Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: February 1, 2023 by Crystal Uys
Quotations resonate with us because they can express the essence of a subject with a few, well-chosen words. They may teach us something new. And they can make us smile.
Not surprisingly, I love these literary tidbits. Here are some of my favorites:
I love cats because I love my home and little by little they become its visible soul. – Jean Cocteau
There are people who reshape the world by force or argument, but the cat just lies there, dozing, and the world quietly reshapes itself to suit his comfort and convenience. — Alan and Ivy Dodd
If you want to be a psychological novelist and write about human beings, the best thing you can do is own a pair of cats. — Aldous Huxley
Never ask a hungry cat whether he loves you for yourself alone. — Dr. Louis J. Camuti
You can’t look at a sleeping cat and be tense. — Jane Pauley
There are many intelligent species in the universe. They are all owned by cats. — Anonymous
If a fish is the movement of water embodied, given shape, then cat is a diagram and pattern of subtle air. — Doris Lessing
Time spent with cats is never wasted. – Colette
Thousands of years ago, cats were worshiped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this. — Anonymous
After scolding one’s cat, one looks into its face and is seized by the ugly suspicion that it understood every word and has filed it for reference. — Charlotte Gray
Cats are dangerous companions for writers because cat watching is a near-perfect method of writing avoidance. — Dan Greenburg
Your cat will never threaten your popularity by barking at three in the morning. He won’t attack the mailman or eat the drapes, although he may climb the drapes to see how the room looks from the ceiling. – Helen Powers
I have noticed that what cats most appreciate in a human being is not the ability to produce food, which they take for granted – but his or her entertainment value. — Geoffrey Household
Cats are magical. The more you pet them, the longer you both live. — Anonymous
The sun rose slowly, like a fiery furball coughed up uneasily onto a sky-blue carpet by a giant unseen cat. — Michael McGarel
The mathematical probability of a common cat doing exactly as it pleases is the one scientific absolute in the world. — Lynn M. Osband
As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the human mind. — Cleveland Amory
Cats do care. For example they know instinctively what time we have to be at work in the morning and they wake us up twenty minutes before the alarm goes off. –Michael Nelson
The reason cats climb is so that they can look down on almost every other animal. It’s also the reason they hate birds. — KC Buffington
And one of my all time favorites:
I put down my book, “The Meaning of Zen,” and see the cat smiling into her fur as she delicately combs it with her rough pink tongue. Cat, I would lend you this book to study but it appears you have already read it. She looks up and gives me her full gaze. Don’t be ridiculous, she purrs. I wrote it. — Dilys Laing
Do you have a favorite cat quote? Please share it in a comment!
Image: ©Bernadette Kazmarski. See this and more of Bernadette’s beautiful cat paintings in her 2012 calendar and gift book, Great Rescues.
About the author
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
Here are a few of my favorite cat quotes:
A meow massages the heart. – Stuart McMillan
There’s no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat. – Wesley Bates
“Time spent with cats is never wasted.” – May Sarton
“What greater gift than the love of a cat?” – Charles Dickens
“It was not I who was teaching my cat to gather rosebuds, but she who was teaching me.” – Irving Townsend
“A home without a cat, and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat, may be a perfect home, perhaps; but how can it prove its title?” – Mark Twain
These next two were apparently written at our house, lol:
“One cat just leads to another.” – Ernest Hemingway
“It’s really the cat’s house–we just pay the mortgage.” – Unknown
I don’t know why, but I have always been fascinated w/this one. I can just picture the grim reaper standing there thinking about what truly makes life worth living and then giving this answer:
“I meant,” said Ipslore bitterly, “what is there in this world that truly makes living worth while?” Death thought about it. “Cats,” he said eventually, “Cats are nice.” – Terry Pratchett, Sourcery
Reneda, these are great – thanks for sharing! I’ve always liked the Terry Pratchett one, too.
I read all these quotes. Each was just as good as the one as the one I thought I really liked. They are all very good. So to pick one, is not possible for me. Anyway Steeler says, don’t dislike any or Mom you will pay. So I like them all. 🙂
We wouldn’t want you to get in trouble with Steeler, Bernie.
I read a quote and I say, “oooo that’s the best one”. Then I read another and say, “oooo that’s the best one”. I keep reading them and reading them, finding more I hadn’t seen before,with each post. Thanks to all for adding to the unending list. One of the most personal quotes I’ve heard is from my freinds…”when I come back, I want to come back as one of Ruth’s cats”! What an honor.
That is an honor, Ruth!
“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.” (Jeff Valdez)
“It is in their eyes that their magic resides.” (Arthur Symons)
I love both of these, Wendy.
These are some of my favorite quotes but I’ll add: Cats are angels with whiskers.
I love that, Layla. I have a plaque that has two cats on it and it says “All God’s creatures come to use disguised.” Similar sentiment.
Wonderful compilation of cat love! I could see a book with Bernadette’s art and these cat quotes…small, one of those little books you put on a guest bedroom nightstand…
Ooh, Teri – what a great idea!
The Heinlein quote is one of my favorites, and is even listed on my Facebook profile as my favorite quote! Another fun one is this:
“Cats are rather delicate creatures and they are subject to a lot of ailments, but I never heard of one who suffered from insomnia.” — Joseph Wood Crutch
And a good guideline for life in general:
“If we treated everyone we meet with the same affection we bestow upon our favorite cat, they, too, would purr.” — Martin Delany
These are great, Lynn – thanks for sharing!
Wow…. what a great list of quotes. I’ll have to have HH find a favorite for us to put up.
Thanks.
pawhugs, Max
I’m glad you’re enjoying the quotes, Max.
“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” ~Leonardo DaVinci, who knew whereof he spoke when it came to masterpieces.
Kent stole the Heinlein quote, also one of my favorites!
A joy to see Peaches’ portrait in your post!
I love the DaVinci quote too, Bernadette.
I also like the one by “Dilys Laing” – that’s how Rags talked to me all the time!
It’s so hard to choose just one, but I keep coming back to:
Women and cats will do as they please and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
~ Robert A. Heinlein
You are a wise man, Kent.
I collect quotes, I have a book entitled “10,000 Quips and Quotes” about anything and everything, I have been collecting quotes since I was a teen.
I love the cat quotes that you shared.
One of my favorites is on my blog and it is “”Always speak of the past, gratefully, of the future, excitedly, and of the present with bobbing eyebrows and a Cheshire grin” -The Universe”
I love it because I feel it represents COMPLETELY who I am.
That quote is totally you, Caren – I love it!