Felines: Friend or Foe?

Cats: love them or hate them, they’re here to stay. In fact, cats in Britain seem to be more popular than ever, as a survey by one of the mobile phone networks recently revealed; apparently we post 3.8 million photos or videos a day onto the internet. Indeed, over 350,000 cat owners have even set up social network accounts on behalf of their beloved furry friends.

With the internet providing such an obvious platform for this kind of frivolity (let’s not forget the infamous lolcats on the ‘I Can Has Cheezburger?’ blog), you’d be forgiven for thinking this obsessive feline fanaticism is a modern phenomenon. However, our Victorian Popular Culture resource shows that the British preoccupation with adorable and entertaining kitties is part of a long tradition.

Take, for example, this article, featured in volume 4 of Magazine Magic, which includes the first instalment of an opinion column ‘told by the cat’.

Extract from Magazine Magic, Volume 4 © Senate House Library, University of London. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

This spoilt puss boisterously offers her opinions on all aspects of suburban living: ‘I can see nothing wrong with our house; but my mistress says the windows don't fit, and the door won't shut, and there's always a draught from somewhere. What does that matter? If you choose the warmest corner of the mat before the fire (as I always do) doors and windows are not worth considering […] As to the doors, I rather like a door myself that doesn't shut; you can always get in without the trouble of sitting on the mat and mewing until someone comes to open it for you.’

The personification of puss cats is clearly no modern fad. However, despite this clear Victorian affection for cats, a writer in Shadow and Substance, published in 1860 (© Bill Douglas Centre, University of Exeter) suggests that the British of the time did not appreciate them nearly enough: ‘The proverb that “care killed the cat” could not have originated anywhere but in England, for there is no other known country wherein the cat has such a hard time of it. Altogether the cat may be said to have made a serious mistake naturalising herself […] in a community so little disposed to appreciate any latent excellences she may possess.’

Having recently acquired a new cat myself, I’d like to think that the people of modern-day England are not quite so dismissive of our felines' fine qualities. However, judging by the 350,000 cat social network accounts active online, perhaps we should be worrying if we’ve gone rather too far the other way. 

More insights into Victorian’s varied interests and obsessions can be found in Victorian Popular Culture.