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Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore
A hilarious celebration of cats in artwork from medieval times
From the year 500 to 1500 numerous medieval manuscripts and works of art portrayed cats as lazy, selfish, and vicious. Centuries later, these masterpieces live on, shining a bright light on the dark age of cats and telling a brand-new story of their glory. Medieval Cats celebrates more than two hundred cats who are up to no good.
Also included are cat facts from the Middle Ages as well as poems and excerpts from literature where cats were mentioned. Both a humorous book and a peek into medieval art and literature, Medieval Cats will appeal to cat and art lovers everywhere.
From the year 500 to 1500 numerous medieval manuscripts and works of art portrayed cats as lazy, selfish, and vicious. Centuries later, these masterpieces live on, shining a bright light on the dark age of cats and telling a brand-new story of their glory. Medieval Cats celebrates more than two hundred cats who are up to no good.
Also included are cat facts from the Middle Ages as well as poems and excerpts from literature where cats were mentioned. Both a humorous book and a peek into medieval art and literature, Medieval Cats will appeal to cat and art lovers everywhere.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
March 3, 2025
I got this book for review on netgally.
It was a fun and entertaining book. It had pictures and some quotes on medieval cats and some further information but I wouldn't really call it an non fiction. More like an entertaining picture book. 3.5 stars.
It was a fun and entertaining book. It had pictures and some quotes on medieval cats and some further information but I wouldn't really call it an non fiction. More like an entertaining picture book. 3.5 stars.
December 29, 2024
Annoyingly bad, but thankfully a quick read (I finished it in under an hour). The organization of this book is nonexistent. This book is so full of nonsense, like joke captions and quotes placed alongside actual historical quotes, that it's difficult to read. There is almost no synthesis, and what little there is is largely incorrect based on mistranslations, a lack of understanding of medieval documents, and general common misconceptions. It's difficult to figure out who the target audience of this book is, let alone what exactly the point of this book is. If one of my college writing students turned this in, I would struggle to give them even a C or a D because it's just random ridiculous information regurgitated in no particular order with absolutely no structure. I'm shocked that Penguin Random House would publish something like this, and even more shocked to learn that the author is a university professor. This book gets one star because there is no option to give it zero. Thanks anyway to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
November 11, 2024
This is a fun book with lots of illustrations of cats from medieval manuscripts, with quotes, some facts and myths. It’s an enjoyable light read that made me smile (so many cats licking themselves!)
November 17, 2025
A lighthearted read for sure. The details from Medieval manuscripts were particularly delightful, more so than the text.
June 16, 2025
Did you know:
These are just a mere sampling of the medieval cat factoids that can be derived from “Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore” complied by Catherine Nappington (I suspect this isn’t her real name… meow): a compendium exploring feline facts, stories, and kitty appearances in the Medieval age concerning their impact, relation to famous figures and social history. Presented in a hardcover encased booklet; “Medieval Cats” is accompanied by cat imagery from manuscripts, tapestries and other artifacts/ primary sources.
“Medieval Cats” is formatted in a topical manner but isn’t overly scholarly, by any means. In fact, Cat Nappington uses humor to soften the academia by way of silly captions that are almost ‘Gen Z’ in context making the piece very approachable for the average reader but can, on the other hand, be off-putting for staunch history lovers. “Medieval Cats” is more of a “cute” and charming offering but does manage to educate in a memorable and digestible way.
A negative of “Medieval Cats” is Nappington’s occasional mentioning/description of an artifact (tapestry, art work, painting, etc) detailing the image of a cat and its possible allegorical meaning. The problem derives from the absence of an image of the said object leaving readers with questions and having no real derivation of what is being discussed. It is almost unnecessary in the text. Luckily, this doesn’t happen extensively and thus doesn’t hinder enjoyment of “Medieval Cats” to the extent that it would be viewed poorly.
Sadly, I don’t quite know what else to say about “Medieval Cats” – the cat must have my tongue (this phrase actually, according to “Medieval Cats”, has to do with witches and demon cats); as it is a quick read and little on the word count.
“Medieval Cats” is a delightful romp exploring medieval cat factoids that is a perfect addition to the coffee table of a cat and/or medieval history fan. Although it DOES successfully offer information that is made concrete in the reader’s mind; it can also be slightly too ‘fluffy’ (no pun intended) for some readers. Either way, “Medieval Cats” definitely brings a Cheshire Cat smile to readers.
• The term ‘cat’ often refers to ‘capto’ (capture) and being clever?
• Cats were thought to be possessed by the devil and a witch kissed their anus to gain power?
• Sir Isaac Newton had to have carpenters cut holes in his study’s door because his beloved cats disrupted his work wanting to enter and exit the room?
• Cats can jump 6x their length?
• Cats can make 100 vocals while dogs can make only 10?
• Cats have double the brain neurons of dogs, making them smarter?
• “Raining cats and dogs” comes from when streets ditches in medieval period would flood and the bodies of these animals would float down the street?
• “Let the cat out of the bag” refers to medieval merchants secretly substituting cats for pigs which the patrons would only discover once home?
These are just a mere sampling of the medieval cat factoids that can be derived from “Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore” complied by Catherine Nappington (I suspect this isn’t her real name… meow): a compendium exploring feline facts, stories, and kitty appearances in the Medieval age concerning their impact, relation to famous figures and social history. Presented in a hardcover encased booklet; “Medieval Cats” is accompanied by cat imagery from manuscripts, tapestries and other artifacts/ primary sources.
“Medieval Cats” is formatted in a topical manner but isn’t overly scholarly, by any means. In fact, Cat Nappington uses humor to soften the academia by way of silly captions that are almost ‘Gen Z’ in context making the piece very approachable for the average reader but can, on the other hand, be off-putting for staunch history lovers. “Medieval Cats” is more of a “cute” and charming offering but does manage to educate in a memorable and digestible way.
A negative of “Medieval Cats” is Nappington’s occasional mentioning/description of an artifact (tapestry, art work, painting, etc) detailing the image of a cat and its possible allegorical meaning. The problem derives from the absence of an image of the said object leaving readers with questions and having no real derivation of what is being discussed. It is almost unnecessary in the text. Luckily, this doesn’t happen extensively and thus doesn’t hinder enjoyment of “Medieval Cats” to the extent that it would be viewed poorly.
Sadly, I don’t quite know what else to say about “Medieval Cats” – the cat must have my tongue (this phrase actually, according to “Medieval Cats”, has to do with witches and demon cats); as it is a quick read and little on the word count.
“Medieval Cats” is a delightful romp exploring medieval cat factoids that is a perfect addition to the coffee table of a cat and/or medieval history fan. Although it DOES successfully offer information that is made concrete in the reader’s mind; it can also be slightly too ‘fluffy’ (no pun intended) for some readers. Either way, “Medieval Cats” definitely brings a Cheshire Cat smile to readers.
November 16, 2024
Medieval Cats is a charming look at paintings of cats in medieval manuscripts. When you think of the fact that monks were often copying manuscripts alone, with perhaps a cat for company, it’s no wonder that these little beasties find their way into nooks and crannies throughout. They are cats being cats - mousing, prowling, and of course licking their privates (I laughed out loud at a painting of Jesus, obviously appearing to his disciples after rising from the dead, and in the corner is a cat - leg in the air, bright red tongue licking and giving that “what are you looking at?” Stare that we all have seen).
Since it is clear that medieval illuminists did not take their task fully seriously, neither does the author. The plates are accompanied by witty captions and fun cat facts to know and tell. This book would make a wonderful coffee table book - beautiful pictures, yes, but also something for people to laugh about and have fun with. I loved it!
Many thanks to Ten Rivers Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Since it is clear that medieval illuminists did not take their task fully seriously, neither does the author. The plates are accompanied by witty captions and fun cat facts to know and tell. This book would make a wonderful coffee table book - beautiful pictures, yes, but also something for people to laugh about and have fun with. I loved it!
Many thanks to Ten Rivers Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
January 24, 2025
This is my first ever review here and I am delighted it’s about a book with cats… medieval ones, no less! 😻This is filled with funny illustrations, even funnier quotes and plenty of jokes about, well, you know who 😽 (“Curiosity killed the cat, satisfaction brought it back.”)… that said, there are also some sad parts, so be prepared. This is a fast and enjoyable read and as a vet student and cat lover I am thankful for NetGalley for giving me the chance to share my thoughts on this.
November 15, 2024
Utterly delightful. Includes some narrative about cats in the medieval world, but is mostly images of the many cats of medieval manuscripts, often with captions or image descriptions that had me laughing out loud.
November 17, 2024
Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore by Catherine Nappington from Ten Speed Press via NetGalley. This book will be published around March 4, 2025.
Attention Cat Fans! Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore by Catherine Nappington is a delightful (and disturbing) collection of art, quotes, and history of cats in the Middle Ages. It is the kind of book you can pick up and flip through or read through when you just want a little distraction or need some cat time. The caption for the art are quite funny. Some of it is difficult to read because not everyone has loved cats throughout history. Some cultures revered them. Some cultures feared them. If you don't want to read the sad facts, you can just skip them. It also makes me wonder why so many people thought cats could cure blindness. I guess because of their reputedly good night vision? This would make a nice coffee table book or gift for the cat lover.
Attention Cat Fans! Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore by Catherine Nappington is a delightful (and disturbing) collection of art, quotes, and history of cats in the Middle Ages. It is the kind of book you can pick up and flip through or read through when you just want a little distraction or need some cat time. The caption for the art are quite funny. Some of it is difficult to read because not everyone has loved cats throughout history. Some cultures revered them. Some cultures feared them. If you don't want to read the sad facts, you can just skip them. It also makes me wonder why so many people thought cats could cure blindness. I guess because of their reputedly good night vision? This would make a nice coffee table book or gift for the cat lover.
December 20, 2024
This is a super fun book. I’d love to get and look at a hard copy of it. Unique facts, lovely art, quippy quotes. It was a fun read for anyone interested in this time period and cat lovers alike. Thanks NetGalley for the ebook to review.
November 28, 2025
I truly enjoyed this compendium of weird and wonderful manuscript illustrations and quotes from Medieval sources about cats.
Richly illustrated, this utterly silly guide made me smile, laugh, and sometimes cringe at the relationship between humans and their feline companions in this period of history. Seen by some in this long and varied era as lucky or lucrative or even satanic, cats defy our attempts to define or pigeon hole them, and are always utterly true to themselves. Written by the apparently eminent scholar Professor Catherine Nappington (ahem, Cat Nap, anyone?), Medieval Cats is presented in an attractive formal, making an ideal gift.
As a Bookseller, I would recommend Medieval Cats to those who love cats, enjoy quirky illustrations, fun facts, and anything to do with the Medieval era.
Richly illustrated, this utterly silly guide made me smile, laugh, and sometimes cringe at the relationship between humans and their feline companions in this period of history. Seen by some in this long and varied era as lucky or lucrative or even satanic, cats defy our attempts to define or pigeon hole them, and are always utterly true to themselves. Written by the apparently eminent scholar Professor Catherine Nappington (ahem, Cat Nap, anyone?), Medieval Cats is presented in an attractive formal, making an ideal gift.
As a Bookseller, I would recommend Medieval Cats to those who love cats, enjoy quirky illustrations, fun facts, and anything to do with the Medieval era.
September 13, 2025
A delightful read, with fun historical quotes and paintings, and a bit too much cringey wine mom humor.
Cat haters be forewarned: medieval Europe and Pope Gregory IX’s punishment for demonizing cats was the black plague.
Shoutout to Jake, Kenzie, and Back Forty Books in Two Harbors for the thoughtful gift.
Cat haters be forewarned: medieval Europe and Pope Gregory IX’s punishment for demonizing cats was the black plague.
Shoutout to Jake, Kenzie, and Back Forty Books in Two Harbors for the thoughtful gift.
August 18, 2025
This was a cute, easy book to flip through.
February 22, 2025
how does one rate a coffee table book of cat pictures and quotes? i had a fun time flipping through so 3 stars seems fair
i enjoyed all the many illustrations of cats in manuscripts and appreciate the level of dedicated research tracking so many down must have taken from the author
pet peeve: we have moved past the need for "people who lived before us were sooo dirty and weirddd haha right?" in the intro. i get that this is aimed at the general public but could've taken a different angle to hook attention imo
all around cute book, a reliable gift for cat lovers and medieval aficionados alike!
i enjoyed all the many illustrations of cats in manuscripts and appreciate the level of dedicated research tracking so many down must have taken from the author
pet peeve: we have moved past the need for "people who lived before us were sooo dirty and weirddd haha right?" in the intro. i get that this is aimed at the general public but could've taken a different angle to hook attention imo
all around cute book, a reliable gift for cat lovers and medieval aficionados alike!
February 4, 2025
First of all, I WILL be purchasing a copy of Medieval Cats when it becomes available to do so! What a fun little book full of the best collection of Cat Art from in and around the Medieval era, complete with facts and anecdotes about living with cats in the time period. Be warned there's also descriptions of some of the ruder things done to cats in those years (see: witch accusations) but quite worth it in the end.
The only thing I could have done without really were the lolcat-esque captions (I did my time! I've been on the internet a long time!) but others may find them charming. Additionally, more cats from similar time periods (if not those years specifically, similar eras?) in places outside of Western Europe (with small mentions of Egypt, of course, and the Middle East) would have been an excellent edition. Sequel maybe?
Thank you to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press | Ten Speed Press for the delightful little book in exchange for review!
The only thing I could have done without really were the lolcat-esque captions (I did my time! I've been on the internet a long time!) but others may find them charming. Additionally, more cats from similar time periods (if not those years specifically, similar eras?) in places outside of Western Europe (with small mentions of Egypt, of course, and the Middle East) would have been an excellent edition. Sequel maybe?
Thank you to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press | Ten Speed Press for the delightful little book in exchange for review!
October 29, 2024
Felids, or cats, are an animal that people tend to love or hate. Regardless, the relationship between humans and cats goes back thousands of years. As such, they are an animal that commonly turn up in portraits and literature, as well as on pottery, and in medieval manuscripts. Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore by Catherine Nappington is a short, yet fun, book that focuses on the depictions of cats in medieval manuscripts. A huge thank you to Ten Speed Press and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.
Medieval manuscripts are beautifully illustrated books, predominantly written on parchment, but in the later medieval period they were written on paper. The production of these manuscripts would have been labour intensive and time consuming. If one stops and takes a moment to look at the images included within manuscripts, it is likely that some interesting images will jump out of the pages.
In Medieval Cats, author Catherine Nappington, has selected a vast array of feline depictions from medieval manuscripts and combined them with a range of cat facts, poetry and literature to create this intriguing book. As someone who loves medieval manuscripts, medieval history, and animals, Medieval Cats was a light and enjoyable read.
Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore is due for publication on the 4th of March 2025.
Medieval manuscripts are beautifully illustrated books, predominantly written on parchment, but in the later medieval period they were written on paper. The production of these manuscripts would have been labour intensive and time consuming. If one stops and takes a moment to look at the images included within manuscripts, it is likely that some interesting images will jump out of the pages.
In Medieval Cats, author Catherine Nappington, has selected a vast array of feline depictions from medieval manuscripts and combined them with a range of cat facts, poetry and literature to create this intriguing book. As someone who loves medieval manuscripts, medieval history, and animals, Medieval Cats was a light and enjoyable read.
Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws and Kitties of Yore is due for publication on the 4th of March 2025.
November 1, 2024
Fun and well illustrated book about, you guessed it… cats in medieval literature. There are plenty of examples from throughout history and the illuminated manuscripts. The author also uses quotes from famous people and authors with some historical facts. The captions under the examples from the manuscripts got to be a bit much.
September 23, 2025
Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws, and Kitties of Yore by Catherine Nappington (if that is your real name...) is a collection of medieval cat paintings and carvings, intertwined with historical cat facts, as well at the etymology of some cat-based phrases and sayings. Will this be a book deeply woven into my memories for years to come? No. Did I have fun and giggle at some of the silly pictures and facts? Absolutely. Definitely a fun book, and can say I learned some new things about cats.
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May 30, 2025I like all the medieval quotes about cats!
August 8, 2025
No notes
January 31, 2025
Cat Kings and Grimalkins. Medieval Cats were an absolute marvel. A 10/10. Remarkable yet reviled across the globe by superstitious folk who’d throw them from bridges? The cats of yore definitely clawed their way to my heart. The book is quite simply just quotes and medieval manuscripts and I love it. If you’re feline particularly keen, I made a kitty-inspired post at:
https://www.instagram.com/share/BAHSd...
https://www.instagram.com/share/BAHSd...
February 5, 2025
I love cats and I love Medieval art, so I was thrilled when the publisher sent me an eARC of this book!
Medieval Cats is such a fun “coffee table” book. There are lots of pictures of cats from various Medieval artworks, along with accompanying text. The text is often tongue-in-cheek or witty, which I think works well in a book like this. There is some informational text as well, relating to cats and cat owners of the time.
This would make a great gift for any cat lover in your life! It’s a fun book you can pick up here and there when you have a few spare minutes. I would recommend getting the physical, because I like to look at artwork when it’s printed, not on my phone or tablet.
Medieval Cats is such a fun “coffee table” book. There are lots of pictures of cats from various Medieval artworks, along with accompanying text. The text is often tongue-in-cheek or witty, which I think works well in a book like this. There is some informational text as well, relating to cats and cat owners of the time.
This would make a great gift for any cat lover in your life! It’s a fun book you can pick up here and there when you have a few spare minutes. I would recommend getting the physical, because I like to look at artwork when it’s printed, not on my phone or tablet.
January 3, 2025
This book is a jumbled mess of funny medieval imagery of cats, random quotes (some not even medieval) and cat puns. It is also filled with sloppy research. For example, Catherine states (p. 62) that the Book of Kells contains "a whole section on kitties called the Catslechtae" and she then includes a quote she misattributes to the Book of Kells. However, the quote on the page is taken directly from a FutureLearn course by Trinity College. This course attempts to explain that at the time of the making of the Book of Kells, cats were appreciated and this is likely why monks included images of cats on its pages. The Book of Kells, however, was a bible and does in no way contain a medieval conduct for owning a cat.
Read
August 19, 2025Content is weak, sparse, and incorrect at times (medieval people did use cutlery, medieval people did wear underwear, just not in a way we would recognize today). Unfortunately there were long-established social practices of torturing and killing cats (and there are pictures within showing this). The organization of this book is extremely poor and the content quickly became contradictory - Nappington reminded us over and over again how cats were considered by hardcore Christian reactionaries as Satan's creatures and ought to be murdered, and yet there are plenty of examples of people loving and cherishing their cats. This was often within pages of each other. Plus the frankly cringey and odd captions got old quite quickly. Though the many mentions of cats within Shakespeare's plays was not something I knew about before going in, so I guess there is that.
However, I think the pictures within are beautiful and in of themselves are often quite funny (several doodles/pictures show cats cleaning themselves, which they are wont to do at the weirdest times). It was impossible to pick one picture that was my favorite. But if I had to pick, it would be the one with the monkeys carefully hugging and petting cats, which is something that still happens today! So yeah, pick it up and look/examine the pictures, but you can mostly skip on the text.
However, I think the pictures within are beautiful and in of themselves are often quite funny (several doodles/pictures show cats cleaning themselves, which they are wont to do at the weirdest times). It was impossible to pick one picture that was my favorite. But if I had to pick, it would be the one with the monkeys carefully hugging and petting cats, which is something that still happens today! So yeah, pick it up and look/examine the pictures, but you can mostly skip on the text.
September 22, 2025
Basically, this book just seems to be random facts about cats in medieval times — with a general non-cat-themed medieval timeline listed close to the end. There’s no structure to the facts. It just feels like whatever came to mind was thrown in haphazardly. It’s not even grouped by timeline or region or anything, as far as I can tell.
Overall, it was somewhat interesting but focused a little too much on the many ways cats got killed in that time. I get that this happened quite a bit in those times, but as a cat owner who was gifted this book, I had been hoping it would be more on the cute and entertaining side of things. The book still aimed for that tone throughout, but it kind of clashed with the random facts of cruelty.
In short, interesting facts but felt a little pointless and at times cruel to read.
Overall, it was somewhat interesting but focused a little too much on the many ways cats got killed in that time. I get that this happened quite a bit in those times, but as a cat owner who was gifted this book, I had been hoping it would be more on the cute and entertaining side of things. The book still aimed for that tone throughout, but it kind of clashed with the random facts of cruelty.
In short, interesting facts but felt a little pointless and at times cruel to read.
February 4, 2025
Preface: I am a huge cat fan, I own a cat, and I love fun facts so I was excited for this book.
The book started off strong with the author dedicating the book to her cats! She also uses funny chapter titles which were entertaining rather than just “chapter 1.” I had high hopes going in since I assumed it would read like a historical book but was surprised it was more of a quick read that is more akin to a coffee table or novelty gift book.
It was hard to ascertain the organization of the book. I kept trying to find a pattern or determine how the author intended it to be organized and I am still unsure. I think it being organized geographically would have been better suited. I wish it was more organized since it would have vastly improved the reading experience.
Throughout, I found some information lacking….I often was googling things mentioned to gain context. In one instance she alludes to cats being blamed for the black death. But that’s it…she doesn’t explain or cite or add any context. I was screaming while reading like why did she not cite the great cat massacre or add any context This happened often and made the book feel incomplete. She also states the title of a famous fable but then wont actually say the fable…so why name it at all. It's just not living up to its potential.
There are lots of cheesy jokes and meme like captions for images of cats in medieval art. It’s giving prof who made memes at the beginning of class and put them in a book. Or like trying too hard to be cool or cringe millennial vibes.
I think this book will be one that you see at Indigo in a year on sale for 10$ that you’ll randomly pickup as a gift or for a quick read. In fact I would buy it as a novelty.
Notes:
The author is a professor of felinology (the study of cats) at Maine University. I was hoping to find if she had research papers or what her accreditations but they don’t show up on Google… perhaps she goes under a different name or I just wasn’t searching very well. I wish I knew her accreditation or just if this book was meant to be a fun project etc.
The book started off strong with the author dedicating the book to her cats! She also uses funny chapter titles which were entertaining rather than just “chapter 1.” I had high hopes going in since I assumed it would read like a historical book but was surprised it was more of a quick read that is more akin to a coffee table or novelty gift book.
It was hard to ascertain the organization of the book. I kept trying to find a pattern or determine how the author intended it to be organized and I am still unsure. I think it being organized geographically would have been better suited. I wish it was more organized since it would have vastly improved the reading experience.
Throughout, I found some information lacking….I often was googling things mentioned to gain context. In one instance she alludes to cats being blamed for the black death. But that’s it…she doesn’t explain or cite or add any context. I was screaming while reading like why did she not cite the great cat massacre or add any context This happened often and made the book feel incomplete. She also states the title of a famous fable but then wont actually say the fable…so why name it at all. It's just not living up to its potential.
There are lots of cheesy jokes and meme like captions for images of cats in medieval art. It’s giving prof who made memes at the beginning of class and put them in a book. Or like trying too hard to be cool or cringe millennial vibes.
I think this book will be one that you see at Indigo in a year on sale for 10$ that you’ll randomly pickup as a gift or for a quick read. In fact I would buy it as a novelty.
Notes:
The author is a professor of felinology (the study of cats) at Maine University. I was hoping to find if she had research papers or what her accreditations but they don’t show up on Google… perhaps she goes under a different name or I just wasn’t searching very well. I wish I knew her accreditation or just if this book was meant to be a fun project etc.
August 18, 2025
What do you call a book full of kitties? A catalog!
Cats for thousands of years have been our friends, our foes, and everything in between. In our feline and human history together, the Medieval Ages were a rough time between our species. Some women blamed their cats for whispering dark evils that led them to murder their husbands. Religious leaders pointed the finger at those nasty demonic cats for The Black Death. While The Medieval Ages were a dark time for both species, this wonderful book is filled with depictions, information, jokes, legends, poems, quotes, and riddles that will suck you in.
I would recommend this book for lovers of all things cat-related, history buffs, and those that are humored by how cats were depicted between 500-1500 CE. One of my favorite depictions of cats is the Kitty Lick, Bibliothèque Municipal, MS 320, f.73, Valenciennes, France, 1280. I was delighted to find out that The Book of Kells has a whole section on cats called the Catslechtae, which is a medieval code of conduct for owning, if such a thing could be said, a cat. There are so many gems within these pages that you need to read it. It is worth the read!
#ThxNetGalley #CatherineNappington #MedievalCats
Merged review:
What do you call a book full of kitties? A catalog!
Cats for thousands of years have been our friends, our foes, and everything in between. In our feline and human history together, the Medieval Ages were a rough time between our species. Some women blamed their cats for whispering dark evils that led them to murder their husbands. Religious leaders pointed the finger at those nasty demonic cats for The Black Death. While The Medieval Ages were a dark time for both species, this wonderful book is filled with depictions, information, jokes, legends, poems, quotes, and riddles that will suck you in.
I would recommend this book for lovers of all things cat-related, history buffs, and those that are humored by how cats were depicted between 500-1500 CE. One of my favorite depictions of cats is the Kitty Lick, Bibliothèque Municipal, MS 320, f.73, Valenciennes, France, 1280. I was delighted to find out that The Book of Kells has a whole section on cats called the Catslechtae, which is a medieval code of conduct for owning, if such a thing could be said, a cat. There are so many gems within these pages that you need to read it. It is worth the read!
#ThxNetGalley #CatherineNappington #MedievalCats
Cats for thousands of years have been our friends, our foes, and everything in between. In our feline and human history together, the Medieval Ages were a rough time between our species. Some women blamed their cats for whispering dark evils that led them to murder their husbands. Religious leaders pointed the finger at those nasty demonic cats for The Black Death. While The Medieval Ages were a dark time for both species, this wonderful book is filled with depictions, information, jokes, legends, poems, quotes, and riddles that will suck you in.
I would recommend this book for lovers of all things cat-related, history buffs, and those that are humored by how cats were depicted between 500-1500 CE. One of my favorite depictions of cats is the Kitty Lick, Bibliothèque Municipal, MS 320, f.73, Valenciennes, France, 1280. I was delighted to find out that The Book of Kells has a whole section on cats called the Catslechtae, which is a medieval code of conduct for owning, if such a thing could be said, a cat. There are so many gems within these pages that you need to read it. It is worth the read!
#ThxNetGalley #CatherineNappington #MedievalCats
Merged review:
What do you call a book full of kitties? A catalog!
Cats for thousands of years have been our friends, our foes, and everything in between. In our feline and human history together, the Medieval Ages were a rough time between our species. Some women blamed their cats for whispering dark evils that led them to murder their husbands. Religious leaders pointed the finger at those nasty demonic cats for The Black Death. While The Medieval Ages were a dark time for both species, this wonderful book is filled with depictions, information, jokes, legends, poems, quotes, and riddles that will suck you in.
I would recommend this book for lovers of all things cat-related, history buffs, and those that are humored by how cats were depicted between 500-1500 CE. One of my favorite depictions of cats is the Kitty Lick, Bibliothèque Municipal, MS 320, f.73, Valenciennes, France, 1280. I was delighted to find out that The Book of Kells has a whole section on cats called the Catslechtae, which is a medieval code of conduct for owning, if such a thing could be said, a cat. There are so many gems within these pages that you need to read it. It is worth the read!
#ThxNetGalley #CatherineNappington #MedievalCats
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March 26, 2025If I could get a book that was nothing but funny medieval cat art then I would be so happy to buy it. Though this book does have the art bit also includes bits of history, folklore, poetry, and other things. If it's from the medieval period of history and discusses cats you may find it in this book.
The only thing that's not medieval is the sentence beneath each image which I'm guessing is supposed to be witty. These sentences usually just described what was happening in the image and I found them more annoying than funny.
I liked most of the art because they're a bit funny but the art on the bottom of certain pages I didn't. These small images are found on the bottom of pages with the qoutes, history, etc. They may look a bit familiar because the picture is found in the bigger images of the artwork. The author just cut out the cat and placed on a blank space and added another one of those annoying sentences.
The artwork was the best part but but there were some fun things to read and learn about so I would say it's an okay book.
There is one thing that bugs me and it's found in the introduction for chapter three. In it the author says that cats were loved by Christians and the cats were killed by fundamentalists and Satanist. She mentions multiple times before that the religious people created a war on cats by portraying them as evil beings working for the devil. I've never heard of any medieval satanists especially ones that were supposedly killing cats. If cats really did work for the devil then I highly doubt that Satanist would be burning them. Maybe I'm just overthinking it and it's just supposed to be humor but it was odd.
The only thing that's not medieval is the sentence beneath each image which I'm guessing is supposed to be witty. These sentences usually just described what was happening in the image and I found them more annoying than funny.
I liked most of the art because they're a bit funny but the art on the bottom of certain pages I didn't. These small images are found on the bottom of pages with the qoutes, history, etc. They may look a bit familiar because the picture is found in the bigger images of the artwork. The author just cut out the cat and placed on a blank space and added another one of those annoying sentences.
The artwork was the best part but but there were some fun things to read and learn about so I would say it's an okay book.
There is one thing that bugs me and it's found in the introduction for chapter three. In it the author says that cats were loved by Christians and the cats were killed by fundamentalists and Satanist. She mentions multiple times before that the religious people created a war on cats by portraying them as evil beings working for the devil. I've never heard of any medieval satanists especially ones that were supposedly killing cats. If cats really did work for the devil then I highly doubt that Satanist would be burning them. Maybe I'm just overthinking it and it's just supposed to be humor but it was odd.
April 4, 2025
3.5 stars
Medieval Cats features cat related riddles, jokes, quotes, facts, fables, fairytales, poems, proverbs, and puns alongside medieval cat drawings and paintings.
Nappington gives us a sprinkle of medieval, sometimes gruesome, cat history combined with pictures that often make you think: Have these people ever seen a real life cat? While I read this book in one sitting, I believe the best way to enjoy Medieval Cats is to take it in small bites. It makes an interesting coffee table book to leave through at your leisure.
As with all humor/satire books some jokes will land and others won't, but overall I enjoyed the tone of this book. Though there were a few things I would have liked to see done differently. For example this book features some very contemporary memes and song lyrics that stand out amongst the medieval tales. The gap between these two is in my opinion too great to be bridged by what this book offers.
Besides that I would have liked a tad more structure from this book. The chapters are not always well defined and the ending came quite suddenly. However this is something that will probably not be as noticeable if you don't read it in one sitting.
Medieval Cats is the book for you if you'd like to learn more about cats in the medieval times with a twist of humour. This book makes a great present for any cat owner or otherwise cat obsessed person.
TW: animal harm, animal torture, animal death, capital punishment
Thank you Ten Speed Press and Catherine Nappington for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Medieval Cats features cat related riddles, jokes, quotes, facts, fables, fairytales, poems, proverbs, and puns alongside medieval cat drawings and paintings.
Nappington gives us a sprinkle of medieval, sometimes gruesome, cat history combined with pictures that often make you think: Have these people ever seen a real life cat? While I read this book in one sitting, I believe the best way to enjoy Medieval Cats is to take it in small bites. It makes an interesting coffee table book to leave through at your leisure.
As with all humor/satire books some jokes will land and others won't, but overall I enjoyed the tone of this book. Though there were a few things I would have liked to see done differently. For example this book features some very contemporary memes and song lyrics that stand out amongst the medieval tales. The gap between these two is in my opinion too great to be bridged by what this book offers.
Besides that I would have liked a tad more structure from this book. The chapters are not always well defined and the ending came quite suddenly. However this is something that will probably not be as noticeable if you don't read it in one sitting.
Medieval Cats is the book for you if you'd like to learn more about cats in the medieval times with a twist of humour. This book makes a great present for any cat owner or otherwise cat obsessed person.
TW: animal harm, animal torture, animal death, capital punishment
Thank you Ten Speed Press and Catherine Nappington for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
February 15, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC on exchange for an honest review.
I'm genuinely so disappointed by this book. I was expecting a fun, educational book about cats in the medieval period. I was expecting to learn about their presence in art. Instead I got puns, bad jokes and memes adapted to become a catpun. They're usually not funny. In between we have some genuinely interesting art pieces, with pretty much no information about them given. In between the pictures and the bad jokes we have some quotes from other authors who mentioned cats, with a small comment (or joke).
I didn't learn anything. Near the end we get a random timeline with "dates to remember" and the dates have absolutely nothing to do with cats??? And there's no extra information about the dates either. There's is very little information in this book in general.
This is not an informative book about cats
This is not an informative book about medieval art
And it's definitely not an informative book about cats in medieval art.
It is a collection of bad jokes and hostorical cat pictures, like a medieval tiktok in a way. I don't even have a modern tiktok account.
In my humble opinion this book is great as a gag-gift for a cat lover in your life. That's really about it. I hope the publisher will market this as comedy/funny (even if I didn't find it funny at all), rather than educational because there's NO INFORMATION.
I guess the name of our "Professor Catherine Nappington" should have been a giveaway as it's cats and naps. Sigh. I was so excited for this one too. Huge letdown.
I'm genuinely so disappointed by this book. I was expecting a fun, educational book about cats in the medieval period. I was expecting to learn about their presence in art. Instead I got puns, bad jokes and memes adapted to become a catpun. They're usually not funny. In between we have some genuinely interesting art pieces, with pretty much no information about them given. In between the pictures and the bad jokes we have some quotes from other authors who mentioned cats, with a small comment (or joke).
I didn't learn anything. Near the end we get a random timeline with "dates to remember" and the dates have absolutely nothing to do with cats??? And there's no extra information about the dates either. There's is very little information in this book in general.
This is not an informative book about cats
This is not an informative book about medieval art
And it's definitely not an informative book about cats in medieval art.
It is a collection of bad jokes and hostorical cat pictures, like a medieval tiktok in a way. I don't even have a modern tiktok account.
In my humble opinion this book is great as a gag-gift for a cat lover in your life. That's really about it. I hope the publisher will market this as comedy/funny (even if I didn't find it funny at all), rather than educational because there's NO INFORMATION.
I guess the name of our "Professor Catherine Nappington" should have been a giveaway as it's cats and naps. Sigh. I was so excited for this one too. Huge letdown.
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