Comments on: Thomas Bewick’s Cat

By: mike battcock

mike battcock — Wed, 20 May 2020 18:04:11 +0000

One of my ancestors (John Carr) was in one of Bewick’s vignettes in his book of British birds. the vignettes were humorous drawings in the corner of the pages. John Carr was a piss carrier. A serious job – There was more money from selling the urine (for the manufacture of explosives) from a pub than you made from selling the beer.

By: Jonathan van Halbert

Jonathan van Halbert — Sat, 16 May 2020 22:34:53 +0000

Well I disagree. Worcester’s my Siamese Cat was very highly intelligent.. He

understood everything…..

By: Pamela Traves

Pamela Traves — Sat, 16 May 2020 20:09:56 +0000

Nice Old Puss! Thank You!!!????

By: Helen Breen

Helen Breen — Sat, 16 May 2020 12:11:04 +0000

Greetings from Boston,

GA, while I am not a “cat person,” I enjoy this poem that my middle school students examined in detail. It had been on a state test the previous year. The poem evoked all kinds of responses about the behavior and uniqueness of “their cat.”

On A Night of Snow

Elizabeth Coatsworth (1893-1986)

Cat, if you go outdoors, you must walk in the snow.
You will come back with little white shoes on your feet,
little white shoes of snow that have heels of sleet.
Stay by the fire, my Cat. Lie still, do not go.
See how the flames are leaping and hissing low,
I will bring you a saucer of milk like a marguerite,
so white and so smooth, so spherical and so sweet –
stay with me, Cat. Outdoors the wild winds blow.

Outdoors the wild winds blow, Mistress, and dark is the night,
strange voices cry in the trees, intoning strange lore,
and more than cats move, lit by our eyes green light,
on silent feet where the meadow grasses hang hoar –
Mistress, there are portents abroad of magic and might,
and things that are yet to be done. Open the door!

By: paul loften

paul loften — Sat, 16 May 2020 11:57:54 +0000

Thank you so much for this history. Reading about king Hoel the good, it has confirmed my suspicion that both my cats have great value and were descended from the fourpenny variety. Personally I would not have accepted a milk ewe or her fleece and lamb as compensation for such a heinous act and would have taken the matter further

By: Lynne Perrella

Lynne Perrella — Sat, 16 May 2020 11:15:56 +0000

Thomas Bewick + Cats = a great post.

Stay safe, all.

By: Mathilde Grange

Mathilde Grange — Sat, 16 May 2020 09:27:46 +0000

Thank you, G.A. How is Schrödinger coping with the quarantine?

By: Jill Wilson

Jill Wilson — Sat, 16 May 2020 07:28:28 +0000

Any blog in praise of cats is always a great read, including this one. They are endlessly fascinating creatures, and one of the benefits of the lockdown has been able to spend more quality time with my beloved puss (even though she can be a bit annoying when she his ‘helping’ with my creative work…)
I have just followed the link to Christopher Smart and his cat Jeoffrey which contains the perfect line about his cat:
“For every house is incomplete without him”.
How very true!