Cats and writers | 6 reasons for a muse on four paws

Cats and writers have a long love story. Here are six reasons why every cat should get a writer.

Hardly any cliché is used as often as that of cats and their writers. The author who writes deep into the night under the luminous eyes of cat and moon is far more than just a story to be told. None other than Charles Dickens is said to have written in the constant presence of his watchful cat Williamina. ‘The Master’s Cat’, as the cat was also called by the staff, not only determined Dickens’ motivation for writing but also his writing routine. When Williamina tired of writing, she would quickly snuff out her writer’s candle under the velvet of her paw. At least that’s what contemporary witnesses reported.

But it wasn’t just Dickens and his cats who had a bond as close as that between the spine of a book and its glue. Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Margaret Atwood and Stephen King are also self-confessed cat lovers. But what is it that makes cats so fascinating for writers? Is it their gift to dispel the loneliness of a writer’s room with their simple presence? Or does the cat really have supernatural powers, as is rumoured, that can inspire our imagination and whisper new stories to us?

We at novum publishing have put together six good reasons why writers and cats belong together and why every sensible cat should think about getting a writer.

Writers and cats: 6 good reasons for a muse on four paws

Purring against writer’s block

Purring is the Om of the cat. In Hinduism, Om is the primordial sound from which the entire universe is said to have originated. And anyone who has ever heard a cat purr definitely believes in the Big Bang coming from its throat. Studies prove that the purring of a cat has a healing effect on the human body and mind. Purring relaxes the mind, lowers blood pressure and even releases (writing) blockages. Purring is even said to speed up the healing process of broken bones. So writers suffering from writer’s block should get their cats to purr and listen to the sound of the universe. Where else could the most beautiful stories be found if not among the stars?

You can find tried-and-tested book tips to combat writer’s block in this article!

Characters on four paws

Are you currently writing a crime novel or thriller and looking for inspiration for your characters? Perhaps your cat is a promising source of inspiration for a novel. A British study has shown that the behaviour of cats is on the psychopathic spectrum. More than 500 cat owners surveyed agreed that their cat ‘likes to torment its prey instead of killing it straight away’, ‘likes to pick fights with the neighbour’s cats’ or ‘makes noises such as loud meowing or yowling for no apparent reason.’ According to the researchers, cats thus correspond to behaviours that can easily be assigned to categories such as ‘lack of empathy’, ‘ruthlessness’, ‘manipulation’ or ‘striving for power’ in human coexistence. So if you want to create diabolical or even demonic antagonists, you should take an objective look at your cat.

The art of serenity

‘All joy wants eternity’, as Friedrich Nietzsche already knew. The desire for pleasure is a basic prerequisite for successful writing. After all, no good book has ever been written between stress, burnout and the dreary grind. A writer’s creative period should be a time of inspiration in which he can develop his ideas and devote himself entirely to the sensual and the beautiful. The art of joie de vivre can be learnt from cats. They have mastered the art of enjoyment like no other living creature. It devotes a full sixteen hours a day to sleeping and dreaming. In the breaks between snoozing, they indulge in play, eating and cuddling. Instead of pressure and stress, cats deal with things with composure – a skill that writers with self-doubt in particular should learn from cats.

On the trail of style

Cats are stubborn, they don’t allow themselves to be forced into anything and only do what they like. Authors should also learn this life skill from their co-authors on four paws. Because when it comes to writing style, we all too often orientate ourselves on the requirements and demands of others instead of following our own style. In order to find your writing style, you should remain true to yourself – and who better to learn the love of stubbornness from than a cat?

The mirror of the soul

Cats are very sensitive. They react to changes in their environment with stress, which can manifest itself in restlessness, withdrawal or lethargy. They also react immediately to mood swings in their owners. Cats are therefore a mirror of our souls, allowing us to take a look at ourselves. They often recognise negative emotional states even before we ourselves become aware of them. If cats react conspicuously to us, we should therefore ask ourselves the question: ‘How am I feeling right now?’ and consider whether and how we can do something good for ourselves. Cats remind us to look inwards carefully. Balance and mental equilibrium are important if you want to complete an ambitious project, such as a book project. When we look a cat in the eye, we are always looking at the bottom of our own soul.

Spiritual muses

The spiritual power of cats should not be underestimated either. In the shamanic world, cats are regarded as spirit animals that symbolise independence, autonomy and self-determination. Their spiritual superpower is to strengthen intuition. Cats are also said to be able to make contact with the afterlife. Their extraordinary sense of hearing perceives sounds that we have long since become deaf to. It can therefore be assumed that cats, as mediums, can send us messages from the beyond. Time and again, writers report that their best ideas have come to them in a dream or have struck them like a bolt of lightning. So if you are hoping for a flash of inspiration for your book, you should perhaps spend some time in the vicinity of a cat. Even if the idea doesn’t come, at least you can be sure of a sweet cuddle session.