From 19 October 1874 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, with Ludwig von Löfftz and Wilhelm Lindenschmit the Younger.
Between 1881 and 1888 he exhibited his works in Berlin, Munich and Vienna.
In one of these paintings, The Betting Ring, every person in the crowd is an individual portrait.
In 1891, commissioned by Kate Birdsall Johnson, he painted the picture My Wife's Lovers depicting 42 cats, which became extremely well known as a published print.
Kahler died aged 49 years in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.