In his Opinion piece from August 2021, columnist Farhad Manjoo asks, “... when my new kittens look at me, what do they see? As their provider of food and shelter, do they regard me as a parent? Or, with my towering (relative) size, my powers over light and dark and my apparently infinite supply of cardboard boxes, am I more like a deity to them?” In his piece about cats and consciousness, Manjoo looks at his new kittens, Leo and Luna, and their everyday antics through a philosophical lens. The accompanying illustration by Angie Wang evokes the psychedelic nature of these complicated questions about the animal mind.

Angie Wang is a James Beard Award-winning illustrator, cartoonist, co-founder of Comic Arts Los Angeles, co-director of The Brainmind Residency and was previously a designer on “Steven Universe.” She currently teaches at U.S.C. Roski.

The Times commissions thousands of original illustrations from freelance artists around the world, enhancing stories with thought-provoking images that enrich the reading experience.