A cat column by a cat loving newspaper writer

very nice, Osso!

Very nice piece of writing, informative as well, I never knew that my dearest little one drools due to early weaning, I just thought she was wierd. Whew, now I know its normal for she was weaned early, and has many personality traits I believe come from this, the sleeping under the bed thing he mentions is also a strange trait she shows.

Ossobuco

Lovely writing! Obviously written by someone who observes their cats very closely.
Have you ever read any of Doris Lessings' writin on her cats? Wonderful!

Osso

You've brought him to our attention before - he always seems a good read!
Thanks

No, I haven't read Lessing on cats. Or, indeed anything else. I had a book of hers once. Wonder what happened to it. Police procedurals and mysteries tend to intervene in some of my reading stack priorities.

Are they articles, or short stories, or?

One of my favorite cat pieces is by Eleanor Clark, in Rome and a Villa. Classic piece on feral cats in piazza Vittorio Emanuele...

Margo, I love it when you post, I think your avatar is terrific. Is that Possum?

Uh, I like your opinions too...





Margo, I love it when you post, I think your avatar is terrific. Is that Possum?

ossobuco

Doris L. obviously took great delight in her various cats over the years. In between her VERY SERIOUS books she also wrote a number of short stories & small books about them.
One short story I love, but can't read a lot (because it always reduces me to tears! ) is 'An Old Woman & Her Cat' - about a fiercely independent old woman in London, who chooses to become a squatter rather than face the indignity of an 'old people's home', minus her cat. It's about how they survive together, then finally perish. Not at all soppy, totally credible.
She also wrote 'Particular Cats' & a favourite of mine, 'The old Age of El Magnifico'... about an old cat & his reactions to a serious ailment (won't give the story away!).
The thing I like about her cat writings is that she treats them with such respect! She obviously admires them enormously. Not at all sloppy, sentimental stuff. It was wonderful for me that the writer I most admired was also a serious observer of the cats in her life ...

Thanks, Osso

Yes - that's Possum, taken last Christmas Day, watching us play with his new toys! He usually sits with me when I'm playing here - and likes to see his picture.

Olga - must wander off and try to find some of the Doris Lessing books.

Me too, msolga...I like good cat writing...

Then you'll like Doris, Osso.
Recommended.