Adorable Fat Cat Invades the Most Famous Paintings in Art History

Classic Art with a Cat

‘Mona Lisa' by Leonardo da Vinci
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Artist Svetlana Petrova finds a creative muse (or “mews”) in her ginger cat, Zarathustra, and the adorable fat feline has made its way into some of the most well-known works of art history. With crazed cat eyes, a fluffy belly, and a penchant for flowers, the creature seamlessly invades paintings to add his own dose of beauty while giving new meaning to them. In some of the images, he looks like he’s downright crashing the compositions—but in true cat fashion, he couldn’t care less.

In Petrova’s explanation of her cat art, she put a hilarious spin on how her work is made. She presents it as if Zarathustra is the true artistic genius who has an uncanny ability to improve paintings. “I am just a humble assistant to His Furry Majesty,” she says, “who kindly allows me to use all my painting, photography and Photoshop skills to insert his precious images into masterpieces of renowned artists of the past.”

Together, Petrova and Zarathustra have “revisited” more than 150 paintings and compiled them in a book titled Fat Cat Art: Famous Masterpieces Improved by a Ginger Cat with Attitude. It’s now available on Amazon.

Zarathustra the ginger cat invades iconic paintings of the past to transform them into hilarious cat art.

Fat Cat Art by Svetlana Petrova

‘Girl with a Pearl Earring' by Johannes Vermeer

Recreating Classics by Svetlana Petrova

‘The Kiss' by Gustav Klimt

Recreating Classics by Svetlana Petrova

‘Deux Grandes Odalisques' by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Classic Art with a Cat

‘The Birth of Venus' by Sandro Botticelli

Classic Art with a Cat

‘Lady with an Ermine' by Leonardo da Vinci

Classic Art with a Cat

‘The Adoration of the Magi' by Gentile da Fabriano

Fat Cat Art by Svetlana Petrova

‘Three Graces' by Peter Paul Rubens

Fat Cat Art by Svetlana Petrova

‘Still Life with Turkey Pie' by Pieter Claesz

Fat Cat Art by Svetlana Petrova

‘Family Portrait' by Bartholomeus van der Helst

Recreating Classics by Svetlana Petrova

‘Washington Crossing the Delaware' by Emanuel Leutze

Recreating Classics by Svetlana Petrova

‘Whistler’s Mother' by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

Fat Cat Art by Svetlana Petrova

‘Arnolfini Portrait' by Jan van Eyck

Fat Cat Art by Svetlana Petrova

‘The Haywain Triptych' by Hieronymus Bosch

Fat Cat Art by Svetlana Petrova

‘The Creation of Adam' by Michelangelo

Fat Cat Art by Svetlana Petrova

‘Portrait of an Unknown Woman in Russian Costume' by Ivan Argunov

Recreating Classics by Svetlana Petrova

‘Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies' by Claude Monet

Recreating Classics by Svetlana Petrova

‘Irises' by Vincent van Gogh

Recreating Classics by Svetlana Petrova

‘Sunflowers' by Vincent van Gogh

Fat Cat Art

‘The Scream' by Edvard Munch

Svetlana Petrova & Zarathustra the Cat: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to use images by Svetlana Petrova.

Related Articles:

Fluffy Black Cats Adorably Illustrated as Expressive Balls of Fur

Wooden Cat Stacking Game is Like Playing Jenga, But With a Pile of Kitties

15+ Minimalist Cat Drawings That Are Hilarious But Totally Accurate

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content