In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, people walk everywhere, and all kinds of people are close to each other; but they always have an unconscious facade and seldom open their hearts to strangers. “When I was taking photos of people interacting with cats, I saw that people can drop their facades and get along with cats showing their true temperament. For example, when I recently photographed a man playing with cats, I could see him smiling happily even with his mask on, which was heartwarming!”
Street cat photographer Jonas Chan has visited the streets of Hong Kong for six years and photographed many warm and amusing street cat scenes, which are now assembled into the photo album “CATisfy.” Jonas observed the remaining kindness and innocence in human nature from the perspective of cats.
Jonas introduced himself jokingly to be a “boring person who stepped into the close circle of cats: I shuttle between humans and cats, exploring the life of cats, which lets me observe the sincere side of this city, Hong Kong.” Six years ago, he started to do “street photography.” During the filming process, he discovered many places that he had never noticed when living in Hong Kong in the past, and many small shops in the old district had a ”store manager cat,” he began to notice the cute side of these shop cats, and also opened up conversations with the shopkeepers by discussing the shop’s cats, which gave him a lot of fun. Gradually, “street cat photography” became a major interest of Jonas, which even changed his personality. Following the cat’s footsteps, he had a deeper understanding of a different Hong Kong.
It seemed a little boring to simply go shopping, so Jonas bought a camera and began to take “street photographs.” He started with documentary portraits and landscape photography and began to visit some old districts that he had not visited in the past.
Gradually, he found that there were many cats in some old shops and parks. Sometimes he walked into grocery stores or Chinese medicine shops and interacted with the “store manager cat,” and after buying something, he would chat with the shopkeeper, usually the topic would revolve around the shop cat. Jonas got closer to new people. He says that Hong Kong people are relatively indifferent and rarely take the initiative to hold deep conversations with strangers, and cats became a medium for him to further understand the shopkeepers and people of the neighborhood.
“Some shopkeepers may tell more and more stories of themselves when they are not busy so that I can learn a lot about the stories of the district or the shops. I thought that if I could record these stories through photography, it would be very meaningful.” Jonas described the “store manager cat” as a navigator who led him to explore Hong Kong, giving him the opportunity to understand Hong Kong from another perspective and discover the lives and stories of Hong Kong people.
Different from general professional cat photographers, Jonas thinks that he enjoys the interaction between people and cats during the shooting process, rather than simply photographing the cats themselves: “Some Japanese photographers go to Cat Island to simply take photographs of cats, but I don’t enjoy that very much. I'd like to find the picture of both people and cats, to find the stories between Hong Kong people and Hong Kong cats.”
The Human Touch of ‘Store Manager Cats’
When it comes to the old-fashioned culture of Hong Kong stores, I must mention the “store manager cat.” The original reason for keeping cats was that some old districts were infested with rats. Many shops kept cats to avoid the “invasion” by rats of the products, medicinal materials, and food in the shop, so some cats were adopted into the shops. Jonas observed that there are many old shops in Tai Po, Sai Ying Pun, Sham Shui Po, Jordan, and Yau Ma Tei with a “store manager cat,” and Jonas has taken many great photos in these places over the years.
During the shooting of the shop cat, Jonas felt a strong friendship between the shop owner and the neighbors. He shared his experience as a “wedding photographer” when he was invited to be the “cat shop manager” last year. The owner of a familiar medicinal herb shop invited him to the store for a photo shoot. Brother Wen, had recently adopted a little female cat and named it “Little Dragon Girl.”
After the owner adopted the kitten, “Cocky kid,” a cat already raised by the owner that is usually humble, would come forward to protect “Little Dragon Girl” when she was bullied by a big dog. Seeing this, Brother Wen felt that the two cats complemented each other, and they happened to be a male and a female, so he thought of holding a “wedding” for them and invited the people from the neighborhood to come and celebrate together.
The so-called “wedding” was very simple. The boss posted the “wedding photos” and notices of “Cocky kid” and “Little Dragon Girl” outside the store and prepared two large plates of roast pork for the visiting guests. Jonas said with a smile: ”Of course, the two cats may not know what happened; I personally think this is a very interesting thing; the boss mainly used this opportunity to invite the neighbors to gather together and have a good time with roast pork.”
In recent years, old shops in Hong Kong have had difficulty surviving due to the epidemic and the impact of the migration wave of Hong Kong people; there have been shops closing one after another.
Looking back at the photos taken in the past six years, Jonas is very grateful to have visited different areas in these years and used the lens to record many wonderful moments of the old shop “Store Manager Cats: Some of them have gone away, and some old shops have also left us. After they were closed, the friends you could always find in the shops can no longer be found, so I will cherish every opportunity to take photos and capture more moments!”
Meet The “Catwoman” in Tai O
In 2017, Jonas participated in a community animal exhibition in Tai O Fishing Village and got to know a German woman, Cheung Mun-fong , the founder of “Tai O Stray Cat Home.” She used her savings to treat sick stray cats and implemented the Cat Field Care Program (CCCP), a pilot program called Trap, Neuter, and Return Scheme (TNR), in the district. She did a lot of community work over the years and was named “Catwoman.” Jonas got to know her and began to understand the stray cats in the Tai O community. He found that the stray cats in Tai O are more laid-back and not afraid of people like the stray cats in the urban city areas, and they can act as models for shooting.
Comparing the stray cats in Tai O and the stray cats in the urban areas who hide from people, Jonas reflects, “actually, I believe that if someone is nice to cats, cats will naturally be nice to them as well. This is what makes me reflect. I just simply photograph the cats in the community, and now I want to express a message that people and cats can live in harmony, a concept of harmony between people and animals in the community.”
He felt that getting along with cats also reflected the problems of human beings. When people show their kindness, the cat can also feel that people are good to it, rather than hurting it, so the cat will also let down its guard.
Cooperating with the “Tai O Home for Stray Cats” to publish a charity calendar, as well as the upcoming book “Together” (Photo Album), Jonas hopes through his photographic works to convey the message that humans and animals can coexist in harmony.
Jonas put his street cat photography from 2016 to 2022 into a photo album, “CATisfy,” published by local publisher EastPro. For being able to fulfill his dream of publishing a book, Jonas is most grateful to his photography mentor, Mr. Leo Kwok. Leo for volunteering to assist in the design and photo editing of the book. Over the years, Leo also taught him how to be bold, communicate with strangers, and take brave steps to overcome his “fear of being embarrassed.” The book is named “CATisfy,” which is a rewrite of the English word “satisfy.”
He hopes this series of photos can bring satisfaction to many people in this stressful life, let go of the fake mask, and experience innocence and happiness from the heart.
