The Friendship of Cats
A cat’s affection is not easy to win, but the rewards make the effort worthwhile.
1869
A cat’s affection is not easy to win, but the rewards make the effort worthwhile.
1869
Théophile Gautier was a French artist, critic and writer whose friends included Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, and whose many admirers have included TS Eliot and Oscar Wilde. His ‘Ménagerie intime’ (1869) includes fond recollections of the many cats in his life.
translated from the French
WINNING the friendship of a cat is a difficult business. The cat is a philosophical creature, methodical, quiet, tenacious of his habits, fond of order and cleanliness, who does not scatter his affections about indiscriminately.
He is quite ready to be your friend, should you prove worthy, but not your slave. In the midst of his tenderness he maintains free-will, and he will not do for you anything that he deems unreasonable.
But once he has given himself to you, what absolute confidence! what felicity of affection! He makes himself the companion of the hours of your solitude, melancholy, and toil.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Why does a typical cat’s personality make it difficult to gain his friendship?
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Cats are very particular. It is difficult to make friends with them.