Dali composed the subject for this photograph based on a title conceived by Halsman. An easel, a photograph of Leda Atomicus and other objects were suspended from the ceiling. ... "At (the count of)
three the assistants threw the cats and the water, and while the cats and the water were still sailing through the air, Dali jumped at four. ... It took 26 throws, 26 wipings of the floor and 26 catchings of the cats to get a composition that I found satisfactory. The resulting photograph was published by Life and pirated by newspapers and newsreels around the entire world".