Cat-A-Tonic

Wendy Hughes Chuck’s recent article on ‘Dogs in Art’ has opened my eyes to a new aspect of myself.  

We often hear that the world is divided into dog lovers and cat lovers and that ‘never the twain shall meet’. If that is the case, then I would definitely put myself on ‘team dog’. I have never really understood the excitement that people experience from watching ‘crazy cat videos’ on YouTube. And the wildly popular Netflix documentary ‘Tiger King’ confirmed my suspicions about the sorts of people who like cats.

I have also discovered that, while maintaining social distancing, I seem to spend a lot of time hanging around dog parks on my permitted daily one-hour walks. At the moment, I am ‘between dogs’ – my last dog, Gus, a ‘largely’ blue heeler died some time ago – and I really regret not taking in a canine companion as soon as the coronavirus chaos emerged.

However, when I happened upon the 2010 and 2015 studies about the ‘Personality Characteristics of Dog and Cat Persons’ in the journal Anthrozoös my certainty was shaken. ‘Dog people’ are said to be more energetic, outgoing and to follow rules closely; whereas ‘Cat people’ are more introverted, open-minded, philosophical and … neurotic. As I anxiously ruminated on the differences (in the comfort of my hermit world), I recognised that I was behaving ‘like a cat person’ – and this was confirmed when I took the test ‘Are You a Dog or Cat Person?’ on Brainfall. My results indicate I am 37% dog and 63% cat – AKA a ‘Mixed Breed with strong cat tendencies’. If you harbour your own uncertainty, the test can be found at: https://brainfall.com/quizzes/are-you-a-dog-or-cat-person/

I am now in the process of exploring and claiming my ‘inner cat’. Fortunately, there are a plethora of images in the ‘Cats in Art’ category that are helping with this. Here are ten reasons why I am becoming more of a ‘cat person’:

1. Cats are powerful and protective

Cats have a long and venerable history of representation in art. Drawings and carvings of powerful cats were often featured on ancient Egyptian sarcophagi and the walls that surrounded them. The sun god, Ra, took many forms and one of them was as a ferocious Tomcat in the epic battle he fought and won against the serpent, Apophis, who represented chaos. Cats were directly linked to the sun and Ra. The lion became a symbol of royal power and, its representation as the Eye of Ra (the feminine counterpart to Ra), was a symbol of royal protection.

Ra’s daughter, Bastet, was worshipped in Lower Egypt as early as the Second Dynasty (2890 BCE). Originally depicted as a lion and retaining her destructive powers, she gradually morphed into the gentler sacred cat-headed goddess, Sekhmet, and became responsible for fertility, domesticity and protection against disease.

Egypt was not the only place that cats offered protection. In China, guardian lions or shi were placed in front of Imperial palaces, tombs, temples and homes to provide protection from harmful spiritual influences and people that might be a threat. Lions were introduced into China during the Han dynasty (a large imposing stone pair from this period were featured in the NGV Terracotta Warrior exhibition last year) and have continued to be popular as protectors since then. Other versions were seen as tomb guardian spirits during the Tang dynasty and protected the living from spirits of the dead inappropriately roaming the world.

The protective power of cats – in this life and potentially the next – seems particularly appropriate during the time of a pandemic.

2. Cats have seen a lot

Judging by the number of times cats have been depicted by artists it is safe to assume that cats have seen a great deal. In the National Gallery of Victoria collection, Dürer has a cat placed at the feet of Adam and Eve as they eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Later, Rembrandt has a cat watching the Holy Family in The Virgin and Child With The Cat: And Joseph (the title suggests that Joseph and not the cat is the afterthought). Cats are depicted at the Death of the Buddha.  And, in Indigenous art, there are examples of cats being part of The Dreaming (Native cat and water dreaming at Yinpirrkawarnu, and Kuningka (wild cat) Dreaming at Kaakarantintja)

Similarly, we see cats connecting with heroes (Hercules and the Nemean Lion), biblical figures (Samson and the Lion), and saints (St Jerome and the Lion) – as well as ‘tidying up’ recalcitrants in despotic regimes (A Roman holiday).

Having observed and participated in dramatic events over time, I have no doubt that a cat can cope with anything that a recent virus might serve up.

3. Cats can assist and teach

Domesticated cats have been kept as pets in China for millennia. They are often depicted in Chinese art hunting small animals, exploring their surroundings, or just relaxing. As the French writer and artist Jean Cocteau said: “I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.”

Buddhist monks particularly welcomed cats as both protectors of their sacred texts – against the destructive gnawing of mice – and as unobtrusive companions who shared their capacity for quiet and orderly self-containment. It has been suggested that cats can provide excellent examples of Buddhist principles including: non-doing, self-love and living freely in the moment.

With the mental health challenges of the pandemic, this sounds perfect for weathering lockdowns.

4. Cats are valuable

The National Gallery of Victoria has an animated taxidermied cat in the guise of maneki-neko – the ubiquitous Japanese ‘calling cat’ that beckons customers into shops and betokens prosperity for households. These cats date from Japan’s late Edo Period (around 1850). The Gotokuti Temple in Tokyo lays claim to one of the original legends. In this story, a poor monk’s cat beckons to a warrior who is sheltering under a tree during a storm. As the warrior approaches the cat, the tree is struck by lightning and the warrior survives. Recognising the helpfulness of the cat, the warrior becomes the economic patron of the temple.

Created by a group of three local Victorian artists, ‘Greatest Hits’, the NGV’s dynamic maneki-neko reminds me of the life-enhancing and money-enhancing energy of felines. With the economic uncertainty caused by coronavirus, any contribution to finances is definitely worth encouraging.

5. Cats don’t take up much space

As life has become simpler and our environments less cluttered and better organised, a domestic animal that conforms to these living arrangements is ideal. Cats are universally recognized as clean and easy to care for. There are any number of images of family life which include a cat – where the cat is barely visible!

Leonardo da Vinci is recorded as saying: ‘the smallest cat is a masterpiece’. Decluttering expert, Marie Kondo, would support this and she has many helpful suggestions about how easy it is to give a cat the ‘Marie Kondo Treatment’.  There are many examples of how these can be adopted on Instagram #KonMariCats and #KonMariPets.

6. Cats provide role models

There are a number of cats in popular culture who can provide both good and bad role models. Felix the Cat is good-hearted, mischievous and willing to help others. In his early days, his personality epitomised the spirit of the Jazz Age – including a fondness for the odd tipple. Alternatively, Garfield is overweight, lazy, smug, sarcastic and has an intense passion for unhealthy food.  More helpfully, The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland gives permission for feeling discombobulated when he says: ‘We’re all mad here’ and ‘Imagination is the only weapon in the war with reality’.

Recently cats have been used to assist neurodiverse people and their world become more aware through books like ‘All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome’ 2006 by Kathy Hoopman.

The important point is that cats allow freedom of expression and this is even apparent in the ability to display one’s inner cat on clothing.

7. Cats are agile

The word ‘cathletic’ has been coined to acknowledge cats’ extraordinary agility and ability to pursue and capture prey. During the coronavirus pandemic, many of us have returned to the joys of gardening, only to become aware of the voracious appetite of possums. Having tried many ‘possum deterrents’ it is now time to seriously consider the ‘stalker cat’ to protect and defend the honour of camellias.

Another useful aspect of a cat’s agility is demonstrated in the painting by Balthus, Nude with cat. Here we see the cat participating in, and encouraging, an exercise and stretching program  – a reminder that physical health needs are even more important now as part of our daily home-based routine (particularly if Garfield is a role model).

8. Cats provoke questions

Detractors of cats have highlighted their history of being associated with the subversive power of the devil and particularly of women who seemed non-compliant with prevailing notions of the feminine – think of cats as the familiars of witches, or of ‘crazy cat ladies’.

While cats are known for their curiosity (if it doesn’t kill them) – isn’t this a helpful attribute? In Jan Steen’s Interior from mid 17^th century Netherlands, is the ‘metaphoric’ cat watching the buxom housewife with her alcoholic husband, suckling child and soon-to-be bedmate suggesting the woman is acting immorally or irrationally? Or is the cat a reminder that when the picture was painted, the second plague pandemic was again ravaging Europe and (without the wisdom of social distancing and the potential for contagion in pubs) fun was best taken when it was possible as life was likely to be brutal and short?

Another area where cats provoke questions is around the meaning of the ‘black cat’. Depending on where a person comes from and when a person lives, black cats might be positive or negative omens – bringers of good or bad luck. Clearly an important topic for discussion, the issue can best be summed up as: Black Cats Matter!

9. Cats are uncritical listeners

At times of crisis, it is vital to have a sounding board, a support system and someone who can soothe and ‘smooth ruffled feathers’. The unquestioning and uncritical acceptance of cats is legendary – as is their ability to not share even the most outlandish conspiracy theories that need debriefing. Perhaps they seem so unfazed as they have heard it all before?

10. After the nine lives are up

However, perhaps the best reason for preferring cats to dogs comes from the Ancient Greek historian Herodotus. He says: ‘In houses where a cat has died by a natural death, all those who dwell in the house must shave their eyebrows only; but those in whose house a dog has died must shave their whole body and also their head’.

Although I am not quite there yet, clearly, there are many good reasons to be or become a ‘cat person’. As Sigmund Freud (a cat fan) summed it up: “Time spent with cats is never wasted.”

Postscript: Self-acknowledged ‘Cat People’ might want to check out a virtual exhibition which explores the ‘History of Cats in Art’ at the Universal Museum of Art: https://uma-expo-legacy.s3.amazonaws.com/cats_in_art_history/index.html#/cats_in_art_history/