Haunted Cat Tarot

Haunted Cat Tarot is a 78-card tarot published in 2023 by J Edward Neill, based on his original acrylic paintings of cats. Neill describes it as his “take on the classic tarot meanings, but with a shadowy and surreal feline twist”.

Above: The box front shows a black cat beneath a large dark moon and bare branches.

The box places the pack's cat in a red and violet night scene, with dark branches and birds crossing the moon behind it.

The artwork was made over several years. The guidebook dates The Moon to 2019 and the Eight of Tombs to December 2022. It says that most of the cats were modelled on Neill’s own animals, with others belonging to friends and family. His wife and collaborator, Heather Neill, developed the card concepts and keywords.

Right: J Edward Neill’s original acrylic painting beside the card, showing how his hand-painted feline portraits became the images in Haunted Cat Tarot.

J Edward Neill’s original acrylic painting beside the card, showing how his hand-painted feline portraits became the images in Haunted Cat Tarot.

Neill describes himself as a traditional artist who “paints with shadows”. His originals are acrylic paintings on canvas or wood panels. The cards place those portraits against dark, swirling backgrounds.

The Major Arcana use the usual tarot titles and positions. The Minor Arcana rename the four suits as Staves, Chalices, Moons and Tombs; the table below shows how these correspond to Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. The Devil shows a cat in a top hat against a blue-green sky, while The World shows one perched on a painted turquoise globe.

The table shows the pack’s suit names alongside the traditional tarot suits.

The guidebook gives each card keywords, upright meanings and reversed meanings. It frames the deck as a tool for self-reflection: “Haunted Cat Tarot is meant to encourage self-reflection. We hope that you will use it for personal insight, growth, and strengthening your intuition.”