Carl Kahler (1856-1906) was an Austrian painter best known for his representations of animals. He was quite the traveler for his time: after studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, he spent time in Paris and exhibited his works in Berlin, Munich and Vienna; in 1885 he emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, where he lived for the next five years. 

In 1980 he made his final move—to San Francisco, where he was commissioned by Kate Birdsall Johnson to paint 42 of her most beloved cats. From the time on he became increasingly known for his feline depictions. Kahler died aged 49 years in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.