News from Italy
The genus of cats
by Princess Vanessa
Our friends describe us as: “They are unique with their noble movements, mysterious character, curious, independent and free nature”. Perhaps this is why over the centuries we have won the deep love of kings, queens, writers, artists and politicians. While protecting our free spirit, we have become the closest companions in life.
The Roman emperor Octavian Augusto 10 a. C. paid homage to his cat by dedicating a few lines of his memoirs: “How delicate and refined her beauty is, how noble and independent her spirit is; how extraordinary his ability to combine freedom with a restrictive addiction.”
Dante used to write with a black cat curled up on his legs.
Francesco Petrarca was very fond of a kitten, Dulcina. In one of his articles, expressed his passion for his cat: “Laura, the love of my life, the undisputed queen that I could not get out of my heart long after your death. One day, a cat that ‘undermined her priority’ became a part of my life.”
Pablo Neruda, one of our closest friends, says in his poem “Ode to the cat” that he wrote for us, that only a cat among living creatures wants nothing more than to be a cat, and says: “Every cat is a cat pure. From whiskers to tail. Only the cat was in perfect shape from the start”.
Even among the royals there were highly respected cat lovers. Queen Victoria treated her Persian cat, called “White Heather”, as if it were a member of the family while the King of France Louis XV was very attached to his Brilliant, a Turkish angora cat. Remaining in France, one cannot forget Cardinal Richelieuche died surrounded by as many as 14 cats, to whom he left a rather large inheritance.
It is said that Mohammed loved cats very much, especially a cat called Muezza that he always had by his side. One day the cat fell asleep on the prophet’s prayer robe. In order not to disturb her but needing the dress, he cut the piece of fabric on which the animal rested and only then put on the rest of the robe.
Leonardo da Vinci, attracted above all by the shapes and daily habits of the feline, dedicated some studies and drawings to this animal. But he was not the only painter. Chagall, Picasso, Kirchner, Renoir, Monet, Novella Parigini were known artists who portrayed cats.
The cat and literature are an indestructible union. There are many authors known to be great cat lovers. Desk workers and writers know that if you have a cat, they will sit with you and share your computer and manuscripts. Charles Dickens had Bob’s paw attached to the handle portion of the letter knife after the death of his cat, Bob, who did not leave his desk and by his side as he wrote. So, he never left Bob. “Can there be a greater gift than the love of a cat” by Dickens His word sums up his infinite love for us. The words of one of our friends, Edgar Allan Poe, “I wish I could write mysteriously like a cat,” describe our boundless imaginations and our world of fiction. William Shakespeare from the shrew to the storm, IV. Mention cats 44 times in plays, from Henry to Macbeth, from The Merchant of Venice to Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. Hemingway, Baudelaire, Mark Twain, Sylvia Plath, the Bronte brothers, Stephen King, Françoise Sagan, Raymond Chandler, Bernard Shaw, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ray Bradbury, and many more must be thinking like Dickens and Poe. Because they are all cat-loving writers.
We have been the protagonists of musicals (Cats), animated films (The Aristocats). The stories are dedicated to us, from Tom and Jerry, to the recent “44 cats”. “Walking with Bob” is world-famous, based on James Bowen’s novel about meeting a very special stray cat. And the cartoons? Not to mention Simon Tofield’s English “Simon’s Cat”, known around the world for recounting his adventures alongside an irresistible white cat who designs a different feeding system in each episode.
Cat lovers will most likely recognize themselves in the story of this anecdote. And it is precisely this ability to obtain, without apparent effort, what it wants that makes the cat an animal much loved by some and detested by others.
The world of cinema is no less famous in terms of famous cat lovers. Claudia Cardinale, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobridiga, Merly Streep, Ingrid Bergman, Monica Vitti, Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, George Clooney, Sean Connery, Alain Delon, Marily Monroe, Laurence Olivier ve Stanley Kubricks just to name a few.
They describe our character as “noble, independent and free-spirited”. They also say that we have a rational sensitivity. We really do have excellent intuition. We are also very curious. We love to explore. We look at life positively. That’s why our favourite place in life is our home, where we feel peaceful and safe, that is, our island of life. The most comfortable, warm and quiet corners are ours. We decide how, where, how much we sleep, what we do, and how we spend our moments. We will never compromise on these. But we always share your pain and your happiness. All you have to do is look into our eyes. If you don’t want to see us, we’ll forget you too. When we meet again, we continue our relationship, forgetting our grudges. We are self-confident and understanding who is very content with ourselves. That’s why we are close friends of those who love to share… Come on, be one of our friends, increase your life, your existence that can reach genius…
