Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” – Anatole France

Katje is Dutch for kitten or little cat. On August 20th, 2017, I gave my Katje, the little cat with the big heart, the last gift I could. I kept a promise I made to her nine years ago that every day of her life with me would be a good one, and once they could not be good, she would not have to endure them.

So many of my friends and some of my relatives have had to say goodbye to their beloved pets in recent months. Each loss is another broken heart, mended over time by memories that bring smiles instead of tears. Understanding this is what allows us to love a pet we will have to say goodbye to and whose leaving us will break our heart.

Here’s what some famous authors have said about cats:

What greater gift than the love of a cat? – Charles Dickens

I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through. – Jules Verne

Of all God’s creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat. – Mark Twain

If you want to write, keep cats. – Aldous Huxley

A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not. – Ernest Hemingway

How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. – Robert A. Heinlein

I dedicate this week’s Book.ed blog post to Katje, offering nine (for a cat’s nine lives) recommended books in which memorable cats play a pivotal role:

For Young Children
Puss in Boots – an Italian/French fairy tale in various forms (1550 – 1697)
The Cat in the Hat – Dr. Seuss (1957)

For Older Children
Star Ka’at – Andre Norton (1976)
Catwings – Ursula K. Le Guin (1988)

For Children & Adults
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll (1865)
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats – T.S. Eliot (1939)

For Adults
The Silent Miaow , Translated from the Feline – Paul Gallico (1964)
The Master & Margarita – Mikhail Bulgakov (1967)
The Cat Inside – William S. Burroughs (1986)