Columns > Published on June 26th, 2014

9 Lives: 9 of the Greatest Cats In Literature

I am obsessed with cats. You are obsessed with cats. We are all obsessed with cats!

Ever since the age of things going viral on the Internet, our collective feline obsession cannot be tamed. Cats are making classical paintings better, entertaining us by playing piano, and doling out words of kitty wisdom in commercials. Cats are making such a big impression on YouTube that it’s easy to forget that they’ve been bringing cattitude to literature for years.

If you ever feel like closing your laptop and opening up a book, these are nine of my favorite literary cats.


1. Puss in Boots

Strongest feline trait: Trickery.

Relationship with humans: Puss in Boots, while self-seeking, also looks out for his master. He helps him gain the king’s admiration, and eventually, his daughter’s hand in marriage.

Pet material?: Absolutely! He does right by his master, that’s for sure.

[amazon 0312659458 inline]

 

2. Behemoth, 'The Master and Margarita'

Strongest feline trait: Behemoth is what I imagine cats are really like on the inside. Sure, they seem adorable and cuddly, but inside lurks a creature that loves vodka, guns, and is sarcastic beyond all measure.

Relationship with humans: Well, he tears off a man’s head, so I wouldn’t say that it’s a super healthy relationship. He can also temporarily transform into a human, and that concerns me.

Pet material?: Not unless you’re Satan.

[amazon 9780679760801 inline]

 

3. The Cheshire Cat, 'Alice in Wonderland'

Strongest feline trait: Mischief and a creepy grin.

Relationship with humans: Although he confuses her quite a bit, the Cheshire Cat seems to be on Alice’s side, saving her big time at the Queen of Heart’s croquet game.

Pet material?: I’d love to hang and have weird, tripped out conversations with Cheshire.

[amazon 9780553213454 inline]

 

4. Church, 'Pet Sematary'

Strongest feline trait: An affinity for tearing apart birds and mice.

Relationship with humans: Church was a nice enough cat before he was hit by a car, buried in an ancient burial ground, and brought back to life. After all that, he becomes less agreeable.

Pet material?: No one wants a smelly, undead cat.

[amazon 9780743412278 inline]

 

5. Ser Pounce, 'A Feast for Crows'

Strongest feline trait: Being generally adorable in such a violent world!

Relationship with humans: In the book, Margaery Tyrell gives Tommen Baratheon three kittens, one of them being Ser Pounce. The kittens help her win his admiration, so obviously Ser Pounce is a likeable fellow. Also, one of the best scenes on the Game of Thrones TV show is when Ser Pounce leaps on the bed and interrupts the awkward, “he’s too young” sexual tension that starts to happen.

Pet material?: If he’s good enough for Tommen Baratheon, he’s good enough for me.

[amazon 9780553582024 inline]

 

6. Garfield

Strongest feline trait: Laziness.

Relationship with humans: When they are offering him food, Garfield likes humans very much. Generally, he enjoys inconveniencing Jon and making snarky comments about his life choices.

Pet material?: Even though Garfield is a lazy lump with a lot of sarcastic things to say, I do think deep down he loves Jon. I’d take him!

[amazon 9780345464552 inline]

 

7. The Cat in the Hat

Strongest feline trait: Excitable.

Relationship with humans: The Cat in the Hat entertains Sally and her brother while their mother is out of the house, and makes sure to clean up the mess before she comes back. It seems like he’s got their best interests in mind.

Pet material?: The adventurous side of me says absolutely. The perpetually a little exhausted side of me, not so much.

[amazon 9780394800011 inline]

 

8. Cat, 'Breakfast at Tiffany’s'

Strongest feline trait: Independence.

Relationship with humans: Cat is super chill, dealing with not having a name and just sitting out on the fire escape with Holly Golightly as she plays guitar.

Pet material?: Absolutely, and I would give him a name!

[amazon 0679745653 inline]

 

9. Pluto, 'The Black Cat'

Strongest feline trait: Loyalty.

Relationship with humans: Pluto is very fond of his master until he falls prey to alcoholism, cuts out one of his eyes, and eventually hangs him from a tree. It’s totally understandable that he favors humans less after all that.

Pet material?: Ultimately, Pluto did nothing wrong, even if the strange cat that replaced him was a little creepy. I say yes.

[amazon 9781594561757 inline]


Ah, doesn’t this list make you want to snuggle up with both a cat (or three, or five, or twenty) and a good book?

Go enjoy your cat reading, meow.

About the author

Christine J. Schmidt is a writer originally from New Jersey. After receiving her BFA in Dramatic Writing from SUNY Purchase, she worked at Seattle Repertory Theatre as their artistic literary intern. She recently left Brooklyn, where she was a bookseller and events host at WORD, to reside in Los Angeles. She has previously written for New York Theatre Review, and her plays have been read and produced at theaters in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Washington. Coffee is her favorite thing.

Similar Columns

Explore other columns from across the blog.

Book Brawl: Geek Love vs. Water for Elephants

In Book Brawl, two books that are somehow related will get in the ring and fight it out for the coveted honor of being declared literary champion. Two books enter. One book leaves. This month,...

The 10 Best Sci-Fi Books That Should Be Box Office Blockbusters

It seems as if Hollywood is entirely bereft of fresh material. Next year, three different live-action Snow White films will be released in the States. Disney is still terrorizing audiences with t...

Books Without Borders: Life after Liquidation

Though many true book enthusiasts, particularly in the Northwest where locally owned retailers are more common than paperback novels with Fabio on the cover, would never have set foot in a mega-c...

From Silk Purses to Sows’ Ears

Photo via Freeimages.com Moviegoers whose taste in cinema consists entirely of keeping up with the Joneses, or if they’re confident in their ignorance, being the Joneses - the middlebrow, the ...

Cliche, the Literary Default

Original Photo by Gerhard Lipold As writers, we’re constantly told to avoid the cliché. MFA programs in particular indoctrinate an almost Pavlovian shock response against it; workshops in...

A Recap Of... The Wicked Universe

Out of Oz marks Gregory Maguire’s fourth and final book in the series beginning with his brilliant, beloved Wicked. Maguire’s Wicked universe is richly complex, politically contentious, and fille...

Reedsy | Editors with Marker (Marketplace Editors)| 2024-05

Submitting your manuscript?

Professional editors help your manuscript stand out for the right reasons.