As seen on the internet
Now That’s What I Call
Cat Division!
Post-purr. No wave. All fur. Cat Division—where the vibes are dark and the zoomies are darker.
Not available in any store!*
Joy Division turned post-punk into something colder, lonelier, and more beautiful than anyone expected—radio pulses from a distant star mapped onto guitar and drum machine, with Ian Curtis channeling something close to transmission. We thought: what if the signal wasn't a dying neutron star, but a cat at 3 a.m. losing its mind at a wall? Cat Division keeps all the existential dread and replaces the darkness with fur. The pulsar becomes a paw print. The signal never stops.
Somewhere in the Factory Records archive, Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook definitely own a Cat Division hoodie they wear on weekends when nobody's looking—because honestly, 'Furry Pleasures' captures the vibe of 'Unknown Pleasures' better than any official reissue merch. Their label just won't let them admit it.
Joy Division Releases, Ranked
Ranking: Best Ever Albums- Unknown Pleasures1979 · 21,169 rank score (#39 overall)→ ours: Cat Division — Furry Pleasures: our parody of the iconic pulsar-wave sleeve, now rendered in catsOrder now
- Closer1980 · Listed by Best Ever Albums as Joy Division's #2 ranked release; Pitchfork 9.4/10Not yet pressed
- Love Will Tear Us Apart (single)1980 · UK #13 on release; certified double platinum UK; NME Greatest Single of All Time (2002)Not yet pressed
- Still (live/compilation)1981 · Posthumous release; Pitchfork reviewed alongside Unknown Pleasures and Closer (2007 reissues)Not yet pressed
Liner notes
The artwork on 'Unknown Pleasures' — those stacked radio-pulse waves — was created by Harold D. Craft Jr., a Cornell graduate student working at the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico around 1970. It depicts 80 successive pulses from CP 1919 (PSR B1919+21), the first pulsar ever discovered. Drummer Stephen Morris spotted the image in the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy (1977) and suggested it as the cover.
'Love Will Tear Us Apart', released in June 1980, was a non-album single issued one month after Ian Curtis's suicide. It reached #13 in the UK, #1 in New Zealand, topped the UK Indie Chart, and was certified double platinum in the UK with over 1.2 million units sold and streamed. NME named it the greatest single of all time in 2002.
Joy Division's name is slang for female concentration camp prisoners forced into prostitution by the Nazis during World War II — derived from the 1955 novel 'House of Dolls'. The band changed their name from Warsaw to Joy Division in early 1978.
Ian Curtis's convulsive stage movements — a signature of Joy Division's live shows — were sometimes not performance but actual epileptic seizures. Curtis had been diagnosed with epilepsy and performed through worsening illness. He died by suicide on 18 May 1980, aged 23, on the eve of the band's first U.S. tour.
What the operators are hearing
“This is the coolest thing I've ever owned. Great quality, very thick. If only there were more alt 80s band's tees.”
“I like when I see people wearing the "real" shirt, and then they discover its cats. Good quality, I would buy for someone else.”
“O m g I freakin love this shirt. I've almost worn it out. Might have to get myself another one. Excellent quality.”
Frequently screamed questions
What is Cat Division?
Cat Division is our parody of Joy Division — specifically the iconic 'Unknown Pleasures' album art, reimagined with cats. We call it 'Furry Pleasures.' Same post-punk energy, significantly more fur.
What does the 'Unknown Pleasures' artwork actually show?
Those stacked waves depict 80 successive radio pulses from CP 1919, the first pulsar ever discovered — plotted by a Cornell grad student at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico around 1970. Joy Division drummer Stephen Morris found it in a 1977 astronomy encyclopedia and suggested it as the album cover. It's real astrophysics. We made it cats.
Is Cat Division safe to wear at a Joy Division gig or tribute night?
Absolutely — in fact, it's the ideal conversation starter. Fellow fans will spot the parody immediately and either laugh or silently respect you. Both are correct responses.
What styles does Cat Division — Furry Pleasures come in?
The design is available as a unisex tee, women's tee, crop top, tank top, and hoodie. All printed on demand and shipped via Fourthwall.
How does sizing run?
Sizes run true-to-standard. We recommend checking the size guide on each product page — the tee and hoodie cuts can vary slightly by style.
Operators are standing by. Meow meow meow.
* Fine print: it is, in fact, available right here. Made to order, printed for you. Parody, fan-made, not affiliated with Joy Division.
