Ever do an image search for reading or books? Ever notice how the vast majority of results have cats in them? Makes you wonder what the connection might be between reading and cats.
A quick search for Reading on Pinterest brings up a plethora of images of readers enjoying a good book. They have a few things in common. Of course, there are books depicted, most of the readers are female, some include a warm drink or a cozy setting, but so many include cats. It begs a few questions. Or maybe seven.
1. Is the cat the spirit animal of readers?
Is that who a reader really is? Is a reader a homebody comfort-fiend who prefers to laze about all day, perhaps in the warm sun coming in through a window enjoying an escape through imagination? Perhaps. It sounds like a lifestyle worthy of pursuit.
2. Are readers mostly cat people?
A cat would be a pet who might be happy to just curl up near you while you wile away a few sedentary hours immersed in another world. The feline would be perfectly happy just offering quiet, comfortable companionship with no demands on you. Until it got hungry. Or bored. Then it might just sit on your book and stared at you until you gave in to its demands.
3. Are cats nerdy?
Maybe what’s going on as you sit there enjoying your novel while sipping your wine, with your lovable kitty on your lap, he’s actually devouring the pages along with you. You think he looks so cute pretending, but what you don’t realize is he’s desperately waiting for you to focus and turn the page already.
4. Can you be a full-fledged bookworm without a cat?
So you love to read. You read so much, your home resembles a library with a kitchen sink and bed. You devour books every minute that you own for yourself. But you don’t have a cat. Might you be missing out on something that completes your reading experience?
5. Do cats simply find readers?
Imagine one day you bring your nose out of a book. You are vaguely aware that there was a strange noise in your home, but you know you are alone. As you go through that twilight between the book’s world and your real world surroundings, you turn your head to see a living, breathing cat installed in your home. You don’t know how it got there, how long its been there, or what its intentions are, but you think, “Cool. I have a cat.” Then you turn back to your book and dive right in. You know your book is just to good to worry about strange cats in your home.
6. Do cats come free with purchase of a book?
You know those tales of temptations where the devil has someone sign a contract, but they missed the fine print? Maybe that time you signed the receipt at that quirky bookstore you stumbled across on a foggy day and never found again had some fine print about kittens included with purchase. You never know.
7. Is there some unspoken code of bookwormishness where a cat is like a badge of your level of prowess?
Perhaps at level 1 you own more than 10 books, at level 2 you pick up tea drinking as a habit, level 3 gets you fancy nerd glasses, and so on. To unlock level 43 you must acquire a cat. Watch out for level 131, you might be confused for the crazy cat lady.
For further evidence, here is a small board of book and cat illustrations garnered from a quick search of Reading.
Linda Beutler
These are all excellent questions. Cats are so influential! I was writing a vignette about the role of cats for my blog tour guest post at Half Agony/Half Hope, and Circe the cat totally took control and I ended up interviewing her! Talk about a cat with decided opinions! Thanks for a highly thought provoking post, Suzan!
Meryton Press
Thanks for the compliment in thinking this was Suzan Lauder. I’m pleased as punch to be compared to a published author, but am only the admin hereabouts. You’ve piqued my interest on getting insight directly from Circe!
Suzan Lauder
It’s okay, Linda Beutler. I thought you wrote it and was wondering where you got all your awesome graphics. Nice article, “Admin Hearabouts.”
There’s even a group on Facebook that Linda and I belong to called Austenesque Cat Lovers.
Suzan Lauder
Ugh. Admin Hereabouts, you know why we authors use editors.
Meryton Press
That group would seem to justify the stereotype.
Sheila L. Majczaqn
My daughter, a self proclaimed nerd, loves her cat and is a prolific readers. I am forwarding this to her and her husband…although she rarely opens her e-mail messages but maybe her husband will bring it to her attention.
Meryton Press
Sounds like she’d fit right in around here. 🙂
Sheila L. Majczan
But you see she hates Darcy. Can you believe it? My only daughter to have read the book can’t stand the man…woe is me! She is an artist and draws figures for video games, which she also plays. She loves Sci-fi fantasy, shape shifters, etc.
Meryton Press
o.o Not like Darcy? Although… there are some tales of shape shifter Darcy out there…
Sheila L. Majczan
Yes, I have read the shape-shifter one plus the dragon one. But she can’t be persuaded to read those. Her loss!
Suzan Lauder
My theory is that cats want to be the most important ones, and when they see you noticing a book and not them, they must take their territory back. Mine makes a good book holder as I prop the kindle on his butt as he lays on my lap.
Meryton Press
Hmm. Interesting. Makes sense.
Linda Beutler
Admin Hereabouts: nice post!!!
Meryton Press
Lol. Thanks.