When it comes to cats, I sometimes think there are two kinds of people. The cat haters shudder when you mention the word "cat." "They're sneaky." "They climb everywhere." "They don't listen." "They won't love you like a dog will." The cat lovers smile when you tell them you have cats and are eager to see photos of your fur babies. Often they will pull out their phone to show you pictures of their own.
I am a cat lover and the carer of two cats. Of course I think the world of dogs and loved my Mini Schnauzer. But I not only adore my kitties, I find them fascinating. My dilute tortie Juliet speaks to me constantly. As soon as I sit down, she's on my lap and eyes me soulfully--her way of telling me to put down my Sudoku puzzle and rub under her chin. Her medium-haired brother Romeo retrieves cards and papers from the dining room table and drops them at my feet with the quietest meow. Both cats are always close by, and when they aren't they come as soon as I call them.
Yes, they do some of the things the haters accuse them of. While my two felines usually obey me when I tell them to stop doing something, they insist on climbing onto the kitchen table though they don't touch our food. They're good about using the scratching pads scattered around the house, but occasionally need to be reminded not to claw the dining room chairs. They are loving and affectionate.
Cats were revered in Ancient Egypt, but they haven't always had an easy time of it. In the Middle Ages, cats were reviled as witches' familiars and in league with the devil. Many were massacred. So many, in fact, that it's been said that the Black Death/Bubonic Plague in the fourteenth century killed so many people because cats, that would have killed the rats and the fleas on them that carried the plague, had been exterminated. Nowadays cats are popular pets, probably because of the invention of kitty litter in 1947.
Cats are clever, curious, and comical. They make wonderful companions to their sleuths in cozy mysteries and often add a dimension to the story. In my Haunted Library series, Carrie Singleton finds Smoky Joe, who started out life as a barn kitty, when he wanders onto her lawn. After he jumps into her car, she ends up bringing him to the library where she's head of programs and events.
And when Smoky Joe proves to be sociable with the patrons, he quickly becomes the library cat. He even takes part in the mysteries Carrie resolves—finding diamonds that no one can locate in one book and saving Carrie from a murderer in another.
These days, it's not only cozies where cats have a role. A kitten makes an appearance in the latest "Reacher" season on Netflix.
What do you think about cats as a pet or as a character in a mystery?
We're without pets now, but for most of my adult years I've had cats. And the first cats in mysteries I remember were Lillian Jackson Braun's Cat Who books.
ReplyDeleteI love the Cat Who series--and I'm not even a cat owner.
DeleteJim, I didn't read that series, but I loved the series with the newspaperman and his two Siamese cats.
DeleteI love cats! When we lived in the country, we ran what I now recognize as a catch-neuter-release program of our own. Whenever a new cat showed up, we'd borrow a have-a-heart trap, (release coons, possums, and once, a groundhog,) get the cat neutered & a rabies shot from a cat rescue group, and turn it back free. Some stayed; some took off; some became pets. My daughter has the house, and people don't seem to drop off cats like they used to. One of our old bunch, Jack the Tripper (he likes to wind around your feet) is still there; he must be very close to 20 years old.
ReplyDeleteGood for old Jack, making it to that age as a feral. Wonderful of you and your daughter to neuter and give rabies shots to the feral cats. Most of them prefer to remain free on their own.
DeleteI'm not a cat owner or lover, but if I go into someone's home where cats live, they will be all over me. I can't figure it out.
ReplyDeleteGrace, They know you're a wonderful person.
DeleteI'm both a cat owner and lover, but I had an aunt who was terrified of them. Every single cat we had when I was a child gravitated to her immediately if we didn't catch it before she arrived. I've also noticed they like people who are allergic to them. I think it's part of the contrary nature of the beasts.
DeleteMy cat also gravitates to the person who doesn't like cats. I think they sense that and try to win them over.
DeleteI read the Cat Who books and I loved Rita Mae Brown's Sneaky Pie and Tee Tucker series.
ReplyDeleteAll fun series.
DeleteWhat fabulous photos! As someone owned by both cats and dogs, I have to admit, I’m partial to cats! They may be independent and aloof to some, but to me, they’re priceless.
ReplyDeleteKait, I knew there was a reason why we were friends. Only kidding. I do have friends who don't like cats. I do have friends who don't particularly like animals. Their loss.
DeleteYour cats are beauties! I am very partial to little black cats because that’s what I had growing up. Alas, my husband is not a cat lover so I have to make do with my niece’s kitties.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shari. I feel so lucky to have them. I got them at an animal shelter. Cats come in so many variations and colors. Romeo and Juliet are siblings. Though they have similar markings, their builds and coats are so different as are their temperaments.
DeleteLove the use of cats in books, but until recently, I wasn't very fond of them beyond pictures and my friends owning them. My son has a cat that has changed my perception of them... adore his cat. Here's a piece of cat trivia: when I wrote the Sarah Blair books, I knew I needed a cat. Not knowing enough about them, I interviewed a friend and observed her cat's behavior for a few hours -- all of which ended up in the books. Afterwards, she sent me a picture of her cat which I printed out for inspiration. The irony was that when my editor asked what I thought the cover cat might look like, I opened my desk drawer, stared at the picture and described her cat. That's the one on the cover of One Taste Too Many and the other books in the series. (I also managed to work her cat's name into the book )
ReplyDeleteFor most of my life I've had both cats and dogs. Sometimes they even get along. One cat was best friends with my last Golden and stayed by her to guide her when she became blind in her old age. My life has been enriched by them, for sure. I rely on the pets of my kids now, too. I'm using the family Ragdoll cat as a model for the series I'm writing. Yours are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kaye. The nice things about pets is we can enjoy those belonging to our relatives and friends.
DeleteDebra, I'm so glad you changed your mind about cats. They really have a place in cozies. Your friend must have been delighted that her cat got to be in your series. Romeo and Juliet make their appearance in the book I'm writing now.
ReplyDelete