When Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen moved to Hong Kong, the territory’s shop cats instantly caught his eye. While the “feline emperors” are the stars, his shots also offer insights into Hong Kong’s wares, from dried fish to paper. Here: Hong Kong Shop Cats #22. (Photo by Marcel Heijnen/Blue Lotus)





Hong Kong Shop Cats #17. Marcel Heijnen returned to Hong Kong in 2015 and found himself living without a cat for the first time in decades. Soon, though, he was indulging in what he calls “re-tail therapy” and found himself on a first-name basis with a number of cats in his neighbourhood, Sai Ying Pun. (Photo by Marcel Heijnen/Blue Lotus)





Hong Kong Shop Cats #5. Heijnen, who co-founded the design collective Chemistry and Singapore gallery cafe Artistry, is as interested in the shops his feline subjects haunt as the cats themselves. His new book includes haikus and calligraphy alongside the images. (Photo by Marcel Heijnen/Blue Lotus)





Hong Kong Shop Cats #69. Traditional Chinese shops are, he writes, “places in which time seems to have stood still, devoid of branding and all the other modern-day retail trickery”. (Photo by Marcel Heijnen/Blue Lotus)





Hong Kong Shop Cats #37. Some shop cats have been adopted for their mouse-hunting skills, while others are welcome squatters, as valued for their company as for their claws. (Photo by Marcel Heijnen/Blue Lotus)





Hong Kong Shop Cats #63. Sleeping on the job … cats don’t seem to be banned from shops in Hong Kong, unlike in other places. (Photo by Marcel Heijnen/Blue Lotus)





Hong Kong Shop Cats #35. Heijnen has a fondness for market, alley and shop cats – posting pictures on Instagram under the handle Chinese Whiskers – but has admitted he’s not averse to shooting the occasional “garage dog”. (Photo by Marcel Heijnen/Blue Lotus)





Hong Kong Shop Cats #14. The self-taught photographer has previously made picture studies of weather walls and urbanisation. “Hong Kong is a city with plenty of grit and grunge and I find that quite beautiful”, he has said. (Photo by Marcel Heijnen/Blue Lotus)