Fabulous Felines in History # 4: Les hommes de Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

“You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.”  – Colette

“I went to collect the few personal things which… I consider to be invaluable: my cat, my resolve to travel and my solitude.” – Colette

Je suis Henri

Je suis Olivier

Je suis Cheri

 

As one might guess, with a name like Cheri, we are the feline masters of Madame Sidonie Gabrielle Colette. She has served as a loyal human and a dear friend to felines the world over. Most of her many devoted fans refer to her simply as Colette.  While we are woven into some of her writing, we often appear disguised with a different name.

“Our perfect companions never have fewer than four feet.” – Colette

 

As one wanders and wonders though the pages of her books, you cannot help but notice our influence as our paw prints are everywhere. Our antics were a constant source of inspiration and laughter.

 

“There are no ordinary cats.”  – Colette

Feline photos are courtesy of https://lindahoyland.livejournal.com/

Please stop by and visit us, Colette, Simone and the human at: https://lesdeuxdivasmavieenrose.wordpress.com/ 

Disclaimer: All mistakes are a result of human error and shall be dealt with

 

 

Fabulous Felines in History # 3: Up, up and away…

This young swinger is here to pay tribute to his late master. Antoine de Saint-Exupèry, one of France’s most well loved authors.  He is loved and best known for the slim book, Le Petit Prince, The Little Prince.  Born 29 June, 1900 he was an aviator during WWII and his plane shot down over The Mediterranean Sea in 1944.

My name is petit renard or little fox. Perhaps my mischevious tendencies contributed in some way toward the way I was portrayed in the book? Actually, I inspired my human and gave him unconditional support throughout the process.Which is one of the many reasons, we felines, are so fabulous and have contributed so much throughout history.

“One only understands the things one tames,” said the fox. Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things already made at the shops.  

Mon dieu, you’ve caught me in my library chair. I’m just about to curl up with a good book.

 

 

Bisous, Petit Renard, Colette et Simone, oh yes, and the human…

If any of you, or your human, have photos you would be willing to share for future Fabulous Felines in History, please forward them to us. Include your blog site or email address so we can give credit for the photo. Obviously, feline names are not necessary as they will be given names conducive to their story. Send your photos to feuetglace11@gmail.com

 

Disclaimer: Any mistakes are the sole responsibility of human error and shall be dealt with.

The Owl, The Pussycat… Fabulous Felines in History #2

The Owl, the Pussycat and the feline behind the scenes…

Oh yes, there was also the fabulous man who wrote of my adventures. His name was Edward Lear. He was devoted to me and to other felines who came to know him. In addition to my long luxurious fur, I am world class at the art of cuddling and along with the other felines entrusted to his care, we are equally devoted to him.

Lear was born the twentieth child of a London stock broker and his wife. In his late teens he left the family home with his eldest sister and began providing for himself with his skills as an illustrator. He continued to draw and paint throughout his life.

This prolific writer and artist (animals and landscapes) was compared to the work of the great Jean-Jacques Audubon. In addition to his writing and drawing, he gave drawing lessons. It is without a doubt that one of his most easily recognized pupils was none other than Queen Victoria. She had been known to visit the Atelier and to pick up a pencil or two. While many of her lessons were confined to the castle, accommodations were often made in deference to the teacher’s fragile health. Furthermore, she adored the numbers of animals and especially the freedom there. What some do not know, it is our secret, is that she was as thrilled as could be when we would grace her lap with our presence. To be petted by the queen…

 

Puss

THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT

– Edward Lear 1871

“The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea-green boat:

They took some honey,

And plenty of money

Wrapped up in a five-pound note

 

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar,

“O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are,

You are,

What a beautiful Pussy you are!

 

Pussy said to Owl, “You elegant fowl,

How charmingly sweet you sing!

Oh! let us be married;

too long we have tarried:

But what shall we do for a ring?”

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

To the land where the bong-tree grows;

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,

With a ring at the end of his nose,

His nose,

His nose,

With a ring at the end if his nose.

 

Dear Pig, are you willing

to sell for one shilling

Your ring? Said the Piggy, “I will.”

So they took it away, and were married the next day

By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

 

And hand in hand on the edge of the sand

They danced by the light of the moon,

The moon,

The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

Puss

 As anyone can tell, this intelligent and gifted artist was besotted by cats, birds and other living creatures. I, Puss, was the inspiration behind one of the most famous of all nursery rhymes. You may have noticed that for poetic reasons, Mr. Lear added a Y to the end of my name. However, as he was such a dear man and generous to a fault, we shall overlook that minor indiscretion.  As humans go, I would say that for myself and the other felines in the house were most fortunate. We were adored and pampered. Likewise, we were exceptionally fond of Edward and continued to inspire him throughout his life. If you take the time to examine more of his work, you will see our paws in it. Despite his fragile health, he continued to provide sanctuary and love to many generations of felines and other creatures. More than that, he celebrated our uniqueness. 

 

Our thanks to Rasma Raister:  spidrella@gmail.com for sharing the beautiful photos of “Puss”. It is our hope that as photos can be matched with stories that are worthy, we can bring you more Fabulous Felines in History.

If you are interested in having your precious felines included in future Fabulous Felines in History posts, please send photos without tell-tail signs of the time they are set in. Our felines are time travelers. Please forward photos for consideration to Colette and Simone in care of our human and resident typist at feuetglace11@gmail.com . Please know that names are chosen to suit the time and situation in which the feline resides and it is unlikely that we shall be using the lovely moniker you had chosen with such care. 

We hope that you will enjoy our little posts and perhaps visit us on our own blog? Colette, Simone and our human at: https://lesdeuxdivasmavieenrose.wordpress.com

Disclaimer: All errors are human in origin and shall be dealt with. 

 

Fabulous Felines in History Series # 1

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.” – Charles Dickens

As divine, intelligent creatures, the two divas, Colette and Simone and our human, Léa, have decided that it was time to enlighten all those feline loving humans whose education skipped over some of the most fascinating contributions in history. Sadly, your textbooks have failed you by ignoring us. Now is the time to correct these CAT-astrophic omissions to your education and enlightenment. Behind every brilliant moment in time, a brave and intelligent feline, or more, was there to contribute, to inspire and to offer their great wisdom and sensibilities. 

We are grateful to Marc at Katzenworld.com for allowing us to share a post requesting photos for the series and our thanks to those who contribute. We do appreciate how special your felines are and thank you for sharing them. However, those who have shared their precious photos may be surprised to find there is a whole other cat than what they know.

A feline myth or two may be tested or crushed along the way. This is also part of educating our friends. Of course cats know it but thought it was time to share this intelligence with feline loving humans.

The first myth that we shall shatter is the one of us having nine lives. The truth of the matter is that Felines long ago mastered Time Travel. While we may look young to you and even as a kitten, we are up to much more than you know when you are unaware…

One of the first photos received will help us demonstrate our Time Travel capabilities. Our series begins with Boudi.

Boudi is my name. I come to you from around the year 60 A.D. My mistress, the Queen, Boudicca herself, gave me my name. I was the most trusted of her feline realm. Like the Queen, I am a fierce warrior and have distinguished myself on numerous occasions. Be mindful, nothing escapes my razor sharp gaze.

Among my duties were recruitment and training of all felines that would serve. Additionally, my keen sense of smell proved useful in detecting strangers not to mention food and water that had been tampered with. Needless to say, our legions had much practice in our warrior skills while also keeping down the rodent population. When my Queen slept, it was I who appeared to rest at her side. Nothing escaped my watch. My legions kept their patrols and reported to me. When there were indications of trouble, my circle of watch grew but I never left the Queen’s proximity.  Often, it was my keen sense of smell that raised the alarm.

No human and no canine could mount the surveillance comparable to a legion of felines. With our petite size and astounding feats of flexibility, there is no corner, we cannot investigate thoroughly. Furthermore, Cats have an unparalleled curiosity.

As our Court and legions lived in open nature, I have the special advantage of the colors of my beautiful fur. I have the perfect camouflage. This in addition to my many special skills and talents make me the purrfect choice for such an assignment.

Our heroic Queen chose to take her own life instead of being a slave to Nero’s soldiers. I follow my Queen and remain at her request to guard her daughters.

Peace in our time.

Boudi

Disclaimer: All mistakes are strictly the result of human error and shall be dealt with.

Thanks Kris for sharing this photo and your precious feline.

Photo courtesy of: ctslair@aol.com