Tony Mendoza and Ernie

In 1980, photographer Tony Mendoza moved into a loft in Tribeca, New York, where he shared the space with an artist named Nancy and her cat, Ernie.

Mendoza had never lived with a cat before. He was also short on money, which meant he spent a lot of time at home. Ernie turned out to be excellent company, but not necessarily a cooperative model.

Mendoza was fascinated by his personality, his energy, and what he called his “catness.” Ernie’s gray-and-white markings also happened to look wonderful in black and white. So he picked up his camera.

For the next few years, Mendoza photographed Ernie almost every day, eventually taking thousands of pictures. He followed the cat around the loft, photographing him chasing insects, playing, sleeping, and just going about his business. And Ernie had his own perspective on the arrangement.

When Mendoza eventually turned the photographs into a book, he wrote captions from both their points of view. Ernie complained about the new roommate who followed him around with a camera, talked to him in a ridiculous high voice, and constantly demanded another pose. He also considered himself a photographer’s assistant, helping Mendoza compose pictures and work in the darkroom, because “he doesn’t see well in the dark.”

Mendoza’s own assessment was simpler: most of the time, Ernie was just busy being a cat.

Living in New York wasn’t cheap, and Mendoza regularly found himself short when rent was due. On the last Saturday of the month, he’d set up on the corner of Broome Street and West Broadway, selling large Ernie photographs for $50 each. If sales were slow, he’d lower the price to $40. If he was still short later in the day, the photographs went for $30.

One day, a curator from the Museum of Modern Art stopped by and recognized a photograph of Ernie chasing a dragonfly. The museum already owned a print. The curator told Mendoza that selling his work this cheaply was bad for his career. Mendoza agreed, but he still had rent to pay.

Mendoza spent years trying to turn the photographs into a book. Publishers kept rejecting the project. Some thought there were already too many cat books, and others didn’t think Ernie was sufficiently cute.

Eventually, Mendoza added a story, written as a conversation between himself and Ernie. The first publisher to see that version, Capra Press, agreed to publish it.

Ernie: A Photographer’s Memoir came out in 1985. The initial printing sold out, and the book eventually sold more than 100,000 copies. It was later republished by Chronicle Books and translated into Japanese.

Ernie had become a published author, at least in spirit.

After Mendoza left the loft, he came back to visit Nancy and Ernie. At first, Ernie barely acknowledged him. Mendoza made a fuss over his old companion, but the cat simply walked away. Then later, Mendoza noticed Ernie watching him. He casually placed his hand behind the couch. Ernie immediately sprang into action, just as he had during their years together.

The photographer and his former assistant still remembered the routine.