11 Writers Who Really Loved Cats | Mental Floss 11 Writers Who Really Loved Cats WritersandCats.Wordpress.com Like us on Facebook Writers are sometimes stern and cold at heart—introverts who escape into their own solitary world, away from outward distractions that would somehow muddle their extraordinary work. Other times, writers just need a friend. And while they say that a dog is a man's best friend, these writers each found solace in another four-legged companion. 1. T.S. Eliot Aside from peppering his high Modernist poetry with allusions to feline friends, Eliot wrote a book of light verse called Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, a collection of 15 poems, dedicated to his godchildren, regarding the different personalities and eccentricities of cats. Names like Old Deuteronomy, the Rum Tum Tugger, and Mr. Mistoffelees should be familiar to people all around the world—the characters and poems were the inspiration for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running Broadway musical, Cats. Later publications of Old Possum's included illustrations by noted artist Edward Gorey—himself an avid cat lover! 2.

Ernest Hemingway JFK Library Hemingway and his family initially became infatuated with cats while living at Finca Vigía, their house in Cuba. During the writer's travels, he was gifted a six-toed (or polydactyl) cat he named Snowball. Hemingway liked the little guy so much that in 1931, when he moved into his now-famous Key West home, he let Snowball run wild, creating a small colony of felines that populated the grounds. Today, some 40 to 50 six-toed descendants of Snowball are still allowed to roam around the house. Polydactyl felines are sometimes called “Hemingway Cats.” 3. William S. Burroughs Big Cartel Burroughs is known for his wild, drug-induced writings, but he had a softer side as well—especially for his cats.

He penned an autobiographical novella, The Cat Inside, about the cats he owned throughout his life, and the final journal entry Burroughs wrote before he died referred to the pure love he had for his four pets: “Only thing can resolve conflict is love, like I felt for Fletch and Ruski, Spooner, and Calico. Pure love. What I feel for my cats present and past. Love? What is it? Most natural painkiller what there is. LOVE.” 4. Mark Twain Twain Quotes The great humorist and man of American letters was also a great cat lover. When his beloved black cat Bambino (above) went missing, Twain took out an advertisement in the New York American offering a $5 reward to return the missing cat to his house at 21 5th Avenue in New York City. It described Bambino as “Large and intensely black; thick, velvety fur; has a faint fringe of white hair across his chest; not easy to find in ordinary light.” 5.

Samuel Johnson Wikimedia Commons Known to be a general cat lover during his life, this 18th century jack-of-all-trades was immortalized in James Boswell’s proto-biography The Life of Samuel Johnson. In the text, Boswell writes of Johnson’s cat, Hodge, saying, “I never shall forget the indulgence with which he treated Hodge, his cat: for whom he himself used to go out and buy oysters, lest the servants having that trouble should take a dislike to the poor creature. I am, unluckily, one of those who have an antipathy to a cat, so that I am uneasy when in the room with one; and I own, I frequently suffered a good deal from the presence of this same Hodge.” Although Boswell was not a fan, Johnson called Hodge “A very fine cat indeed.” Hodge is immortalized, with his oysters, with a statue of his likeness that stands outside Johnson’s house at 17 Gough Square in London. 6.

William Butler Yeats T for Tout Though not overt, Yeats’ love for cats can be found in poems like “The Cat and the Moon,” where he uses the image of a cat to represent himself and the image of the moon to represent his muse Maude Gonne, a high society-born feminist and sometime actress who inspired the poet throughout his life. The poem references Gonne’s cat named Minnaloushe, who sits and stares at the changing moon. Yeats metaphorically transforms himself into the cat longing for his love that is indifferent to him, and the heartsick feline poet wonders whether Gonne will ever change her mind. Too bad for Yeats—Maude Gonne never agreed to marry him, despite the fact that he asked for her hand in marriage four separate times! 7. Patricia Highsmith Cultural Cat She doesn’t have the friendliest literary reputation around—she once said “my imagination functions much better when I don't have to speak to people”—but The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train author Patricia Highsmith nevertheless found a perfect way to let her imagination function with her many four-legged companions.

She did virtually everything with her cats—she wrote next to them, she ate next to them, and she even slept next to them. She kept them by her side throughout her life until her death at her home in Locarno, Switzerland in 1995. 8. Charles Dickens Slate One of most important and influential writers in history, Charles Dickens once said, “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” He would sit entranced for hours while writing, but when his furry friends needed some attention, they were notorious for extinguishing the flame on his desk candle. In 1862, he was so upset after the death of his favorite cat, Bob, that he had the feline’s paw stuffed and mounted to an ivory letter opener. He had the opener engraved saying, “C.D., In memory of Bob, 1862” so he could have a constant reminder of his old friend. The letter opener is now on display at the Berg Collection of English and American Literature at the New York Public Library. 9.

Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman The author of American Gods and The Sandman kept regular updates on his blog of the everyday eccentricities of the group of cats—including Hermione, Pod, Zoe, Princess, and Coconut—that he kept at his house. Though he hasn’t written much about them recently, the love and affection that come across in the posts from 2010 and earlier show someone who is absolutely an animal lover in all respects. 10. William Carlos Williams Wolf Eyebrows Imagist poet William Carlos Williams also worked as a doctor to supplement his writing career, which would eventually culminate in a 1949 National Book Award for Poetry and a posthumously awarded 1963 Pulitzer Prize. His direct style tried to capture the essence of small moments in everyday life, and it’s no wonder he uses a cat to conjure a simple scene in his poem entitled “Poem (As the Cat)”: As the cat A very fine cat indeed! Back to Moggies A very fine cat indeed! Hodge, the cat with literary leanings.

Number 17 Gough Square, London, was the home of Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), which he shared with his much loved cat, Hodge. Not many cats have a statue erected in their honour, but opposite the house, which is now a museum, stands a charming bronze of this famous eighteenth century feline. Dr Johnson lived in the house for eleven years, and it was here that he produced the dictionary for which he is famous. Like many writers, he had a fondness for cats. Hodge would have kept him company as he laboured on his mammoth task for years on end. The book produced by Dictionary Johnson, as he became known, defines The Cat thus: "A domestick animal that catches mice, commonly reckoned by naturalists the lowest order of the leonine species." While naturalists may have reckoned the cat a lowly animal, there is no doubt that the lexicographer had a high regard for his feline friend, for he is recorded as describing Hodge as a 'very fine cat indeed'.

Samuel Johnson's affection for cats in general and Hodge in particular, was recorded by his biographer, James Boswell, whose book, The Life of Samuel Johnson was published in 1799. In it we learn that the great man of letters objected to his wife beating one of his cats (a predecessor to Hodge) because she set a bad example to the servants. As a non-cat person himself, Boswell was much surprised at the "indulgence with which he treated Hodge". Dr Johnson had such a high regard for his cat it's quite possible if the technology allowed he would partake in phone conferencing about the virtues of his feline. He would go out himself to purchase oysters for the cat. Apparently he did so, in case the servants became resentful of doing so and took "a dislike to the poor creature". Boswell also writes that he recalled seeing Hodge "scrambling up Dr Johnson's breast, apparently with much satisfaction", while the Doctor rubbed the cat's back and gently tugged his tail.

To his credit , for a non cat lover, Boswell remarked that Hodge was a fine cat, to which Dr Johnson replied "Why yes, sir, but I have had cats whom I liked better than this". However, upon observing that his poor cat seemed put out, added, "But he is a very fine cat; a very fine cat indeed." History does not tell us exactly when Hodge passed away, but we do know that Dr Johnson went out to find some valerian (a plant very similar to catnip) when his cat was dying to make his last hours as pleasant as possible. It is not only in Boswell's biography that Hodge lives on. Poet, Percival Stockdale wrote An Elegy on the Death of Dr Johnson's Favourite Cat,. from which we learn that Hodge was a black cat ... Who, by his master when caressed Warmly his gratitude expressed; And never failed his thanks to purr Whene'er he stroked his sable fur. A more recent memorial exists in the form of a bronze life-size statue that was unveiled on 26 September 1997, by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Roger Cook.

The metal moggie is sat upon a dictionary with oysters at his feet. The delightful edifice was the work of animal sculptor, Jon Buckley, and was modelled on his own cat, Henry. Miniature models of the statue can be purchased from the museum shop. Not much is known about Dr Johnson's other cats except that in a letter written in 1738, he mentions a white kitten by the name of Lily, describing her as 'very well behaved'. On 1st September 1997, No 17 Gough Square acquired a new feline resident, also named Lily. She was chosen from the many cats at the Dogs' Home Battersea. However, apart from her name and place of residence, the modern day Lily has little in common with her 18th century namesake - the present day Lily is jet black, and is decidedly mischievous.

It is good to know that the great writer's house once again knows the soft footfall of a cat about the place, and one suspects that if he could see her, the Doctor would declare that she, too, is "a very fine cat indeed!" Know Your Cat - Hodge the Hedge Cat Hodge the Hedge Cat May 2013 Hodge decided she wanted to live with us we had no decision in the matter. A black, short haired cat, with a white bib on her chest, and what appear to be furry white knickers on her nether regions. She had left the previous owners round the corner from where we lived due to being bullied by a large grey cat. Her face was almost Siamese with long pale green eyes, and high arched eyebrows. She started appearing in our garden. One day I was sitting on a garden seat, and she came and sat next to me purring very loudly. She seemed very big, so I assumed she was a male, but very thin. Her head seemed very large in contrast to the thin body. I gave her some ham which she gulped down. We found out she had been living rough in the hedges and woods.

The previous owners had given up on her ever coming home. They had tried to bring her back, but she was stubborn, and refused to come back. They said we could have her, but that she would take off, and to be prepared for that. She was seven years old at the time and they gave us her medical records. They said her name was "Ruby", but she only answered to the name we had called her which was "Hodge". Named after the 17th Century writer Samuel Johnson's cat "Hodge" . She took off when her old owners came round the house, and had to be coaxed back in to the garden after they had gone. She had gone half feral, we could get her to sleep in the shed, and we bought her Felix, which she gulped down, but she would not come into the house. It was difficult for my husband, who had never had an animal. She was hard work, always taking off, being nervous, and skittish at the slightest thing. We never knew every day if it was the last we would see of her. Getting her to the vets was a horror story, it was like trapping a sabre tooth tiger.

My husband and I would have to pin her down, but for all her wildness she has never scratched us. The loud shrieks coming from the cat basket we had purchased caused our next door neighbour to come out and ask if she had been hurt. To this day de-fleaing, taking her to the cattery when we go on holidays, or the vets brings melodramatic shrieks of terror from her. When she returns from these unpleasant excursions we are cold-shouldered. We get the "Queen Victoria stare". It took nearly a year to get her in the house, even then she would go in the early hours of the morning. I would have to get up at 4.am every day to let her out. I always gave her some food in case I never saw her again. She was very loving, but you could not pick her up. There was something very vulnerable about her. She also to this day hates the postman with a vengeance. He sometimes drops parcels off in her shed. We now realise she thinks he is trying to move in to her shed, and she comes into the house and shouts about it until we go to the shed and and see what all the fuss is about.

Brushing her was difficult at first, but now she loves it and sticks her feet in the air. Now after more than three years , she comes in at 7pm or earlier, has her tea, sits on her throw on the settee, and seems to like watching "Midsommer Murders". If we have a snack in the evenings, she has Dreamies as a snack, She now lets us tickle her belly, loves us both equally. She even plays hide and seek and wants you to chase her. She still takes off if anyone comes round the house, but appears to like the next door neighbour and us and no-one else. In the early days I had caught her drinking water with both paws out of the drain, yet would not drink it in a bowl. Another game we play with her is 'which hand is the toy in?'. She thinks for second and kisses the right hand each time. Then rolls on her back to do a victory roll. She also has an almost autistic outlook on articles on the house. Recently we purchased a large cream rug for the sitting room. It has been down for a week, yet she still walks round the sides of it to get to the settee.

She howled when she first saw it, and appears to think it is an evil entity. Even a cat toy will not persuade her to walk on it. We would not be without her. From a neurotic cat she has turned almost matronly, her coat gleams, she has put on weight, and purrs all the time. She sometimes sits with her paw in my husbands hand watching t.v. People who do not know this loving animal, think she has been too much hard work. It has been worth it to see her coming into the house in the evenings, not leaping in the air because you have got too close to her. Fortunately, she has stopped bringing in field mice. She is getting very short-sighted and has to screw her eyes up to see things these days. We once had a madcap incident when I had heard a loud noise in the sitting room early in the morning. I came downstairs, and found she had corned a large brown terrified mouse, I shooed her away, and opened the front door then sectioned her off. It would not go out the front door, but instead ran up the grandmother clock. I locked the sitting room door. The clock was in the hallway.

I dragged it to the front door, it was a weight, and all the time, it chimed loudly in my ear. The mouse then appeared to develop mouse suckers on its feet and even though I attempted to shake it off the clock to get it in the front garden, it hung on. Of what seemed like an eternity , it let go, and I, deafened ,watched it scuttle down the path. I then dragged the clock back to its rightful place and locked the cat flap in the garden, so "Hodge" could not torment it further. Out of that I received an aching bad back, and a slight ringing in my ear. We know we are her household staff, meals have to be served at a the exact time, and not too many fish dinners, otherwise, the thin blacks lips purse up at us. We would not be without out her, she is an eccentric delight. My husband retired recently and "Hodge " and my husband have their own set routine now. I really think when "Hodge" saw us she had also retired and wanted a quiet life. The only hedges she goes into now are for shade from the sun.

Story by Amber Cross CatStuff: A Few Famous Cat Lovers A FEW FAMOUS CAT LOVERS This article researched and compiled by Glenda Moore. Please do not redistribute this article. A-C Cleveland Amory (1917-1998) Author and animal rights promoter Amory devoted his life to promoting animal rights. He was best known for his books about his cat Polar Bear, whom he rescued from New York streets on Christmas Eve, 1977. Amory co-founded the Humane Society of the United States and founded the Fund for Animals. He was also the president of NEAVS (New England Anti Vivisection Society) from 1987 to 1998. Ian Anderson (1947- ) Musician Ian, of the classic rock band Jethro Tull, is a cat lover. A page on the official Jethro Tull webpage is dedicated to his writings about cats. Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and Navarre King Louis XVI and wife, Marie Antoinette, allowed their Angora cats to roam about the tables during court gatherings.

Legend has it that six of her beloved white Angora cats arrived by ship in Maine, USA in the ship she had intended for her escape during the French revolution. Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger, 1927- ) Reigning head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State His cat Chico, a black-and-white domestic short hair, continues to live at the pope’s home in Tübingen, Germany (pets are not allowed in the Vatican). Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles, who was in Rome for the pope’s inauguration, says “The street talk that the pope loves cats is incorrect. The pope adores cats.” (no image Sultan El Daher Beybars, who was devoted to cats, bequeathed a garden known as Gheyt-el-Quoltah (the cats' orchard) near his mosque in Cairo for the support of homeless cats. The tradition continues to this day. At the time of afternoon prayer each day, meat is brought into the center of the garden, and cats from all over the city come for their share.

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887) Russian classical composer and chemist Borodin had many cats, one of which - Ryborov - learned to fish through holes in the ice in winter. ('Ryborov' means 'fisherman'.) Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855); Emily Bronte (1818-1848); Anne Bronte (1820-1849) Authors The three sisters were well-known as cat lovers. Their novels and poetry often showed their relationships with their felines. Charlotte and Anne often referred to their cats in their diaries. George Burns (1896-1996) American comedian, actor, and producer George Burns called his cat "Willie," reportedly because "when you tell the cat what to do, there's always a question of will he or won't he." Lord George Byron (1788-1824) Poet An lifelong friend, Poet Percy Shelley, once commented that Byron's "eight enormous dogs, three monkeys, five cats, an eagle, a crow, ...

a falcon, five peacocks, two guinea hens, and an Egyptian crane; and all these, except the horses, walk about the house ..." Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) Author (Phillip Marlowe private eye novels) Chandler talked to his black Persian, Taki, as though she was human and called her his secretary because she sat on his manuscripts as he tried to revise them. He stated, "A cat never behaves as if you were the only bright spot in an otherwise clouded existence...this is another way of saying that a cat is not a sentimentalist, which does not mean that it has no affection." Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British politician (notably, UK prime minister during World War II) Churchill's marmalade cat Jock slept with his master, shared his dining table, and attended numerous war-time Cabinet meetings. If Jock was late for meals, Churchill would send servants to find him, waiting to eat til the cat was present. Jock was said to have been with his master when he died. Churchill also had a cat, Nelson, named after the famous British admiral.

Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (1889–1963) French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager and filmmaker Cocteau is best known for his 1929 novel Les enfants terribles, the 1929 play Les parents terribles, and the 1946 film, Beauty and the Beast. His famous quotes include: “I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul” and "A meow massages the heart." He dedicated Drôle de Ménage to his cat Karoun, whom he described as "the king of cats." D-H Charles Dickens (1812-1870) Author (works include Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickelby, David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol) Charles' cat, Willamena, produced a litter of kittens in his study. Dickens was determined not to keep the kittens, but he fell in love with one female kitten who was known as "Master's Cat". She kept him company in his study as he wrote, and when she wanted his attention she was known to snuff out his reading candle.

Alexander Dumas (1802-1870) Author (works include The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo) Dumas owned a cat called Mysouff. This cat was known for his extrasensory perception of time. Mysouff could predict what time his master would finish work, even when his master was working late. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) Physicist Fond of animals, Einstein kept a tomcat named Tiger who tended to get depressed whenever it rained. One acquaintance recalled him saying to the melancholy cat: "I know what's wrong, dear fellow, but I don't know how to turn it off." Einstein was also quoted as saying, "A man has to work so hard so that something of his personality stays alive. A tomcat has it so easy, he has only to spray and his presence is there for years on rainy days." T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) Nobel Prize-winning British poet and playwright T.S. Eliot was a cat lover and wrote an entire book of poems about cats.

His Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats was set to music by Andrew Lloyd Weber and became the long-running musical, Cats. Robert Goulet (1933- ) Recording artist, star of stage, screen and TV Goulet has loved cats since childhood. When he toured the country as King Arthur in Lerner and Loewe's musical Camelot, he took along two of his cats - Vincent and Wart. Several years ago, the cat-count in Goulet's Las Vegas home was up to seven. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Author (works include For Whom the Bell Tolls, Old Man and the Sea) Hemingway shared his Key West home with more than 30 cats. The story goes that Hemingway made the acquaintance of a sea captain who owned an unusual six-toed tomcat. Upon his departure from Key West, the captain presented the cat to Hemingway. Today many of the numerous cats that inhabit the grounds still possess the unusual six toes.

Hemingway once said, "A cat has absolute emotional honesty; human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not." Victor Hugo (1802-1885) Author Hugo is considered one of the greatest author in the history of French literature, one notable book being Les Miserables. He wrote fondly in his diary about his cats. J-L Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84) English author Dr. Johnson is perhaps best known for his great English dictionary, published in 1755. Johnson had a pet cat named Hodge whom he fed oysters and other luxurious treats. Edward Lear [1812-1888] Artist, illustrator and writer Edward was devoted to Foss, his tabby cat. When he decided to move to San Remo, Italy, he instructed his architect to design a replica of his old home in England so Foss would not be disturbed and suffer a minimum of distress after the move. Lear’s drawings of his striped tabby cat are well known, especially those which accompany his rhyme, The Owl and the Pussycat . When Foss died, he was buried in Lear's italian garden.

Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) Career army officer (Confederate army General during the American Civil War) Lee had several cats tha he referred to often in letters to his family: "I am very solitary and my only company is my dog and cats. Spec [a dog] has become so jealous now that he will hardly let me look at the cats." He chose cats to share his tent at Camp Cooper partly for mousing, and partly for company. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870 – 1924) Founder of the Russian Community party and first head of the Soviet government Not much is known about Lenin's affection for cats, though he had been filmed and photographed holding and petting various cats. John Lennon (1940-1980) Singer The famous Beatle loved cats; as a boy he reportedly cycled to the fishmonger's to buy hake for his cat. He named his first cat Mimi after his cat-loving aunt. He and his first wife Cynthia had up to ten cats.

Pope Leo XII (1760-1829) Head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State Pope Leo owned a grayish-red cat with black stripes called Micette, who was born in the Vatican and lived with the Pope. Reportedly, the pope occasionally gave audiences with the cat hidden on his lap under his robes. Similarly, an earlier religious figure, St. Gregory the Great (540-604) possessed no worldly goods except a cat, which he held and stroked while meditating. Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) American aviator Charles Lindbergh's cat Patsy occasionally accompanied him on flights (though not on the flight that made him famous). A Spanish stamp commemorating his record-breaking flight from New York to Paris shows Patsy watching as his plane took off. Louis XV (1710-1774) King of France The King had a favorite white cat that was allowed to play on the table during Councils of State.

M-P Henri Matisse (1869-1954) French artist Matisse loved the company of cats, and when forced to remain in bed due to poor health, he would be joined there by his favorite black cat. Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) Founder of the rock group Queen Delilah , released on Queen's album "Innuendo," is a song Mercury penned for his favorite housecat, a female tortoiseshell named Delilah. When on tour, he would call London to talk to his several cats. Freddie dedicated his first solo album, "Mr. Bad Guy," to his beloved cats (Tom, Jerry, Oscar, Tiffany, Delilah, Goliath, Miko, Romeo, Lily). He is shown with Oscar and Tiffany. (no image 30 Renowned Authors Inspired By Cats Your Post Has Been Launched! Fabulous! Don't forget to share with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. 30 Renowned Authors Inspired By Cats Cats – with all their mysteriousness and adorableness and softness – have served as muses for some of the most brilliant writers in the world for centuries.

Some notable examples, amazing pictures, and charming quotes from 30 of the best kitty/writer combo deals. writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563794 French poet, novelist, and filmmaker (as well as playwright, designer, and artist) Jean Cocteau is most famous for his novel Les Enfants terribles (The Holy Terrors) and his films, including Blood of a Poet, Beauty and the Beast, and Orpheus. He was also famous for being part of elite social circle that included Pablo Picasso, Kenneth Anger, Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich, and Édith Piaf. Cocteau was additionally a cat devotee who helped to found a club in Paris called the “Cat Friends Club” that had a membership pin and sponsored cat shows. Conclusion: Jean Cocteau would have been my ideal friend when I was twelve years old (and also now). ID: 570488 The Cat Friends Club membership pin designed by Jean Cocteau.

Via anamontielblog.blogspot.com ID: 570558 “I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.” - Jean Cocteau Jean Cocteau and artist Tsuguharu Foujita with an award winning cat, at a cat show sponsored by the “Cat Friends” Club of Paris catladiesproject.blogspot.com ID: 570450 Via writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563859 Horror, fantasy, and science-fiction author Stephen King has written 49 novels, nine collections of short stories, and five non-fiction books. He is also well-known for the many films based on his work, including The Shining, Stand By Me, and Pet Semetary. Despite once writing in a short story that “it might be that the biggest division in the world isn’t men and women but folks who like cats and folks who like dogs,” it seems that the King family does in fact keep both cats and dogs as pets.

Note that the cat in these (awesome) photos is wearing a name tag that reads “Clovis,” the name used in King’s screenplay Sleepwalkers for a cat who [spoilers] saves the day. ID: 570198 Via writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 566725 “Cats were the gangsters of the animal world, living outside the law and often dying there. There were a great many of them who never grew old by the fire.” - Stephen King, Pet Semetary writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563894 Neil Gaiman, author of novels, short fiction, graphic novels, and more, is perhaps most well-known for his comic book series The Sandman, his young adult novel Coraline, his novel American Gods, and for being a total badass and a god among the best of nerds. Neil Gaiman also really, really, really loves cats. He has multiple cats and often chronicles their adventures on his blog .

The cats he’s had recently include Coconut, Hermione, Pod, Zoe, and the imitable Princess, who Gaiman describes thusly: “I’ve grown so used to having a bad-tempered but beautiful cat that I need to warn visitors about. She’s outlasted all the cats I loved and all the cats I bonded with. And I think she’s grown very used to me. When Zoe died, it was really easy to explain to people how much you could miss a sweet, gentle cat who was nothing but a ball of utter love. I’m going to have a much harder time one day, months or even years from now, explaining why I miss the meanest, grumpiest and most dangerous cat I’ve ever encountered.” ID: 570206 Neil with Zoe, who recently passed away. Via journal.neilgaiman.com ID: 567403 Via journal.neilgaiman.com ID: 567404 Neil on Zoe: “And I’m wondering what it is about this small blind cat that inspires such behaviour — mine, Olga’s, Lorraine’s….

I’ve had cats in this house for 18 years, and there are cat-graves down by gazebo. Two cats died of old age last year. It wasn’t like this. I think it may be the love. Hers, once given, was yours, unconditionally and utterly.” ID: 570212 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563738 Existentialist philosopher and author Jean Paul Sartre was a key figure in Marxism and 20th century french philosophy whose main thrust was that humans are “condemned to be free.” He did not believe that humans had a creator, and thought that we were fully responsible for our actions – “we are left alone, without excuse.” Although Sartre’s relationship with cats isn’t well-documented, he is seen above holding a very handsome feline while at work. Sartre was also one of the obvious inspirations for Henri, the existential cat, and it is thought possible that all cats are, by nature, existentialists.

ID: 570219 Via posterrevolution.com ID: 568105 Jack Kerouac, author of On The Road, was a poet and novelist who was a pioneer of the “beat generation” and was famous for his spontaneous, free-flowing style and autobiographical honesty. He was an underground celebrity during his tragically short life (he died at age 47 of internal bleeding due to alcohol abuse), and has been a hero to teenagers and iconoclasts ever since. ID: 570232 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563770 Jack also loved cats, especially his cat Tyke, whose unfortunate passing he wrote about in loving detail in his memoir Big Sur.

“The next sign is in Frisco itself where after a night of perfect sleep in an old skid row hotel room I go to see Monsanto at his City Lights bookstore and he’s smiling and glad to see me, says ‘We were coming out to see you next weekend you should have waited,’ but there something else in his expression — When we’re alone he says, ‘Your mother wrote and said your cat is dead.’ Ordinarily the death of a cat means little to most men, a lot to fewer men, but to me, and that cat, it was exactly and no lie and sincerely like the death of my little brother — I loved Tyke with all my heart, he was my baby who as a kitten just slept in the palm of my hand and with his little head hanging down, or just purring for hours, just as long as I held him that way, walking or sitting — He was like a floppy fur wrap around my wrist, I just twist him around my wrist or drape him and he just purred and purred and even when he got big I still held him that way, I could even hold that big cat in both hands with my arms outstretched right over my head and he’d just purr, he had complete

 confidence in me — and when I’d left New York to come to my retreat in the woods I’d carefully kissed him and instructed him to wait for me ‘Attends pour mue kitigingoo’ — But my mother said in the letter he had died the NIGHT AFTER I LEFT.” ID: 570236 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563777 Edward Gorey, known for his macabre, gothic illustrated books including The Gashlycrumb Tinies and The Doubtful Guest, as well as for illustrating for others’ books such as T.S.

Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Gorey’s personal diaries were feline-focused from a young age; one which dates back to March 20, 1938, reads “Kittens OK! Kittens 11 days old. Tiger kitten has one eye open. Awful cute.” “It would be wrong to say that cats weren’t his first love,” said Ken Morton, Gorey’s cousin. “[Edward] said a few times that he liked cats more than people. He considered them his family.” ID: 570267 Via brainpickings.org ID: 569784 American author Ernest Hemingway published novels, journalism, and short stories, many of which are considered classics of American literature, including The Old Man And The Sea, A Farewell To Arms, and For Whom The Bell Tolls. He was a World War I veteran who was known for his hard-edged, masculine approach. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

Hemingway’s first cat, Snowball, was six-toed, and the author’s former home in Key West houses dozens of Snowball’s descendants – about half of which are also six-toed. Some people even refer to polydactyl (six-toed) cats as “Hemingway cats.” By the late ’40s, Hemingway had as many as 23 cats at any given time, and was known to refer to them as “purr factories” and “love sponges.” ID: 570277 hemingwayscats.com ID: 569913 In 1953, Hemingway’s cat Uncle Willie was hit by a car. He wrote a heartbreaking letter to his friend Giangranco Ivancich about his decision to put the animal out of his misery. “Dear Gianfranco: Just after I finished writing you and was putting the letter in the envelope Mary came down from the Torre and said, ‘Something terrible has happened to Willie.’ I went out and found Willie with both his right legs broken: one at the hip, the other below the knee. A car must have run over him or somebody hit him with a club.

He had come all the way home on the two feet of one side. It was a multiple compound fracture with much dirt in the wound and fragments protruding. But he purred and seemed sure that I could fix it. I had René get a bowl of milk for him and René held him and caressed him and Willie was drinking the milk while I shot him through the head. I don’t think he could have suffered and the nerves had been crushed so his legs had not begun to really hurt. Monstruo wished to shoot him for me, but I could not delegate the responsibility or leave a chance of Will knowing anybody was killing him… Have had to shoot people but never anyone I knew and loved for eleven years. Nor anyone that purred with two broken legs.” ID: 570281 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563787 Postmodern novelist, short story writer, spoken word performer, and essayist William Burroughs is widely influential in both literature and pop culture, declared by Norman Mailer as “the only American writer who may be conceivably possessed by genius.” He wrote semi-autobiographical and memoir, drawing on his experiences as a heroin addict and his world travels.

His most famous book, Naked Lunch, underwent a court case due to the U.S.’s anti-sodomy laws of the time. Burroughs was a devout cat lover who called them his “psychic companions,” and described them as “natural enemies of the state.” He wrote a book, The Cat Inside, where he wrote lovingly of his companions such as Calico Jane, Fletch, Rooski, Wimpy, and Ed. ID: 570320 Drawing of Poe and cat by Charles Smeldon Via writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563858 Most famous for his short stories and poems, Edgar Allan Poe was an integral part of the American romantic movement, was one of the earliest American short story writers, and is believed to have basically invented the “detective fiction” genre. His interest in mystery and the macabre have led to his tales being celebrated as among the best “scary stories” of all time, beloved by children and goths alike to this day. “I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat.” - Edgar Allan Poe Poe was a cat lover and he and his wife/cousin Virginia had a cat named Catterina.

One of his scariest stories, The Black Cat, tells the story of a narrator who loved his cat Pluto until he came home drunk, tries to grab at his cat, and gets a nip in return. The storyteller gouges out the cat’s eye with a pen knife and eventually hangs it in the garden. The cat’s doppelganger makes his way back into their life and enacts a slow revenge, eventually driving the man so crazy that he kills his wife with an axe in a fit of rage. When the police investigate the murder, a wailing cat leads them to his wife’s corpse, and the man is caught and condemned. Justice! ID: 570809 ID: 570833 An excerpt from The Cat,, a chapter from The Summer Book by Tove Jansson: “It was a tiny kitten when it came and could drink its milk only from a nipple. Fortunately, they still had Sophia’s baby bottle in the attic. In the beginning, the kitten slept in a tea cozy to keep warm, but when it found its legs they let it sleep in the cottage in Sophia’s bed. It had its own pillow, next to hers.

It was a gray fisherman’s cat and it grew fast. One day, it left the cottage and moved into the house, where it spent its nights under the bed in the box where they kept the dirty dishes. It had odd ideas of its own even then. Sophia carried the cat back to the cottage and tried as hard as she could to ingratiate herself, but the more love she gave it, the quicker it fled back to the dish box. When the box got too full, the cat would howl and someone would have to wash the dishes. Its name was Ma Petite, but they called it Moppy. “It’s funny about love,” Sophia said. “The more you love someone, the less he likes you back.” “That’s very true,” Grandmother observed. “And so what do you do?” “You go on loving,” said Sophia threateningly. “You love harder and harder.” Via certosino.wordpress.com ID: 570911 Colette was a French novelist, most famous for her novel Gigi, which was adapted even more famously for stage and screen. She was also notoriously sensuous, having numerous affairs with both women and men, including her second husband’s son.

She also “discovered” Audrey Hepburn when she cast the then unknown actress on sight to play the lead in Gigi after she saw her walking across the lobby of a hotel. She has also been described as “the original Cat Woman,” and had a lifelong love affair with cats. She also loved dogs, after growing up surrounded by animals brought to the house by her mother, who “boasted of her ability to housebreak pets and children.” Colette wrote a novel entitled “The Cat,” which is about the engagement and honeymoon of a couple who is divided over the man’s helpless devotion to his cat, Saha. Colette’s cat lover, Alain, muses in the book “It wasn’t just a little cat I was carrying at that moment,” Alain mused. “It was the incarnate nobility of the whole cat race, her limitless indifference, her tact, her bond of union with the human aristocrat.” ID: 570934 diario.latercera.com ID: 571006 Raymond Chandler got his start as a writer at age 44, after being fired from his oil company job during the Depression.

His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939 and introduced the first-person narrator / detective Philip Marlowe, who would become famous and be featured in many of Chandler’s later books. He continued to publish shorts stories and novels throughout the ’40s and ’50s, but also began collaborating on screenplays including Double Indemnity, Strangers on a Train, and The Blue Dahlia. Chandler was an avid cat fancier who often wrote about his cats and even wrote letters as his cat, Taki. An excerpt (Taki writing to one of Chandler’s friend’s feline companions): “Come around sometime when your face is clean and we shall discuss the state of the world, the foolishness of humans, the prevalence of horsemeat, although we prefer the tenderloin side of a porterhouse, and our common difficulty in getting doors opened at the right time and meals served at more frequent intervals. I have got my staff up to five a day, but there is still room for improvement.” ID: 571050 Via writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563881 Raymond Chandler’s agent H.N.

Swanson, said that Chandler’s cat “‘knew more about him than anybody else.” ID: 571080 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 564381 “I said something which gave you to think I hated cats. But gad, sir, I am one of the most fanatical cat lovers in the business. If you hate them, I may learn to hate you. If your allergies hate them, I will tolerate the situation to the best of my ability.” -Raymond Chandler, in another letter ID: 571044 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563989 Poet and doctor William Carlos Williams “worked harder at being a writer than he did at being a physician,” but miraculously managed both. He began as a member of the Imagist movement, a group of poets in the early 20th century who were devoted to “clarity of expression through the use of precise visual images.” Later, he experimented with new techniques and influences, eventually settling on a unique personal style that centered on the daily life of ‘common’ people.

“Outside, the north wind, coming and passing, swelling and dying, lifts the frozen sand drives it a-rattle against the lidless windows and we may dear sit stroking the cat stroking the cat and smiling sleepily, prrrr.” - William Carlos Williams writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563883 Truman Capote, American author of short stories, novels, nonfiction, and plays – including Breakfast At Tiffany’s and the true-crime novel In Cold Blood. He was a great friend of author Harper Lee and they often helped one another on projects, including Capote serving as inspiration for the character Dill in To Kill A Mockingbird. Capote was openly homosexual and an active socialite. Gore Vidal was quoted as saying “Truman Capote has tried, with some success, to get into a world that I have tried, with some success, to get out of.” Although Capote’s own cat love isn’t well documented, the nameless feline in Breakfast At Tiffany’s plays a major part in the heart of the story.

Holly sums up the novella nicely with the quote “If I could find a real-life place that made me feel like Tiffany’s, then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name.” ID: 580507 Via revistapolichinelo.blogspot.com ID: 580476 “She was still hugging the cat. “Poor slob,” she said, tickling his head, “poor slob without a name. It’s a little inconvenient, his not having a name. But I haven’t any right to give him one: He’ll have to wait until he belongs to somebody. We just sort of hooked up by the river one day, we don’t belong to each other. He’s an independent, and so am I.

I don’t want to own anything until I know I’ve found a place where me and things belong together.” -Truman Capote, Breakfat At Tiffany’s ID: 580512 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563888 Journalist/writer/editor/actor George Plimpton co-founded the Paris Review and was particularly well known for his immersive take on sports writing, often involving himself competing in professional sporting events and then recording the event. He pitched an exhibition game for the American League, on a team managed by Mickey Mantle, attended pre-season training and played in a scrimmage for the Detroit Lions of the NFL, trained in a National Hockey League preseason game as a goalie, and sparred for three rounds with Sugar Ray Robinson while working for Sports Illustrated. The cat pictured above was named Mr. Puss.

Goerge’s son Taylor recalled that “my father enjoyed nothing more than holding the beast high in the ait and making strange, affectionate sounds in that distinguished voice: “Yeanngghh, Puss… Yeaannngh Puss Puss Puss.” ID: 580547 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563891 Hermann Hesse – novelist, poet, and painter – most famous for writing the spiritual journey of Siddhartha and the semi-autobiographical Steppenwolf. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. At the time of his death, Hesse was practically unknown in the United States, but in the mid-’60s, Hesse’s works became bestsellers, celebrated among the counter-culture hippie movement. I could not find a scrap of information regarding Hesse and his cat, but I do know that these two pictures of him with a feline friend make me smile.

ID: 580588 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 564487 “There is a single magic, a single power, a single salvation, and a single happiness, and that is called loving.” - Hermann Hesse writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563933 Argentine novelist, essayist, and short story writer Julio Cortázar has been called “a modern master of the short story” and was known as one of the founders of the ‘Latin American Boom’ that brought latin literature to a much broader audience in Europe and America – a movement which also included Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Jorge Luis Borges, and Pablo Neruda. Cortázar was knwon for his use of interior monologue and stream of consciousness, and he was interested in surrealist art, and improvisatory jazz. His most famous novel is Hopscotch. Cortázar was a cat lover who owned a cat named Theodor W. Adorno who he wrote about extensively in the book Around the Day in Eighty Worlds.

ID: 580803 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 564490 “I sometimes longed for someone who, like me, had not adjusted perfectly with his age, and such a person was hard to find; but I soon discovered cats, in which I could imagine a condition like mine, and books, where I found it quite often.” - Julio Cortázar, Around the Day in Eighty Worlds ID: 580718 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563941 The poet Wystan Hugh Auden, born in England but later an American citizen, is regarded by many as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. He also wrote essays and reviews. Auden published over four hundred poems, including two book-length long form works, and also including ballads, limericks, doggerel, haiku, villanelles, and baroque eclogue. He began writing poems at age thirteen, discovered T.S. Eliot at age 18, and wrote the first of his poems that would later be published at age 20.

“Cats can be very funny, and have the oddest ways of showing they’re glad to see you. Rudimace always peed in our shoes.” -W.H. Auden writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 564380 Novelist, poet, playwright, short story writer, and biographer Doris May Lessing was born in Iran (then Persia) to English parents who lived in Zimbabwe (then Southern Rhodesia) as a child. She was self-educated from age 14 on, and began work as a nursemaid when she was just 15 years old. She began writing after taking an interest in communist politics and sociology. Later on, she adopted the Sufi religion and wrote a series of science fiction novels called the “Canopus in Argos” series. Lessing became fascinated by cats at a young age, when she came across the semi-feral felines on the African farm where she grew up. As an adult, she had many cats, notably the awkwardly majestic El Magnifico, who she wrote about lovingly in the short memoir The Old Age of El Magnifico.

When asked about her efforts to communicate with cats in an interview, she said “the cat I communicated with best was El Magnifico. He was such a clever cat. We used to have sessions when we tried to be on each other’s level. He knew we were trying. When push came to shove, though, the communication was pretty limited.” ID: 581152 Via elcaudecati.blogspot.com ID: 581135 “What a luxury a cat is, the moments of shocking and startling pleasure in a day, the feel of the beast, the soft sleekness under your palm, the warmth when you wake on a cold night, the grace and charm even in a quite ordinary workaday puss.

Cat walks across your room, and in that lonely stalk you see leopard or even panther, or it turns its head to acknowledge you and the yellow blaze of those eyes tells you what an exotic visitor you have here, in this household friend, the cat who purrs as you stroke, or rub his chin, or scratch his head.” - Doris Lessing, The Old Age of El Magnifico ID: 581174 Via redredshoes.blogspot.com ID: 581228 Patricia Highsmith, 1921-1995, wrote widely-acclaimed psychological thrillers, including Strangers On A Train, famously adapted by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. The protagonist/serial murderer in the latter, Tom Ripley, was featured in four more novels by Highsmith, known as the ‘Ripliad.’ Highsmith was an animal lover who kept pets of both cats and hundreds of pet snails. Urich Weber, the curator of Highsmith’s archive, once explained that “she was very happy among cats. They gave her a closeness that she could not bear in the long-term from people.

She needed cats for her psychological balance.” ID: 581273 A statue in tribute to Johnson’s beloved cat, Hodge Via katherinebarber.blogspot.com ID: 581491 Devout Anglican and English author Samuel Johnson wrote poetry, essays, criticisms, and published A Dictionary of the English Language in 1755, described as “one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship.” Johnson was also very famous for his critical philosophy, and his belief that the best poetry relied on contemporary language (as opposed to purposefully old-timey/decorative verse). He was also the subject of perhaps the most famous biography of all time, James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson, which is among the works that have described Johnson’s odd tics and gestures in sich a way that has led to a posthumous diagnosis of Tourette syndrome. In Boswell’s biography of Johnson, he describes the great thinker’s relationship with his cat, Hodge. “Nor would it be just, under this head, to omit the fondness which he showed for animals which he had taken under his protection.

I never shall forget the indulgence with which he treated Hodge, his cat: for whom he himself used to go out and buy oysters, lest the servants having that trouble should take a dislike to the poor creature. I am, unluckily, one of those who have an antipathy to a cat, so that I am uneasy when in the room with one; and I own, I frequently suffered a good deal from the presence of this same Hodge. I recollect him one day scrambling up Dr. Johnson’s breast, apparently with much satisfaction, while my friend smiling and half-whistling, rubbed down his back, and pulled him by the tail; and when I observed he was a fine cat, saying, ‘Why yes, Sir, but I have had cats whom I liked better than this;’ and then as if perceiving Hodge to be out of countenance, adding, ‘but he is a very fine cat, a very fine cat indeed.’” ID: 581509 “Mirrors are not more silent nor the creeping dawn more secretive; in the moonlight, you are that panther we catch sight of from afar.

By the inexplicable workings of a divine law, we look for you in vain; More remote, even, than the Ganges or the setting sun, yours is the solitude, yours the secret. Your haunch allows the lingering caress of my hand. You have accepted, since that long forgotten past, the love of the distrustful hand. You belong to another time. You are lord of a place bounded like a dream.” -Jorge Luis Borges, To A Cat ID: 581487 Via weimarart.blogspot.com ID: 581297 Celebrated postmodern French philosopher Jacques Derrida developed a form of analysis known as “deconstruction,” which involved the assertion that all writing was full of confusion because of the inherent contradictions of language itself. Deconstruction requires thinking in a dual way about everything, analyzing and breaking down the conceptual opposites in language, art, and, ethics. In the ’90s, Derrida’s work took a turn towards ethics, such as in The Gift of Death, when he began to apply the principles of deconstructionism in interpreting passages from the bible.

Derrida wrote in a paper in 1993 that “deconstruction, if there is such a thing, takes place as the experience of the impossible.” Jacques Derrida was – unsurprisingly to anyone who has pieced together a semblance of an understanding of both deconstructionism and cats – a cat person. He wrote extensively of the feline gaze in an essay (originally delivered as a ten-hour lecture) titled The Animal That Therefore I Am (More to Follow)’. The essay focuses on a moment when a “real cat, truly, believe me, a little cat” catches the philosopher in the bathroom as he steps out of the shower and ‘stares’ at him, which causes Derrida to question the logic and ethics of establishing or assuming a boundary that distinguishes the human from the animal. He wrote at the end of that lecture “The same question then becomes whether I should show myself but in the process see myself naked (that is reflect my image in a mirror) when, concerning me, looking at me, is this living creature, this cat than can find itself caught in the same mirror? Is there animal narcissism?

But cannot this cat also be, deep within her eyes, my primary mirror?” ID: 581417 Via ttexshexes.blogspot.com ID: 581425 German-born American Charles Bukowski was a poet, novelist, and short story writer who was influenced by the ordinary lives of lower-class Americans, alcohol, women, and drudgery. Bukowski was described by Time in 1986 as the “laureate of American lowlife.” He wrote thousands of works, publishing over sixty books, many of them focusing on his home, the city of Los Angeles. His most famous books include his many poetry collections, plus the novels Factotum, Ham on Rye and Women. He also loved cats and was quoted as saying that “having a bunch of cats around is good. If you’re feeling bad, you just look at the cats, you’ll feel better, because they know everything is, just as it is. There’s nothing to get excited about. They just know. They’re saviors. The more cats you have, the longer you live. If you have a hundred cats, you’ll live ten times longer than if you have ten.

Someday this will be discovered, and people will have a thousand cats and live forever. It’s truly ridiculous.” ID: 581445 writersandkitties.tumblr.com ID: 563929 Samuel Clemens, pen-name Mark Twain, is one of the best-known American authors and humorists in history, most famous among many other works for writing the books The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its even more acclaimed and revered ‘sequel’ Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain also penned numerous short stories and essays, and was described by William Faulkner as “the father of American literature,” a label that few seem to debate. Mark Twain was also rather besotted with cats. In 1898, Twain’s relationship with his cats was reported “Twain would call the cats to ‘come up’ on the chair, and they would all jump up on the seat. He would tell them to ‘go to sleep,’ and instantly the group were all fast asleep.

They would remain so until he called ‘Wide awake!’ when in a twinkling up would go their ears and wide open their eyes.” ID: 580694 Hodge - Dr Johnson Fine Cat - Black Dog Hodge - Dr Johnson's Cat mounted on blue card Special Price - End of Range Inscription: HODGE - A VERY FINE CAT INDEED This special tile was adapted from our original Fine Cat design and was available from Dr. Johnson's House in London. It is no longer sold there but we do have a few left. If you have a cat or know a person with a cat called HODGE then this is a good value personalised tile. To have a specially made personalised cat tile is £30.00. If you would like one please call us on 01225 445086. Samuel Johnson (1709-84), compiler of the first English Dictionary, was not only a writer and critic, but also a renowned and witty conversationalist. Dr Johnson – as he is always known – was devoted to his cat Hodge who lived with him at 17 Gough Square, London.

Referring to Hodge, Dr Johnson is reputed to have said ”...but he is a very fine cat indeed...” Fixing Points: One hole: near the top in the diamond shape part of the cartouche Dimensions: 10.2cm x 10.5cm Hodge the cat | A nation of cat lovers: favourite British moggies in pictures - Expat Expat A nation of cat lovers: favourite British moggies in pictures In association with Previous slide Next slide 6 of 18 View All Skip Ad Here's Palmerston, the rescue cat who has just been appointed Chief Mouser at the Foreign Office. As the picture shows, he is already making himself at home in the office of Permanent Under Secretary Simon McDonald. Although the British are better known around the world as a nation of dog lovers, our gallery shows that Brits from politicians to poets and pop stars have owned some very well-loved moggies through the years ... Credit: Stefan Rousseau Wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill loved cats. He's pictured here stopping to greet one in Liverpool Street Station, London, in 1952.

Churchill owned many cats during his lifetime and particularly adored his marmalade mouser, Jock... Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images ... in fact Churchill loved Jock so much that he requested that a cat by the same name should always live at Chartwell, his country home in Kent. The National Trust, which looks after the house, has honoured this request and the current feline resident is Jock VI , who first arrived in 2014 as a rescue kitten. Jock is said to enjoy tuna and cuddles, but dislike heights and opera. Churchill is not the only PM to have owned a cat, but David Cameron has more of a love-hate relationship with Larry, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, who lives at 10 Downing Street. Mr Cameron once resorted to throwing cutlery at a mouse during a cabinet dinner, after Larry failed to keep on top of his brief. In 2011 it was reported that the cat had been banned from the PM's private quarters as his fur was ruining his suits. Downing Street denies that the PM and the cat have a rocky relationship.

Credit: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images The Bronte sisters – Charlotte, Emily and Anne – were well known as cat lovers with pets including Black Tom and Tiger. Their novels and poems often referenced their relationships with their felines. At the start of an essay, The Cat, penned in 1842, Emily wrote: "I can say with sincerity that I like cats; also I can give very good reasons why those who despise them are wrong." Credit: Rex Features "A very fine cat indeed," as writer and lexicographer Dr Samuel Johnson described him, Hodge loved to eat oysters, which his master bought for him. A statue of Hodge stands outside Dr Johnson's former home at 17 Gough Square, London. It was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1997 ... Credit: CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images ... and on the subject of Lord Mayors of London, no list of cat lovers would be complete without Dick Whittington. The medieval merchant and politician made his fortune, according to a folk tale, thanks to the ratting abilities of his cat, which was his only possession when he first arrived in London.

Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images Today, on Highgate Hill in front of the Whittington Hospital, there is a statue in honour of Whittington's legendary cat. Lord George Gordon Byron, the Romantic poet, is famous for building an impressive marble monument for his Newfoundland dog, Boatswain, and penning a tribute when he died. However, his other pets included several cats, including one named Beppo who used to drink milk from a skull. Edward Lear, the writer and humorist, was devoted to his tabby cat, Foss. When he moved to Italy, he instructed his architect to build his new home as a replica of his old one in England so the elderly Foss would not be distressed by the move. He also penned the popular nursery rhyme The Owl and the Pussy Cat. TS Eliot, the poet and playwright, owned felines including Jellylorum, Noilly Prat and Pattipaws.

He wrote a whimsical book about cat psychology and sociology, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, which observed: "Before a Cat will condescend / To treat you as a trusted friend / Some little token of esteem / Is needed, like a dish of cream." The book inspired the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats (pictured). Credit: Alessandro Pinna Sir Isaac Newton is famous for his achievements in mathematics and science. Less well-known is the fact that he invented the cat-flap, so he wouldn't be disturbed by his pet's comings and goings. Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images Charles Dickens, the Victorian author, kept a deaf white feline named Master’s Cat who used to follow him around and keep him company while he wrote. Dickens one asked: "What greater gift than the love of a cat?" Credit: John & Charles Watkins/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Dusty Springfield, the singer, had a beloved cat named Nicholas. He was 12 years old when she died of cancer, and she made provision in her will for him to be looked after. Credit: DEZO HOFFMANN / Rex Features John Lennon was another cat-loving singer.

He and his first wife Cynthia (pictured) kept up to 10 of them, and he often sketched the animals. Credit: Keystone/Getty Images) Actress Vivien Leigh had several cats, and was a fan of the Siamese breed. She was once quoted as saying: "Once you have kept a Siamese cat you would never have any other kind. They make wonderful pets and are so intelligent they follow you around like little dogs." She's pictured with her pet, New Boy. Credit: Picture: Keystone Features/Getty Images Florence Nightingale, the nurse and humanitarian known as "the lady with the lamp" could have just as easily been known as "the lady with the cats". She owned around 60 of them during her lifetime and her favourite was a large Persian named Mr Bismarck. He was, she said, "the most sensitively affectionate of cats, very gentle ... who never makes a mistake". Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Thomas Hardy, the author, had a cat named Cobby, which disappeared without trace after his death in 1928.

According to a ghoulish story, which may or may not be true , Hardy’s heart was eaten by a cat belonging to the doctor who was preparing him for burial. Credit: Hulton Archive / Getty Images Levenger Press - Features levenger press Features Keeping Dr. Johnson's cat alive — and well-fed The sculptor Jon Bickley (at right) with the Lord Mayor of London (left) and Lord Harmsworth at the 1997 installation of Hodge outside Johnsons house. He did not suffer fools gladly, but Samuel Johnson, the formidable writer of the immortalDictionary of the English Language of 1755, was a fool for his beloved cat Hodge. He was even known to feed his feline friend oysters, which Johnson himself and not his house staff would fetch from the local market. Both cat and oyster have been preserved for posterity by Jon Bickley, an award-winning English sculptor and a lover of cats, dogs, elephants and just about every other four-footed creature. served as the model for Hodge.

Johnson once described Hodge as "a very fine cat indeed." An Honours graduate of the Norwich (England) School of Art and Design, Jon worked as a zookeeper before becoming a full-time sculptor 17 years ago. Not surprising, then, that his studio (a sixteenth-century barn) is often filled with animals in various states of bronze casting. Many eventually find their way to art galleries and private gardens around London, throughout Britain and in Europe. The Hodge Bookends that Levenger commissioned are a replica of the version of Hodge that Jon sculpted for Johnsons house in Gough Square, off Fleet Street in London. Visitors find Hodge sitting patiently atop a bronze version of the Dictionary. "It seems Dr. Johnson and I were meant to come together," Jon says. "He was born in Lichfield, in the Midlands, and I was brought up just outside it. I can close my eyes and picture his birth house." In sculpting Hodge, Jon had a modelhis own cat, named Thomas Henryand a hunch that eighteenth-century cats, even if doted on, did not have the easiest of lives. Like Johnson, he was determined to find an

Question: Which writer had a cat called Hodge?
Answer: Dr Johnson