It should come as no surprise that some of history’s most famous writers have had a thing for cats. But just who of them was the most obsessed with their furry, little beasts? To answer this extremely important question, we combed the archives to discover which literary giant seemed to be most devoted to felines.
Honorable Mention: Jean-Paul Sartre: A true existentialist, Sartre’s fluffy cat was named, “Nothing.”
Honorable Mention: W.H. Auden: According to what is written in the W.H. Auden Encyclopedia, “Auden loved cats, giving them free reign to walk on the dinner table, to the dismay of some dinner guests.”
Honorable Mention: William S. Burroughs: In a journal entry written near the end of his life, this literary icon wrote:
“Only thing can resolve conflict is love, like I felt for Fletch and Ruski, Spooner, and Calico. Pure love. What I feel for my cats present and past.
Love? What is it?
Most natural painkiller what there is.
LOVE.”
William Burroughs
Honorable Mention: Truman Capote: Capote didn’t just love cats—he also loved posing in photographs with them.
Honorable Mention: Mark Twain: Twain was a huge fan of cats, and once said, “I simply can’t resist a cat, particularly a purring one.” This series of adorable photographs from close to the end of Twain’s life shows him chilling with his many cat friends at home.
Second runner-up: Charles Bukowski: Charles Bukowski wrote a book on cats to show his gentler side. He was famous for his poetry and we found a quote by Charles in which he proclaimed: “In my next life I want to be a cat.”
First runner-up: Ernest Hemingway: Hemingway’s love for felines was no secret. His first cat Snow White, probably a Maine Coon, was, according to legend, a gift from a sea captain. Hemingway’s house in Key West, which is now a museum, is home to over 40 cats who descended from Hemingway’s pets.
And the winner is… Edward Gorey
Sorry, Hemingway. Your home may host more cats now, but writer and illustrator Edward Gorey beat you during his lifetime, which he apparently spent literally draped in cats at all times. When Gorey passed away in 2000, he left the bulk of his estate to animal welfare organizations in honor of his furry friends.
In this rare interview with Gorey, one of his cats totally steals the show …
