Great Writers and the Cats who Owned Them

Throughout history, cats and writers have bonded together in a magical combination of comfort, companionship and inspiration. The famous authors featured here range from Samuel Johnson, whose cat Hodge dined on oysters, and Edward Lear, whose charismatic cat Foss was missing half his tail, to Margaret Mitchell, L.M. Montgomery, and Dorothy L. Sayers, who rescued her kitten Blitz from a bombsite. Each chapter delves into the relationship between authors and the felines who condescended to share their homes and desks, revealing intriguing aspects of our much-loved writers’ lives and celebrating the ways in which cats – pure-bred and moggy, large and small, graceful and eccentric – have enriched the world of literature. Including fun additional features on cats in bookshops, libraries and hotels, and illustrated with charming line drawings, this is a perfect gift for cat-lovers everywhere.

Throughout history, cats and writers have bonded together in a magical combination of comfort, companionship and inspiration. The famous authors featured here range from Samuel Johnson, whose cat Hodge dined on oysters, and Edward Lear, whose charismatic cat Foss was missing half his tail, to Margaret Mitchell, L.M. Montgomery, and Dorothy L. Sayers, who rescued her kitten Blitz from a bombsite. Each chapter delves into the relationship between authors and the felines who condescended to share their homes and desks, revealing intriguing aspects of our much-loved writers’ lives and celebrating the ways in which cats – pure-bred and moggy, large and small, graceful and eccentric – have enriched the world of literature. Including fun additional features on cats in bookshops, libraries and hotels, and illustrated with charming line drawings, this is a perfect gift for cat-lovers everywhere.