quotations about cats
The moral charm of the cat consists in one's complete inability to fathom their minds and motives. A dog's mind is generally a clear and straightforward affair. You can never discover what strange things are passing in a cat's brain. You know that a dog is looking up to you, following your whims and reflecting your fancies--is, in a word, intellectually dependent upon his master. Not so with a cat. The cat is never the servant of your hand and eye. She may deign to play with you, but it is always with reserves complete enough to save her own individuality and freedom of action. The cat plays with you as much as you with her.
"The Cat in Literature,"
Living Age, vol. 217
Cats are like Baptists. You know they raise hell, but you can never catch them at it.
JAMES PATTERSON
Cat & Mouse
You know what cats are like--fast on their feet and not very grateful.
HELEN MAGEE
What's French for Help
The self-esteem of a cat is extraordinary.
CHRISTIAN MORGENSTERN
Levels
I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.
JEAN COCTEAU
attributed, How to Hide Your Cat from the Landlord
Cats invented self-esteem.
ERMA BOMBECK
attributed, The Cat Fanatic
There are things that outweigh comfort, unless one is an old woman or a cat.
URSULA K. LE GUIN
The Left Hand of Darkness
Those who'll play with cats must expect to be scratched.
MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
Don Quixote
Finding a cat--or having a cat find you--can change your world as much as marriage, divorce, love, death, or even winning the lottery can, and sometimes more.
KINKY FRIEDMAN
foreword, The Power of Purrs
Man has been worshipping cat for centuries and cat has every intention of keeping it that way.
JOHN TICKNER
Tickner's Cats
Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reason.
ROBERTSON DAVIES
"mehitabel"
In the night all cats are gray.
MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
Don Quixote
Cats are like lesbians. They are creatures of narrow habit about which men can only glimpse the silken machinery of their minds.
KINKY FRIEDMAN
Spanking Watson
One feels so immensely flattered when chosen by a discriminating cat, for it is an affection which can only be won by merit, and never bought. A dog will love any wreck of humanity who chances to own him, but one needs to be self-respecting to earn the love of a cat. Pussies show their regard in such dignified little ways. When you open the hall door your cat will come half way down stairs to meet you, and will then turn and walk up before you with tail erect, and you feel as heartily welcome as though a dog had jumped all over you and knocked your hat off in the exuberance of his greeting. You notice cats never follow, never even walk by your side--they precede by a sort of divine right.
KATE A. HALL
"Cat Farming in California"
Mystery has always shrouded the feline. The cat is a powerful, agile hunter moving silently through the night, stalking its prey; or a calculating thinker that has incredible patience when setting its trap, yet is impatient with unwanted acts of affection from humans. The cat is a creature of great beauty, defying gravity with athletic feats and supreme acts of grace. From the ancient Egyptians to the Shakespearian era and into modern times legends of the cat have grown into extraordinary myths.
ALEXANDRA POWE ALLRED
Cat's Most Wanted
There's nothing like the company of a cat. Your cat is a loyal friend, a warm sleeping-buddy, a playmate, a confidant, a presence.... Cats bring joy and delight to everyday life. Stroking a cat can even lower your blood pressure.
WENDY CHRISTENSEN
The Humane Society of the United States Complete Guide to Cat Care
Cats are like women: allow them to nurse and attend you when ill, and they are sure to love you.
GORDON STABLES
Cats: Their Points and Characteristics
Cats are like donkeys and camels, they won't ever quite give in to human tyranny, they won't try to imitate the human soul.
RICHARD ALDINGTON
Artifex
Cats are like insects. They should be left outside to clean up the garbage.
MICHAEL MEWSHAW
Playing Away
Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with a cot it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.
MARK TWAIN
notebook, Feb. 1894