@EmilyBenet Thought having a cat was compulsory to qualify as a writer. Even if it's an incurable outdoor type like our Hettie.
— Jacqueline Pye (@JacquelinePye) August 8, 2014
But why?
@EmilyBenet For the unconditional love and support a cat can give when the writing's bad... oh, wait, that's dogs. ;)
— Paul (@dept42) August 8, 2014
I've never had a cat and can't call myself a cat lady. The definition of a 'cat lady' varies depending if you own a cat or not. If you own a cat, you might view yourself like this:
While those less partial to cats might view you as this:
I'm less black or white. For me, cat people are the ones with little hairs on their jumpers and more to arrange before their holidays.
My brother and his wife have cats. Once one of them jumped on the table while we were eating.
"It's only a cat!" his wife chided, when I flinched and shooed it off.
What I don't understand is, why are cats considered so clean when they spend half the day licking their bottoms?
Despite not being a cat person, there is a kitten in my new novel. Amber buys him because she thinks he'll be a YouTube sensation. She hopes the advertising revenue will get her out of the rut she's in. The kitten is called Rupert and he's based on this little fellow. Isn't he the fluffy-wuffiest thing you've ever seen?* (*I don't talk like this in real life.)
But Amber's not a writer, so that doesn't help solve the mystery of why so many writers have cats.
It's not like they make good assistants. When I looked after my brother's cat, it woke me up at 3am every morning. By week 2 I was too exhausted to write. When I did try to write, it would wake up from its nap just to walk across my keyboard.
Perhaps feline friends combat the loneliness of the profession? As much as I love working from home alone, there have been times when I would have enjoyed sniggering over a bad line of writing with a silent companion. You know the type: A bolt of lightning ran down her spine when she saw him...
Miao.
Even a cat would know how stupid that line was.
In conclusion, I've decided to go with the flow and have got myself a cat too.
I know it looks more like a sheep, but it's a rare breed you only get in
Wales.
It likes water, so I sit it in a bucket by my desk.
I definitely feel more like a writer now.
I just wish I was small enough to swim in a bucket too.
4 comments:
Haha - you had me going there pretending you'd joined The Cat Clan! Very nice post.
I don't know what you mean Jacqueline? Of course it's a real cat! :P
Thank you for reading and contributing to the silliness.
I have 4 cats and I bet your sheep-cat is a) cleaner! b) cheaper c)has less sharp claws d) doesn't leave dead bodies on the kitchen floor e) doesn't purr and look at you with big soppy eyes just as you reach the end of your tether.
@JaneMartin thank you for making me feel good about owning a sheep-cat. He is/has/does/doesn't all of those things you mentioned and more. :)
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