Milly Brown - The Cat Lovers Compendium: Quotes, Facts, and Other Adorable Purr-ls of Wisdom

First Skyhorse Publishing edition published 2014 by arrangement with Summersdale Publishers Ltd

First published in 2011 as The Cat Lovers Companion

Copyright Summersdale Publishers Ltd 2013

Text compiled and written by Lucy York

Title page by Hannah George

Illustrations by Kath Walker

Compilation copyright for additional images Skyhorse Publishing, Inc 2014

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Mary Belibasakis
Cover photo: Thinkstock

Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-778-9
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62914-898-4

Printed in China

Contents

Introduction

Prowling his own quiet backyard or asleep by the fire, he is still only a whisker away from the wilds.

Jean Burden

The lives of cats have been intertwined with the lives of humans for thousands of years. For 9,500 years, to be precise: the oldest archaeological evidence of the domestication of the cat dates back to the Neolithic village of Shillourokambos on Cyprus, where the bones of a cat were discovered in the ground next to the remains of a human. The pairs similar state of preservation strongly suggested that they were buried togetherperhaps a beloved pet laid to rest with its beloved human.

The fortunes of felines have swung from one extreme to another over the centuries: deified by the Ancient Egyptians, vilified in the Middle Ages, invited into our homes and almost every part of our lives in modern times. Yes, wherever you look around you now, you will find evidence of the catin myths and legends, in literary works and art, in popular song and on the silver screen. They are there entertaining our children in cartoons, tempting us in advertising campaigns, adorning our mugs, cushion covers and pyjamas. As pets they are at our elbow as we work, at our table as we eat and cuddling up as we go to sleep. Indeed, for many, a house doesnt quite feel like home unless a cat is present, as Jean Cocteau once so eloquently put it: I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.

In this modest tome you will meet a selection of marvellous moggies, some that have narrowly escaped death or been on incredible journeys, others that have made it big in Hollywood, and yet others that have broken world records. You will learn how the Siameses eyes became crossed and how to predict the weather by watching your cat, and you will read purr-ls of wisdom from feline fans in all walks of life, whether writers like Colette and Ernest Hemingway, artists like Pablo Picasso or celebrities like Drew Barrymore. Cat lovers themselves are a breed apart, and no doubt the tales of the eighteenth-century writer who hand-picked oysters for his prized puss to eat and the millionaires who left it all to their cats will bring a wry smile of recognition to the faces of all you dyed-in-the-wool ailurophiles out there.

So why not settle down in a comfy seat right now with this book and a cup of tea and enjoy some unadulterated cat time? If youre lucky enough, perhaps youll have a pet puss of your own that will join you and pat at the pages with their paw as you flick through them, warming your knee and adding their soothing purr of approval.

What greater gift than the love of a cat?

Charles Dickens

Our Furry Friends

Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.

Colette

How to Befriend a Feline

Let the cat come to youif you force your way into its personal space, the cat will feel threatened.

Avoid making eye contact, keep your distance and adopt a pose to make yourself appear small, for example by crouching down side-on.

Look out for friendly body languagetail up and curled in greeting and paw raised.

When the cat feels safe enough to approach, stay crouching down and hold out your hand, still without looking directly at him.

Let him sniff you for a while. If he is relaxed, test the water with a brief, gentle stroke under the chinnot the top of the head, as cats may find this threatening.

Build up contact slowly over timelet the cat take the initiative. When stroking, at first stick to safe areas such as the back and sides, avoiding sensitive parts like the head, tummy and legs.

When youve got to know a cat well, try stroking the base of its tailmost cats love this and will arch their backs to show their pleasure. Scent glands are positioned in this area, and stroking will cause the cats scent to be released onto you, further strengthening your bond.

Never pick a cat up until you have gained its trust. When you do, use your arm to support its legs so that it feels secure, and dont hold on too tightly as this will make the cat feel claustrophobic.

Cats feel insecure when there is tension in the air, or if they hear raised voices, so its important to maintain a calm environment to make the cat feel at ease.

Remember that every cat is unique. Some enjoy the company of humans; others do not. Some may be friendly for brief periods, but spend the rest of their day doing other things alone. To build a harmonious relationship, discover what your cat prefers and respect its wishes.

I t is no easy matter to win a cats love, for cats are philosophical, sedate, quiet animals, fond of their own way, liking cleanliness and order, and not apt to bestow their affection hastily. They are quite willing to be friends, if you prove worthy of their friendship, but they decline to be slaves. They are affectionate, but they exercise free will, and will not do for you what they consider to be unreasonable.

Once, however, they have bestowed their friendship, their trust is absolute, and their affection most faithful. They become ones companions in hours of solitude, sadness, and labour. A cat will stay on your knees a whole evening, purring away, happy in your company and careless of that of its own species. In vain do mewings sound on the roofs, inviting it to one of the cat parties where red herring brine takes the place of tea; it is not to be tempted and spends the evening with you. If you put it down, it is back in a jiffy with a kind of cooing that sounds like a gentle reproach. Sometimes, sitting up in front of you, it looks at you so softly, so tenderly, so caressingly, and in so human a way that it is almost terrifying, for it is impossible to believe that there is no mind back of those eyes.