Cats and Writers Go Together like PB and J

Happiness is a box full of kittens.

With rare exceptions (no one comes to mind) authors love cats. Dogs, too, many of us, but invariably cats. I’m besotted by them, always have been. I’m wondering when a reader will notice the orange tabby I’ve included in many of my stories (Somewhere My Love, Somewhere My Lass, Somewhere in the Highlands, Enemy of the King, my upcoming release, Traitor’s Legacy….I would have included ‘the cat’ in my Native American sagas but we were too much on the go.

All of our cats are rescues. And now, housed in my sun room, are a mama cat and her six newborn kittens. We came by this kitty, as we have so many felines, after we discovered her dropped off on our farm. That happens a lot to dairy farmers. Something about milk and cats. This lovely tortoiseshell is very sweet and at home in her new abode. She’s also an excellent mama. Thank heavens. I don’t want to raise all her offspring myself. That last go at caring for a newborn kitten didn’t end well. Tiny kittens really need a mama in these first vital first days. We’ve been calling her ‘The Little Shop Cat’ because she took up residence in the farm shop, with increasingly frequent trips to the garage and kitchen steps after she found I’m a softie and would feed her. I’m thinking of naming her Serenity, because she’s so serene. But then no one will know who I’m talking about. (Image of Sadie and Pavel as a kitten)

It’s gonna get pretty lively around here in a few weeks when these little guys wake up and start exploring. Our senior lap cat, Percy, will take offense at their frolicking. Pavel, our two-yr-old Siamese tabby mix, will be intrigued, and likely join in the fun. Shy Minnie Mae, will watch from the corners and hide. My, and I do mean MY, tiny pom-poo Sadie Sue is fascinated by kittens, as long as they don’t occupy her spot by me on the couch. And our recent rescue dog, Jilly, is learning that kitties are not for chasing, but may need a reminder. She and the mama are already pals. Yes, we shall be seeking homes for (most) of this adorable litter when they are old enough. (Image of Percy)

“A catless writer is almost inconceivable.  It’s a perverse taste, really, since it would be easier to write with a herd of buffalo in the room than even one cat; they make nests in the notes and bite the end of the pen and walk on the typewriter keys.”  ~Barbara Holland

“The cat could very well be man’s best friend but would never stoop to admitting it.”  ~Doug Larson

“There has never been a cat
Who couldn’t calm me down
By walking slowly
Past my chair.”
~Rod McKuen

“I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It’s not.  Mine had me trained in two days.” ~Bill Dana

(Sleeping newborn kittens)

“If there is one spot of sun spilling onto the floor, a cat will find it and soak it up.”  ~J.A. McIntosh

“No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch.”  ~Leo Dworken

“Kittens believe that all nature is occupied with their diversion.”  ~F.A. Paradis de Moncrif

Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want. ~Joseph Wood Krutch

Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons. ~Robertson Davies 

What greater gift than the love of a cat? ~Charles Dickens

People who love cats have some of the biggest hearts around. ~Susan Easterly

That would be authors.

(Kitty Pavel)

*Images by daughter Elise