There is no creature on earth that is more suited to apartment living than the domesticated house cat, writes Sue Williams.

While battles over the legality and wisdom of keeping pets in apartments have been fought – and largely won – on behalf of dogs, cats have, typically, sneaked under the radar, not least because they are the perfect apartment pets.

Unlike their canine neighbours, cats don’t bark and create noise every time someone passes their door, they don’t need to be taken out for walks, they can do their business neatly and without fuss in a litter tray, and you don’t have to scoop up their poo in a little plastic bag.

Moreover, it’s pretty handy for the rest of the animal kingdom to keep them contained in an apartment as, if they’re allowed to roam free outside or wander out from the backyard of a house, they can be deadly to other smaller creatures, and absolutely lethal for native species.

So when it comes to apartments, cats are the unquestionably perfect pet, and a new book just out exploring the aesthetic appeal of our feline friends – the consummate coffee table book for any smart unit-dweller – does nothing to dim any cat-lover’s ardour.

Cat is a fabulously hefty book from esteemed global publisher Phaidon that’s a whimsical visual survey of the cat in art and popular culture, exploring humanity’s enduring connection to one of our most beloved animal companions.

 A collection of more than 200 beautiful images, it showcases the way cats have inspired us through time and across cultures.

“Ever since the dawn of the human-feline relationship, when Neolithic people in the Fertile Crescent formed a mutualistic partnership with the African wildcat, close to 10,000 years ago, these unlikely allies have embedded themselves into society in nearly every corner of the globe,” says renowned American animal welfare advocate and author Hannah Shaw. “And masterfully positioned themselves at the centre.

“There are 600 million cats and counting around the world. Across centuries and continents, art and popular culture, the cat has always been, and continues to be, a compelling main character.”

The book, now for sale in Australia as well as the rest of the world, is a stunning love story about cats, and shows how global that affair has always been.

It contains more than 210 full-page images, with famous artworks, vintage advertisements, classic animations, high-end fashion designs, from maneki-neko lucky cats to artists’ pets,and ancient mosaics to contemporary couture.

There are plenty of iconic pop-culture characters, too, including Puss in Boots and the Cheshire Cat, as well as cats painted by artists such as Andy Warhol, Tracey Emin, Judy Chicago, and Utagawa Hiroshige and those of famed creatives like street-style photographer Jamel Shabazz and fashion designer Thom Browne.

“The domestic cat is one of the world’s most beloved pets , overtaking its traditional rival, the dog, as the animal companion of choice in many countries and cultures,” says curator Leïla Jarbouai. “Humans’ current passion for cats is the result of a lengthy process of social and cultural evolution, a process that we can see evolve in the images we have made of them since ancient times.”

In ancient Egypt, cats appeared as statues to worship, in Victorian England they were revered for their abilities to catch rodents and protect valuable stores of grain and, today, they’re everywhere, from artwork to fashion, from social media memes to breaking the internet with cat clips.

Now they’re in so many apartments around Australia too, it’s impossible to know just how many are cared for and cherished here. Estimates put it at around 5.3 million cats, with roughly 33 per cent of households owning at least one. In addition, there are an estimated 1.4 million to 5.6 million – a massive range! – feral cats in the bush, alongside 0.7 million stray cats roaming our cities’ streets.

Of course, many are appalled by the number of feral cats which are believed to have caused the extinction of over 20 native mammal species.

But most cat-lovers, quite rightly, see that as yet another argument for keeping cats in apartments where they, as well as all their potential prey, can be safe.

• Cat by Phaidon Editors, with a foreword by Hannah Shaw and introduction by Leila Jarbouai, is on sale in Australia now, rrp $69.95