You don’t own a cat, he is a free citizen. Take dogs; dogs are friendly and fun and loyal. But slaves. Not their fault, they’ve been bred for it. But slavery makes me queasy, even in animals.
― Robert A Heinlein, Farham’s Freehold
Category: Books
Quote: William S. Burroughs on Cats
Evidence indicates that cats were first tamed in Egypt. The Egyptians stored grain, which attracted rodents, which attracted cats. (No evidence that such a thing happened with the Mayans, though a number of wild cats are native to the area.) I don’t think this is accurate. It is certainly not the whole story. Cats didn’t start as mousers. Weasels and snakes and dogs are more efficient as rodent-control agents. I postulate that cats started as psychic companions, as Familiars, and have never deviated from this function.
— William S. Burroughs, “The Cat Inside“
Quote: Théophile Gautier on Cats
Once [a cat] has given its love, what absolute confidence, what fidelity of affection! It will make itself the companion of your hours of work, of loneliness, or of sadness. It will lie the whole evening on your knee, purring and happy in your society, and leaving the company of creatures of its own society to be with you.
— Théophile Gautier, Ménagerie Intime
Quote: Lewis Carroll on Cats
And how do you know that you’re mad? “To begin with,” said the Cat, “a dog’s not mad. You grant that?” “I suppose so,” said Alice. “Well then,” the Cat went on, “you see a dog growls when it’s angry, and wags it’s tail when it’s pleased. Now I growl when I’m pleased, and wag my tail when I’m angry. Therefore I’m mad.”
— Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Quote: John Steinbeck on Cats
Are cats strange animals or do they so resemble us that we find them curious as we do monkeys?
— John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent
Quote: Oliver Herford On Cats
I sometimes think the Pussy-Willows grey
Are Angel Kittens who have lost their way,
And every Bulrush on the river bank
A Cat-Tail from some lovely Cat astray.
— Oliver Herford, The Rubáiyát of a Persian Kitten
With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day Is Fun: Book Review
With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day Is Fun is an anecdotal manga written and drawn by Hidekichi Matsumoto, following the everyday antics of the mangaka’s dog and cat, and sometimes lizard.
Inu is a fun-loving little dog with a heart of gold and a giant personality. Neko is a grumpy cat who’s a softie at heart. And between them, they keep Matsumoto very busy and very entertained.
This manga is relatable, humorous, and adorable, with a unique style that sets it apart from most manga, and includes photographs of Matsumoto’s real-life dog and cat in each volume, so you can see the faces behind the antics.
As of now, there are eight volumes available in English, with a ninth promised by Matsumoto, so it’s also not a long manga to get into. It’s great for busy pet owners who just want something cute and funny to relax to.
Approved by my cartoonist, Sunny, and myself.
I give this manga two paws up! Try it if you get the chance!
Quote: H.P. Lovecraft on Cats
Through all this horror my cat stalked unperturbed. Once I saw him monstrously perched atop a mountain of bones, and wondered at the secrets that might lie behind his yellow eyes.
— H.P. Lovecraft, The Rats in the Walls
Quote: Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat
“All right”, said the Cat; and this time it vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.
— Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Anipals Read
Hi pals! Pumpkin here. I have something fun to share with you. Did you know we have a book club? It’s called Anipals Read (#readpawty).
Around 2011 or 201212, @MaggieTKat started #Readpawty. We’d all read the same book and meet once a month to talk about it. Of course, sometimes we strayed from book talk and caught up with each other, but mostly we really talked about the book. We’d meet on Twitter and use the hashtag #readpawty to keep the conversation together.
Well, it’s been many years, and #readpawty has evolved. We now meet on the second Tuesday of every other month (February, April, June, August, October, and December). We still meet on Xtwit, but since Xtwit’s gotten harder to use, we meet in a DM group. Sometimes, we don’t pick a book for all of us to read and discuss, but talk about what we’ve individually read since we last met.
We also use it as a set time to meet up. We’re all very busy anipals, and are online at different times, so we rarely get to connect. This way, we know we’re going to see each other at least once every other month.
We also have a group on Goodreads called Anipals Read. I keep a bookshelf there that lists everything we’ve read as a group since 2013. There are also suggestions there of books to read.
If you’d like to join #readpawty, even if it’s just to hang out with us, email me your Xtwit name. I use email to send out announcements, and I’ll need your Xtwit name to add you to the DM group. Hope you join us!
You can find me on Xtwit as @pumpkinpuddy. I’m also on FB (Cheryl Katz), Bluesky (pumpkinpuddy.bsky.social), and Discord (pumpkinpuddy), but I’m mostly on FB. The easiest ways to reach me and be sure I see it are email or FB Messenger.
The Anipal Times 