cats – Aspasía S. Bissas

09/11/201908/11/2019

Cats and Books

Anyone who knows me knows I love cats (all animals, actually, but cats are the only ones who get to boss me around). Cats and writers are a natural combination (see my post about it here), but it turns out cats and books are also perfect together. Maybe they like the cave-like atmosphere of being tucked into a shelf or surrounded by piles of books; maybe it’s the intriguing way the pages move, or the convenient surface for lounging. Maybe cats like books because we like books (and we clearly have good taste since we also like cats). Or maybe their reasons will ever remain mysterious, which is how cats like it. Whatever the appeal, cats love books, and we love them (even more) for it.

These photos were all found online–if you see any that belong to you and would like me to remove them, please comment to let me know. Enjoy…

Love the jaunty little beret on this kitty…

Every bookstore needs a cat…

And some final words of wisdom from the man who literally wrote the book on cats.

Books and Cats, blog post by Aspasia S. Bissas

Do you know a kitty who loves books? Share in the comments…

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

Further Reading

Happy Hallowe’en!

halloween, samhain, dia de los muertos, day of the dead, aspasia s. bissas — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

And blessed Samhain! Make sure to honour your ancestors and leave offerings for the spirits…

(And please keep pets indoors for their safety.)

08/06/201907/06/2019

Writers and Dogs

white and black english bulldog stands in front of crackers on bowl at daytime — Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

Last year I posted about Writers and Cats, a combination that seems as natural as pen and paper. But just because cats and writers are inextricably linked in most people’s minds, doesn’t mean that dogs aren’t equally ideal writing partners. Judging from all the books about dogs out there, they’re just as inspiring as cats. Poems have also been written about dogs, including this one by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. And no one can dispute that dogs are excellent companions, keeping writers company in their lonely work and getting them out of the house once in a while.

“When an eighty-five pound mammal licks your tears away, then tries to sit on your lap, it’s hard to feel sad.”

―Kristan Higgins

Here are a few dog-loving writers and their pups…

stephen king — Stephen King (who also made it into my Writers and Cats post)

virginia and vita — Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West

elizabeth barrett browning — Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her muse, Flush (see link above for Browning’s poem about Flush). Art by James E. McConnell.

What do you think? Are you a cat person or a dog person? Or do you like both (or neither)? Share in the comments…

Cheers,

Aspasía S. Bissas

12 Famous Authors at Work With Their Dogs

Top 10 Author-Dog Relationships of All Time

Literary Pets

10 Famous Authors and the Pets that Inspired Their Work

9 Adorable Images of Authors and Their Dogs

07/02/201906/02/2019

Bookstore Cat Love

grey and white long coated cat in middle of book son shelf — Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com

Given that libraries have kept cats as far back as Ancient Egypt, it’s probably safe to assume that bookstores have had resident cats for as long as there have been bookstores. Besides stopping rodents from destroying the books, cats are a soothing presence to (non-allergic) staff and visitors, act as a store’s (or library’s) public face, and add life to what can be a sterile environment. On top of all that, cats and book people are simply a natural combination. Here’s a small sampling of the bookstore cats who keep books safe and hearts warmed…

Spike at Left Bank

“Magnificent” Spike lives at Left Bank Books in St. Louis, Missouri. Spike has his own page here, where you can find out fun facts about him, like his one-word description mentioned above.

parrot at pegasus

Parrot, from Pegasus Books in Oakland, California, may be grumpy but she still gets fan mail.

The Wild Rumpus (Minneapolis, Minnesota) kitties:

booker at wr

Booker T (who loves strollers)…

Trini Lopez at wr

Trini Lopez (has a thing for tasty crickets)…

Walter Dean at wr

…and Walter Dean (the youngest and the biggest of the three). Wild Rumpus has several other store animals too, including Ferdinand the Ferret and Thomas Jefferson the tarantula (my kind of place!)

Kona Stories on Kailua-Kona in Hawaii also has two cats in residence:

Noble at Kona

Noble (once a twosome, along with “Barnes,” who found a forever home with a garden)…

Chloe at kona

…and Chloe (who adores attention). They have their own page on Kona Stories’s website.

Copperfield’s in Healdsburg, California, is also a multi-cat store:

sweetpea at copperfields

Sweetpea (who lives up to her name, although she thinks she’s tough)…

jack at copperfields

…and Jack (who’s a bit of a bully to visiting dogs).

Coincidentally, all these stores carry Love Lies Bleeding in paperback (and some also offer it and my FREE short story Blood Magic in ebook–check their sites.) You can also get Blood Magic here.

Does your favourite bookstore (or library) have a cat? Share in the comments 🙂 You can read more about the history of library cats here.

25/10/2018

Writers and Cats

black cat holding persons arm — Photo by Ruca Souza on Pexels.com

Writers are known to have an affinity for cats, so much so that books have been written on the topic (the latest is Writers and their Cats by Alison Nastasi). As a cat lover, I get the appeal. Cats are good company, generally unobtrusive, frequently entertaining, and the perfect distraction when you need a few minutes away from the keyboard. If you’re lucky enough to have a lap cat, they’ll make sure you get work done by helpfully pinning you in place for hours (and they keep you warm too). My home would feel pretty sad and empty without my three furbabies.

Cats can also provide literary inspiration, especially to poets. T.S. Eliot wrote an entire book about them. Jorge Luis Borges wrote these words:

Mirrors are not more silent
nor the creeping dawn more secretive;
in the moonlight, you are that panther
we catch sight of from afar.
By the inexplicable workings of a divine law,
we look for you in vain;
More remote, even, than the Ganges or the setting sun,
yours is the solitude, yours the secret.
Your haunch allows the lingering
caress of my hand. You have accepted,
since that long forgotten past,
the love of the distrustful hand.
You belong to another time. You are lord
of a place bounded like a dream.

-“To a Cat” by Jorge Luis Borges

It seems that what the ancient Egyptians started, writers are happy to carry on. I know I am.