can't be too fake, you can't put that many cats together in a room and have them that relaxed in each others company just for a quick pic. And despite the bedlam when she walks in the door they don't seem to be fighting each other, even over the food. Russian flats are really small, even by English standards, so while it is a horrendous thought that there might be that many kitties in one small space, it seems real enough to me...