Artists and their Cats

Jean Michel Basquiat – 1982 – photograph by James Van Der Zee

Just after having, once again, a heated debate over lunch with my dog loving friends, where, once again, I had to defend the perceived “uselessness” of cats, I came across a charming book titled “Artists and their Cats” at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.

Yoko Ono and John Lennon with cat – photograph by Ethan Russell

Of course, I was immediately vindicated in my belief that nothing can beat the charm and “uselessness” of having a cat. Just look at this small selection of photographs of artists with their cats!

The ever sexy Picasso – his cat is not totally happy being held – I call this “struggelies”

Really, if a cat cozies up to you and starts purring, it is one if the loveliest things you can share with your feline companion. Actually, in France it is known as “ronron thérapie”. The great French writer Colette understood this:

Colette getting “ronron” therapy

Andy Warhol’s 1958 drawing “So Happy”

The Great Thelonius Monk with feline unlooker…take that cat haters!

And then an article in the New York Times by Julia Baird (click to read) reiterated my cat advocacy: “Stand up for your cat!” or how we need to lose the stereotype of the pathetic female and her felines.

The pop singer Taylor Swift with one of her cats

I say: Cat Lovers and Dog Lovers Unite!