Ask the Feline Sages - 44 cat spirit guides as oracle companions
Cats and oracle cards have been a popular combination for years, and it is not hard to see why. There is something in the way cats carry themselves, that mix of mystery and self-assurance, that suits the tone of an oracle well. Tess Whitehurst built that feeling into a full deck: 44 cat spirit guides, each with its own character and its own message.
The illustrations are by Ana Novaes, a Brazilian artist based in São Paulo who works with ink, watercolour, gouache and digital techniques. Her style has a raw, soulful quality that makes the cats feel grounded and otherworldly at the same time.
What you see on the cards
Novaes combines warm colours with a loose, expressive line. These are not cute storybook cats. They are figures with presence and weight. The style carries a certain melancholy, even though the messages themselves tend to be encouraging and warm.
The messages are short and direct. On oracle forums, readers describe them as uplifting and accessible, with the right length for daily use. You draw a card, read what it says, and the guidebook fills in the rest.
The guidebook
The full-colour guidebook runs to 160 pages. That is generous for a 44-card oracle, which means each cat spirit gets room to breathe. The colour printing means the illustrations hold up inside the book as well as on the cards themselves.
Draw one card in the morning and keep the guidebook nearby. The messages are short enough to read quickly, but specific enough to give a day some direction.
About Tess Whitehurst and Ana Novaes
Tess Whitehurst is a prolific author of oracle and tarot decks. Alongside Ask the Feline Sages, she created Ask the Canine Sages, The Wild Witch Oracle and The Magic of Flowers Oracle, among others. She lives in the Central Valley of California. Her work focuses on spirituality and positive energy, an approach that runs consistently through her decks.
Ana Novaes is based in São Paulo and has worked as a professional illustrator since 2015. She has illustrated for publishers including Disney, HarperCollins and the Quarto Group. Her work is published internationally and often moves around feminine archetypes and ancestral stories.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 44
- Guidebook: 160 pages, full colour
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781922574657
- Box dimensions: 105 x 150 x 40 mm
- Packaging: Magnetic-close box, gold-foil embellishments on cover
- Author: Tess Whitehurst
- Illustrator: Ana Novaes
Questions we often get
What language are the cards and guidebook in?
Everything is in English: the card texts, the guidebook and the titles printed on the cards. No other language edition is available.
How does this compare to Ask the Canine Sages by the same author?
Both decks are by Tess Whitehurst and follow a similar structure: short messages per animal guide, a full-colour guidebook and a comparable format. The difference is in the illustration style and the character of the animal guides. Ask the Feline Sages features Ana Novaes' artwork; Ask the Canine Sages is illustrated by a different artist.
