David St John Thomas - Cats Work Like This

David St John Thomas was a British publisher who founded David & Charles in the UK and USA, and Writers News Magazine. David wrote over 30 books including For the Love of a Cat.

Davids son, Gareth St John Thomas, is the founder and CEO of Exisle Publishing, based in Australia and New Zealand. He has been involved in the book industry since he was eleven years old, when he started helping his dad at David & Charles. Now, his mission with Exisle is to bring books into the world from voices that otherwise wouldnt have been heard, and to give readers something with heart. Gareth has written other adult and childrens books including Finding True Connections and Grandpas Noises.

Dedicated to Nathan

Introduction

M y father David St John Thomas was a driven man. He was a journalist, a market gardener, a publisher, writer, businessman, train expert and an enthusiast for much of life. He wrote nearly 30 of his own books and oversaw the publishing of thousands of others. Life was generally good; he enjoyed his work and was normally healthy. Of course, everything wasnt perfect three wives (though only the last one attended his funeral) attest a little to that, and he died no older than his father at 83.

David never followed any trends or styles or fashions. For example, he always preferred small rural places to live and made friends with whom he could and wanted to. Most of all he loved travelling by train and ship. Many of his friends were cats, who often sought him out when his routine walks crossed their territories. He had a soothing voice for them and in turn a chat with a cat seemed to take his stress away. He knew cats are creatures of habit so if a cat wasnt already in its normal spot Dad would, often successfully, wait a few minutes for his friend to arrive to resume yesterdays conversation.

After he died, I was working through Davids papers (he wrote to the very end) and discovered that the beginning of this book, Cats Work Like This, already had its concept and the first chapter. So with David over my shoulder I have set out to finish it, and as well as discovering something more about cats and, with apologies to T.S. Eliot, we may get to sense more of Davids terpsichorean powers. With his father, the poet Gilbert Thomas, David had written a book about their huge model railway, Double Headed. So, in a way I am building upon a tradition.

The following first chapter has the last words David wrote for publication when he was beginning to be overrun by ill health.

Cats work like this

T he title of this book is provocative, for the very idea of cats working to a prescribed routine is somewhat facile.

Above all, cats are individualists, following no rules or prescriptions. Yet they do have their own natural ways of procedure. This is the way cats proceed might have been a more accurate approach but with cats any generalisations are dangerous.

There are indeed few things about cats that are predictable other than that they will surprise you. For weeks they might settle on a favourite couch, but as soon as you expect that to happen, they will find a new favourite resting place.

Something I always enjoy is watching them size things up. My male cat has been doing this for years. When he visits his favourite room of the moment, he carefully looks around taking everything in; he carefully considers where he might be most comfortable on this occasion. Typically cat-like, he might jump up to his favourite resting place for weeks at a time, but then suddenly abandon it for somewhere different. The only predictable thing is that he places great store on his choice of location and that having chosen it for weeks he will suddenly make a change. Comfort is everything, even if it takes time to decide where luxuriating comfort best exists or has been moved to.

Occasionally, he enjoys being set down on his current favourite surface, but a few days later promptly jumps off it as though it were the least acceptable place in the whole wide world and why did I have to interfere.

He and his sister often choose to be together and will spend the first quarter of an hour grooming each other. But should we be foolish enough to put them side by side, they jump off as though we have made the silliest of mistakes. So, I suppose that in cat terms we have. Cats must select their own comfort and friendships with what disdain they treat what weve done. Even though it was thoroughly acceptable the last couple of nights or even weeks. Not that place again, they seem to say as they jump off.

But then, while for weeks at a time one of them jumps into my lap for a cuddle, suddenly one night they cannot bear to feel my touch. In a previous book I told the story of how a literary agent, who had temporarily left me in her lounge while she concluded business with another customer, was annoyed to find me with both her cats on my lap. They never do that. You must be weird to attract them but then Ive never understood you or your publishing list.' My secret was to allow the cats to make their own choices. So often cats shy away from excitable people, especially young women whose laps they might ultimately have chosen if left to make their own move. Its not so much that cats are unpredictable as that they like to make their own move and choice.

I love exchanging greetings with unknown cats on a walk, but always allow them to make the first move, perhaps having spoken to them and stooped down so that I am not an overpowering presence. Always let the feline make the first move.

Though there are many more cats than dogs, the human understanding of them is often painfully woeful.

Cats versus dogs

While dogs must be licensed cats generally lack independent legal status. If your dog steals from a neighbour, it is your liability to make amends. The case could indeed go to court. But the law generally ignores cats, which, among other things, means we dont know how many there are of them. Almost certainly, cats outnumber dogs and make a greater impact on society, many childrens first pet being a cat (or more likely a playful kitten). Their influence on society and the quotes and comments and sayings about them are greater than for dogs.

But think of the problems if they did have legal status, such as their deciding to move in next door where life seems to offer greater comfort. Cats are above the law and seem to know it as they exercise their freedom to move home or to steal someones Sunday dinner.

While dogs have been bred to be mans best friend (i.e. obedient servant), cats need staff to serve their needs. Dogs and cat lovers tend to be very different. You of course dont have to dislike dogs to be a cat lover but just recognize the difference and know when you must serve instead of being served.

What I enjoy about cats is knowing they will only accept my friendship when recognizing it is genuinely given. Especially with the appropriate emphasis given to them, my cats have learnt the meaning of many words. Typically, though setting their own agenda, they want to please and usually avoid doing things they know we dislike. Purring on a comfortable lap is more pleasurable than being shouted at. When they are defiantly disobedient their ears flatten, as they fear they will be shouted at. They prospect for a comfortable lap and quickly take the hint when I tap my lap as a kind of invitation.