever Elusive Flying Object

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Chen Chong Swee, Cat and Butterfly. Collection of Singapore Art Museum. Photo and text source.

The next fascination of cats are most definitely other animals—wings are a bonus. For Chen Chong Swee (1910-1985), realism was always the focus when it came to his art. As he believed the objective of a painting must be understood by its viewer, his works are often inspired by his own surroundings. In this piece, Chen paints a cat on a rock outcrop eyeing a butterfly with a wide range of brushstrokes. In the tradition of Chinese ink painting, the suggestion of voids play as important a role as painted areas.

Chen came to Singapore in 1931 and co-founded the Salon Art Society (now the Singapore Society of Chinese Artists) in 1935. He was a teacher with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for over 20 years. Together with fellow artists Chen Wen Hsi, Cheong Soo Pieng and Liu Kang, Chen is accredited to founding the Nanyang Style; as he pioneered attempts to interpret local landscapes according to the Chinese concept of pictorial composition with Western watercolour techniques.

9. Darker Than Night

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Liu Kang, Lotus Plants and Black Cat, 1996. Collection of Singapore Art Museum. Photo and text source.

Rendered in oil, this work retains similarities with Chinese paintings through its gentle brustrokes and subject matter. The multitude and juxtaposition of contrasting textures—the delicate flowers, ceramic pot and furry cat—in this still life demonstrate Liu’s mastery of the oil medium.

Born in Fujian Province, Liu Kang (1911-2004) received his formal training in Shanghai Academy of Fine Art, where he was exposed to Chinese paintings. In 1928, he went to Paris where he was influenced by art movements such as Fauvism and Post-Impressionism. Not only was he one of Singapore’s pioneer artists, he was also a leading figure in the Society of Chinese Artists and the Singapore Art Society.

10. The Missing Piece

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Cheong Soo Pieng, (Untitled) Figure with Cat, 1950. Collection of Singapore Art Museum. Photo and text source.

Singled out as one of the Nanyang artists with a dominant influence on the development of modern art in Singapore, Cheong Soo Pieng’s innovative experimentations towards developing his stylistic oeuvre had a great influence on his students, many of whom later became established artists in the region.

In this work by Cheong Soo Pieng, the cat is almost hidden in the fluid lines of the Chinese ink. The single wash also allows the viewer to render full attention to his brush, and it seems as if the cat and figures were created in one single stroke. Cheong Soo Pieng is recognised for his innovation and commitment to art-making, and this piece pays testament to that.

“His experimentation went through different phases from oil in impasto during the ’50s to works of Chinese ink in the early ’60s, to oils in the mid '60s, to post-London abstraction and two-dimensional collages and sculptures in the late ’60s, to mixed media sculptures, ceramics and abstraction in the ’70s, to painting on ceramics, and a return to traditional Chinese ink painting after a trip to Guilin, China in 1979.” – Tribute.sg, Source .

Alas, the aim of the game is to collect all 42 cats and as long as one cat remains hidden the game will never end. But wait, there’s more. There are still the mementoes to be collected now. Neko Atsume, Kitty Collector is available for free download on the Google Play and iTunes Store.

Tired of the screen? Look for cats in real paintings instead. Download ArtHop to see the latest art events near you.