“The smallest feline is a Masterpiece.”

Leonardo Da Vinci

“I do not like them..

When one hears them praised,

It goads one to expressing one’s hatred.”

Hillaire Beloc

Are you a Cat Lover, an  Ailurophile

Or are you a Cat Hater, an Ailurophobe

Here are the actions and deeds of several famous people

And some of their cat predilections you may not know

Sir Winston Churchill always refused to eat his dinner

Until his favorite orange tabby feline, Jock, was present

St. Gregory the Great required absolutely nothing but his cat

Holding it in his arms while he prayed he found very pleasant

President Abraham Lincoln’s pet, Tabby

Was the first of several White House cats

Sir Isaac Newton loved his cats so much

He invented ‘the cat door’ as a matter of fact

Florence Nightingale the very devoted nurse

Was devoted to Bismarck, her very large Persian

French Artists Renoir and Monet both loved their cats

And felines are found in many of their artistic versions

Although Edgar Allen Poe wrote about cats as very sinister

He owned many cats which he said made him very happy

Raymond Chandler always talked to his black Persian, Taki

And since she helped him write - he made her his secretary

Pope Leo XII adored his cat, Michette

Who was actually born in the Vatican

Edward Lear was devoted to his cat, Foss

Whom he sadly laid to rest in his garden

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Dancer Isadora Duncan happened to live next door to a French cat sanctuary

When they wandered into her garden she had them drowned most hideously

Noah Webster described the cat as a ‘deceitful animal,’

And in their very presence, he was thoroughly appalled

The Bard William Shakespeare truly vilified and hated the furry feline

Remarking, “I could endure anything but a cat, and now he’s a cat to me,”

Pope Innocent VIII made a point of noting, when condemning witches,

That “their companion cats should also be burned at the stake with glee.”

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a very cruel feline hater

Ordering his staff to shoot them on sight at his home in Gettysburg

Pope Gregory IX denounced cats - especially those that were coal black

Setting the course for centuries of terrible cat abuse – which is truly absurd

Since I love earth’s creatures, including the feline

I think the list of cat lovers above is truly inspiring

But the mentioned historical figures who absolutely hated cats

I find some of their actions truly despicable as a matter of fact

Two other famous ailurophiles were T.S. Eliot and Ernest Hemingway

Two more ailurophobes were Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte

A modern day fireman in Wisconsin has proposed that all cats now be shot on sight

The cruelty some humans display for our earthly neighbors should fill us all with fright

Ferocious or Faithful Felines – Are They Truly Your Personal Friend or Foe?

As a cat lover, all I ask is that if you don’t like them – Please Leave Them Alone