- Cat
Cat - A Cats Eye
A Cats Eye - Cat in tree
Cat in tree - Cat on an old book
Cat on an old book - Bobcat
Bobcat crouching - Affection
Affection - Two cats
Two cats - Cat sitting on some cloth
Cat sitting on some cloth - Girl holding a cuddly cat
Girl holding a cuddly cat - Cat cleaning itself
Cat cleaning itself - A Cats Eye
A Cats Eye - Two cats running
Two cats running - Lynx in a tree
Lynx in a tree - The Cat and the Knocker
When you see Puss seated by the fireside, blinking her eyes, and looking very wise, you may often ask, “I wonder what she can be thinking about.” Just then, probably, she is thinking about nothing at all; but if you were to turn her out of doors into the cold, and shut the door in her face, she would instantly begin to think, “How can I best get in again?” And she would run round and round the house, trying to find a door or window open by which she might re-enter it. I once heard of a cat which exerted a considerable amount of reason under these very circumstances. The house is situated in the country, and there is a door with a small porch opening on a flower-garden. Very often when this door was shut, little Deb was left outside; and on such occasions she used to mew as loudly as she could to beg for admittance. Occasionally she was not heard; but instead of running away, and trying to find some other home, she used patiently to ensconce herself in a corner of the window-sill, and wait till some person came to the house, who, on knocking at the door, found immediate attention. Many a day, no doubt, little Deb sat there on the window-sill and watched this proceeding, gazing at the knocker, and wondering what it had to do with getting the door open. A month passed away, and little Deb grew from a kitten into a full-sized cat. Many a weary hour was passed in her corner. At length Deb arrived at the conclusion that if she could manage to make the knocker sound a rap-a-tap-tap on the door, the noise would summon the servant, and she would gain admittance as well as the guests who came to the house. One day Deb had been shut out, when Mary, the maidservant, who was sitting industriously stitching away, heard a rap-a-tap at the front door, announcing the arrival, as she supposed, of a visitor. Putting down her work, she hurried to the door and lifted the latch; but no one was there except Deb, who at that moment leaped off the window-sill and entered the house. Mary looked along the road, up and down on either side, thinking that some person must have knocked and gone away; but no one was in sight. The following day the same thing happened, but it occurred several times before any one suspected that Deb could possibly have lifted the knocker. At length Mary told her mistress what she suspected, and one of the family hid in the shrubbery to watch Deb’s proceedings. Deb was allowed to run out in the garden, and the door was closed. After a time the little creature was seen to climb up on the window-sill, and then to rear herself on her hind-feet, in an oblique position at the full stretch of her body, when, steadying herself with one front paw, with the other she raised the knocker; and Mary, who was on the watch, instantly ran to the door and let her in. Deb’s knock now became as well-known to the servant as that of any other member of the family, and, no doubt to her great satisfaction, it usually met with prompt attention. [Edited slightly] - Study of a cat from nature
Study of a cat from nature - The cat which died of grief
A lady in France possessed a cat which exhibited great affection for her. She accompanied her everywhere, and when she sat down always lay at her feet. From no other hands than those of her mistress would she take food, nor would she allow any one else to fondle her. The lady kept a number of tame birds; but the cat, though she would willingly have caught and eaten strange birds, never injured one of them. At last the lady fell ill, when nothing could induce the cat to leave her chamber; and on her death, the attendants had to carry away the poor animal by force. The next morning, however, she was found in the room of death, creeping slowly about, and mewing piteously. After the funeral, the faithful cat made her escape from the house, and was at length discovered stretched out lifeless above the grave of her mistress, having evidently died of a broken heart. - Harriet Martineau
Harriet Martineau - The Cat and the Frog
I have an instance of a still stranger friendship to mention. The servants of a country-house—and I am sure that they were kind people—had enticed a frog from its hole by giving it food. As winter drew on, Froggy every evening made its way to the kitchen hearth before a blazing fire, which it found much more comfortable than its own dark abode out in the yard. Another occupant of the hearth was a favourite old cat, which at first, I daresay, looked down on the odd little creature with some contempt, but was too well bred to disturb an invited guest. At length, however, the two came to a mutual understanding; the kind heart of Puss warming towards poor chilly little Froggy, whom she now invited to come and nestle under her cozy fur. From that time forward, as soon as Froggy came out of its hole, it hopped fearlessly towards the old cat, who constituted herself its protector, and would allow no one to disturb it. - A cat cleaning her kitten
A cat cleaning her kitten - Mountain Lion
Mountain Lion - Cat Hunting
Cat Hunting - Cat Family
Cat Family - Cat Face
Cat Face - Cat on a wall
Cat on a wall - Kitten playing with ball
Kitten playing with a ball - Cartoon Cat
Cartoon Cat - Cat asleep on a chair
Cat asleep on a chair - Cat on a fence
Cat on a fence - Cat licking a kitten
Cat licking a kitten - Cat and three kittens
Cat and three kittens - Kitten Playing
Kitten Playing - Sleeping Cat
Sleeping Cat - Kittens drinking
Kittens drinking - lioness
Lioness - Cat and five kittens
Cat and five kittens - Cat looking at reflection in the water
Cat looking at reflection in the water - Lioness and young, from an Ionian vase of the sixth century B. C
Lioness and young from an Ionian vase of the sixth century b. c. found at Caere in Southern Etruria (Louvre, Salle E, No. 298), from Le Dessin des Animaux en Grèce d’après les vases peints, by J. Morin, Paris (Renouard), 1911. The animal is drawing itself up to attack its hunters. The scanty mane, the form of the paws, the udders, and the dentition are all heavily though accurately represented. - Cat and Kitten
Cat and Kitten - The Chief of the Clan
A domestic cat sitting before a picture of a male lion - An Old Monarch
After Rosa Bonheur had painted horses, cows, and other tame animals a great many times, she began to want to paint wild animals, such as tigers and bears. She could not go to the far-away countries where they live, so she bought a lion and lioness from a man who had been there. These she kept in a very strong cage of heavy iron bars. Here she came to watch them every day. This is one of the pictures she painted of the lion. She called him “Nero,” and was so kind to him that after a while he became quite tame. The lioness was always wild, but good old Nero soon became so gentle that Rosa Bonheur could pet him and even go into his cage. - Kitten and puppy playing
Kitten and puppy playing with a basket of apples - Head of a well-marked Striped Brown Tabby
Head of a well-marked Striped Brown Tabby - Two puppies and a cat
Two puppies and a cat - In full play
Kitten playing with a ball - A Kitten playing
A Kitten playing (or sleeping) - Long Haired Persian
Long Haired Persian - Long haired kitten 'Chloe'
Long haired kitten 'Chloe' - Long Haired cat
Long Haired cat - Long Haired Cat 'Tiger'
Long Haired Cat 'Tiger' - Spotted Tabby Half-bred Indian Wild Cat
Spotted Tabby Half-bred Indian Wild Cat - Persian Kitten 'Lambkin'
Persian Kitten 'Lambkin' - Long Haired Persian 'Bogey'
Long Haired Persian 'Bogey' - Egyptian Cat
Egyptian Cat - Prize winning siamese
Prize winning siamese - Happy Family
Cat and birds - Kittens at the Show
Kittens at the Show - Lion
Male lion - Tired of play
Tired of play - Tabby Manx kitten
Tabby Manx kitten - Mr. Smith's Tortoiseshell He-Cat
Mr. Smith's Tortoiseshell He-Cat