Last week, we bid farewell to our sweet kit-kat of 16 years. As fortune would have it, the weather was cooler and the days free from rain. So, Cleo and I spent our final days together outside—she dozing beneath the leaves of a crowded hosta bed, occasionally raising an eyelid to observe a scampering chipmunk, and I at our patio table, reading, or scribbling away in my journal. She’s been a soothing presence and dear companion over the years. Many of my posts were produced with Cleo napping on a chair sidled up to mine, intermittently nudging me for caresses.
Someone needs to add a corollary to the saying, all good things must come to an end. Something like, the more cherished the thing, the harder it is to weather its loss. After burying Cleo, a silent weight descended on our household, and it was difficult to imagine a happy existence without her.
The Québecois author, Louis Caron, flipped such sorrow on its head when he wrote:
« Lorsque le chat que vous aimez devient un souvenir, ce souvenir devient un trésor. »
When the cat you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure.
On that note, I’ve livened this week’s post with French art and citations that capture the magic of our feline friends.
« Ce qui est merveilleux avec un chat c’est qu’il n’y a rien à faire quand il vient à vous, qu’à le regarder. »
—Annie Duperey
“What’s marvelous about a cat is that when it comes to you, there’s nothing else to do other than look at it.”
« Mais que sa voix s’apaise ou gronde, elle est toujours riche et profonde. C’est là son charme et son secret. »
—Charles Baudelaire
Whether [the cat’s] voice calms or scolds, it is always deep and rich. There lies her charm and her secret.
« Le véritable gentleman est celui qui appelle toujours un chat un chat même lorsqu’il trébuche dessus et qu’il tombe. »
—Jean Delacour
A true gentleman is someone who always calls a cat a cat, even when he trips over it and falls.
« L’idéal du calme est dans un chat assis. »
—Jules Renard
Perfect calm resides in a seated cat.
« Petit à petit les chats deviennent l’âme de la maison. »
—Jean Cocteau
Little by little, cats become the soul of the house.
« Il suffit de croiser son regard avec celui d’un chat pour mesurer la profondeur des énigmes que chaque paillette de ses yeux pose aux braves humains que nous sommes. »
—Jacques Laurent
It’s enough to cross your gaze with that of a cat’s to recognize the depth of enigmas that each glint of its eyes poses to us simple humans.
« J’ai beaucoup étudié les philosophes et les chats. La sagesse des chats est infiniment supérieure. » — Hippolyte Taine
I’ve deeply studied both philosophers and cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.
« Dieu a inventé le chat pour que l’homme ait un tigre à caresser chez lui. »
—Victor Hugo
God invented cats so that man would have a tiger to pet at home.
« Le temps passé avec un chat n’est jamais perdu. »
—Colette
Time spent with a cat is never lost.
« Tant qu’on n’a pas aimé un animal, une partie de son âme reste endormie. »
—Anatole France
Until you’ve loved an animal, a part of your soul remains asleep.
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Sorry ffor your loss, and thanks for the beautiful post!
I invite you to add it to #ParisinJuly2025 with MrLinky on this page: https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/07/01/parisinjuly2025-all-the-links/
Thanks Emma and thanks for the link.
Greetings. I’m not a cat person. Yet, I like and have a good relationship with my neighbor’s cat named Lulu. Whenever Lulu and I are outside at the same time, he comes over to me, and lets me know he wants to be petted. Of course, I pet him.
I always say one of the best ways to have a pet is to have friends with pets. Ha!
So wonderful! I love the illustrations (and that the first number and the last were by women), the quotes and your words. For me, it is timely because I lost my dear friend and companion, Cobalt my poodle, 2 months ago. “A weight descended” -I’ll say! I love your response to your loss.
I have had cats and I inherited a cat of uncommon, even for a cat, complexity. When he died, I was bereft. I’m sorry for your loss, Carol!!
Thanks Sarah. I imagine Cobalt left a huge void in his wake. Are you planning to get another dog? We still have Meetons, Cleo’s sister and I’ve suddenly been noticing more cats roaming the neighborhood. They will probably hold us for now.
I’m sorry to hear of your loss. I’m not an animal person myself, but I know how important pets can be to those who have them — as the many quotes and paintings you’ve assembled here show.
Thanks Infidel.
There is such a hole left when our beloved pet dies. The house is little too quiet, missing the routine of playing and feeding and enjoying their presence – I am so sorry.
Thank you for sharing the wonderful photos of cats in art.
Very true. It will take some time to get used to her absence. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
So very sorry, Carol. Your homage to Cleo is lovely and fitting. It’s good you had those placid last days together.
As you often ask us for our preferences, I especially appreciated the quotations of Hippolyte Taine and Anatole France, and I found Sempre’s rendering wonderful. But I enjoyed them all, and I thank you for curating such a fine collection.
“The more cherished the thing, the harder it is to weather its loss.” Indeed. Even when we move on, years later a piece of us remains fixed.
Thanks Annie. The Anatole France citation was sent to me by my vet. I’d planned to do a post featuring the art but her card of condolences sent me on a hunt for other quotes.
Sorry to hear about your cat.
I enjoyed all the pictures you shared.
Thanks for stopping by.
Always tough to lose a pet. We currently have 12 cats, and have lost more.
At one time a few years back we had 22!
Madness, I know. But most were adopted, or strays that wandered in or ferals that realized they were on to a good thing with free food and a warm place to sleep.
Some may think that the more one has the less emotionally attached.
I can say with assurity this is most definitely not the case!
In my experience cats tend to find you rather than you find them!
22 cats?!?! That must be some kind of record. I thought I grew up with lots of pets, always 2 or 3 cats and 4-7 dogs, but that pales by comparison.
It just got worse… My wife and daughter just arrived home from an appointment and encountered a small kitten living under a drain on a nearby street.
A security guard informed them he had been feeding it after the kitten’s mother died.
I have a feeling we may soon be getting another cat.
Lucky kit kat.