My People are Cat People
100 Famous Fur-friendly luminaries
“Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” — Mark Twain
Cat lovers are like Virgos in temperament, and Virgos are invariably cat lovers: we are most compatible with other cat-lovers and virgos. That makes sense, because domestic cats resemble virgos in their individuality, shyness, need for both inclusion and seclusion, and utter intolerance for cat-haterz. Accordingly, I find that I get along best with other virgos, but most of all — cats.
But not all cats. Just like people, there are many complex social strata, personality types as varied as any hominid.
“All of the Beatles adored cats-that should tell you something.
Cats are tribal. Since I am a cat myself, I am also naturally drawn to artist, writer, musician, and other creative type cat lovers. Therefore, it is no coincidence that I am drawn to their works. Some of these will surprise you — perhaps you conflate their screen persona with their real lives.
Not surprisingly, but no less interesting, is the notion that of all the cat-loving artists and celebrities, not a single one of them do I dislike, in fact I love most of them for their quiet, gentle, and considerate mannerisms they radiate and draw one like the sun.
‘Who’s better educated-dog or cat? I have one word for that-’litter-box.’
All of which is extraordinarily out of character for this borderline misanthrope (which is why I converted to felinism). Remember that in every cat and owner photo, the cat owner insisted on his or her cat to be with them — intrinsically in the photo, not just eye-candy, as a dumb dog might sit. I find that former sentiment very touching and evocative of the gentle intimacy cat-lovers reserve for their cats, in every one of these photos-which would not have been possible without a cat.
So if you are a cat person, I am more likely — even predisposed to strike a rapport with you, than say a dog person. Not that I don’t like dogs, it’s just that dogs and other pets are somewhat less sentient, or communicate in less subtle and intelligent ways that I — as a cat — don’t always empathize with.
Alternatively, even the mere notion of cat-haterz makes my blood boil to the point of rage: typically equanimous and reserved, if I ever saw someone harming a cat (or any animal), I would be compelled to stop them at any cost. Any cost. Such is the passionate relationship I have with other animals (besides hominids). But these are not the focus of this post, which is really intended to be no more than a celebration of luminaries and their cats.
In that vein, I offer as a sundry diversion from chronic media holiday assault trauma a lighthearted cat-centric photojournal matching game for your enjoyment.
As added incentive, some of (underlined) the photo numbers will link to a page with some of my favorite works about the less familiar subjects that many have no doubt never heard of, as many are from way back.
Match the celebrity cat-person with the photo
How many of these famous people did you know were cat lovers ?
Reply for answers, below.
Choose from the following with each photo # or just click the photos that are linked
David Bowie, Anna Magnani, Diane Keaton, Ursula Andress, Frida Kahlo, Stephen King, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Igor Stravinsky, Antonio Banderas, Vivien Leigh, Patti Smith, Christopher Walken, Brigitte Bardot, Cher, Marlon Brando, Imogene Coca, Sophia Loren, Ernest Hemingway, Micky Dolenz, Mia Farrow, Lauren Bacall, John Lennon, Burt Ward, Josephine Baker, Robert Duvall, Catherine Deneuve, Dmitri Shostakovich, Edward Gorey, Edith Piaf, Linda Ronstadt, John, Cage, Roger Moore, Ringo Starr, Marianne Faithfull, Henri Matisse, Jane Fonda, Kurt Cobain, Iggy Pop, Jack Kerouac, Johnny Cash, Jorge Luis Borges, Jane Russell, Truman Capote, Paul Gray, Hugh Laurie, Andy Warhol, Ray Bradbury, Judy Garland, Jean Cocteau, James Mason, Keith Richards, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Newman, Steve Martin, Ingrid Bergman, Jayne Mansfield, John Cassavetes, Maggie Smith, Bette Davis, Drew Barrymore, George Balanchine, James Dean, Kate Bush, Maya Lin, Ann Margret, Sigmund Freud, Marilyn Monroe, Anna Marie Wong, Pierre Bonnard, Isabelle Huppert, Janis Joplin, Anthony Perkins, Dave Grohl, Ai Weiwei, James Stewart, Anna Pavlova, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Christie, Clark Gable, Steve McQueen, Morgan Freeman, Paul Klee, Katherine Hepburn, Loretta Young, Paul McCartney, Spencer Tracy, Gustav Klimt, Edward G. Robinson, Jimi Hendrix, Pablo Picasso, Elvis Presley, Frank Zappa, Freddie Mercury, Audrey Hepburn, Joey Ramone, Salvador Dali
-will respond to any one who replies in comments, below,
