Cat Poems

by New Directions

A gorgeous gift edition, dedicated to the mystery, grace, and charm of the cat  Across the ages, cats have provided their adopted humans with companionship, affection, mystery, and innumerable metaphors; cats cast a mirror on their beholders; cats endlessly captivate and hypnotize, frustrate and delight. And to poets, in particular, these enigmatic creatures are the most delightful and beguiling of muses (Charles “the sole source of amusement in one’s lodgings”) as they go about purring, prowling, hunting, playing, meowing, and napping, often oblivious to their so-called masters (Jorge Luis “you live in other time, lord of your realm―a world as closed and separate as a dream”). Cat Poems offers a litter of odes to our beloved felines by Charles Baudelaire, Stevie Smith, Christopher Smart, Denise Levertov, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Rainer Maria Rilke, Muriel Spark, William Carlos Williams, Ezra Pound, and many others. 

Genres: Poetry, Cats, Nonfiction, Animals

112 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2018

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello there, it’s the cats again. Don’t worry, nothing cat-astrophic has happened to s.penkevich, they are feline fine but we felt they should take a break and so we stomped across the keyboard (not unusual for us) to bring you another review from a cat’s eye view of literature. You’ve all been probably wondering “what do cats think of poetry?” You’ve probably lost sleep over this important mystery, so we are here to assure you that cats do indeed love poetry. ESPECIALLY poetry about cats, such as you’ll find here in Cat Poems, a cute little pocket sized book edited by Tynan Kogane. It’s a quaint and rather eclectic cat-alogue of poems with many familiar names (and a few rather well known poems like The Owl and the Pussycat) like Emily Dickinson, William Carlos Williams, W.B. Yeats or Rainer Maria Rilke, but New Direction publishing pulled out some more niche poets that we were really thrilled to see like Nicanor Parra, Fernando Pessoa, and we were certainly thrilled that one of s.’ favorite writers, Roberto Bolaño, was included.

‘My ideal cat has always had a huge rat in it’s mouth, just going out of sight’ wrote Emily Dickinson and we’d like to say YES, let us have rats. Let us have our fun, Emily gets it. There’s some wonderful poems in here about how cute and cuddly we are, bestowing the love we damned well deserve in some lovely poetic wrappings. We also appreciate the poems that acknowledge that cats are superior and do what we want. ‘I control the mice with a cat,’ Franz Kafka writes, ‘but how shall I control the cat?’ You can’t, fool. We rule, you’ll have to get used to it. Muriel Spark gets it, she even wrote that had she not been christian ‘I would worship the cat.’ Bow down, mortal humans. Gavin Ewart even provides a sonnet on such matters, the first stanza goes as follows:
Cat sentimentality is a human thing. Cats
are indifferent, their minds can't comprehend
the concept 'I shall die', they just go on living.
Death is more foreign to their thought than
to us the idea of a lime-green lobster. That's
why holding these warm containers of purring fur
is poignant, that they just don't know.
Life is in them, like the brandy in the bottle.

Like brandy in the bottle, baby. And not to complain but we do comprehend death. We just don’t care. THAT SAID, there are a few poets here who don’t seem to appreciate our superiority and pure lovability. William Carlos Williams even writes ‘I wish you had not come here.’ Okay, rude. And take this little scrawling by Kenneth Rexroth for instance:
There are too many poems
About cats. Beware of cat
Lovers, they have a hidden
Frustration somewhere and will
stick you with it if they can.

Okay, Kenneth, first of all fuck you. Secondly…no actually that sums it up. Go back to James Laughlin talking about leaving poets at his beloved’s feet like a cat leaves the thoughtful gift of a dead mouse. He gets it. Or Ezra Pound saying our purring is ‘both stimulating and delightful.’ Thanks, buddy.

But cat lovers, we give this little anthology two paws up in recommendation to you!
Love,
Marlowe and Flame
xxx

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite renown poets such as Emily Dickinson, Edward Lear, Elizabeth Bishop, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ezra Pound, Carles Baudelaire, and others this collection did not elate, inspire, or provide any emotional response. Was it the selection? The editing? It certainly was not the subject. I love cats! Aesthetically, I was charmed by the front and back covers of a cat and the size of the book.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t quite know what to make of this little collection of poems. I would love to know more about the process by which the poems were selected: obviously, these poems all involve cats in some way, but if there was anything else at all that guided the process, I can’t figure out what it is. Not all the poems even seem to have been written by people who liked cats. Some of the poems are beautiful, but others are disturbing, and few are just odd. I also can’t seem to find any sort of intent or continuity with regard to source. There are some modern poems, and some from the 18th and 19th centuries; I don’t know if there are any older than that. There was no information given about the poems or the authors (except to list a translator) so all I know of the poem’s ages comes from my own background knowledge. A few poems have been translated from other languages, but there doesn’t seem to have been any particular effort to include a broad sample or a certain number of countries or regions.

There is one children’s poem, “The Owl and the Pussycat,” and I was delighted to find it so unexpectedly. By the time I reached the end of the volume, however, the poem about the dead cat, the poem that gives a sad reimagining of a classic nursery rhyme cat, the poem about the person who is disgusted with cats, and the poem about the cat-owner who would like to kill her cat had all dampened my enthusiasm considerably. I understand that this poem book isn’t meant as an ode to cats, but rather as a collection of various depictions of cats in different countries, centuries, and languages; but the bizarre nature of the collection and its overall effect were a bit disappointing. Sometimes anthologies take bits and pieces from all over and craft them into a meaningful, beautiful, poignant whole. Here, however, the many pieces seem disjointed, and they don’t seem to make more than the some of their parts. Something feels lacking overall.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A purring collection of cat poems, for the cat lover.

Although purchased as a gift for a friend, I read through this little collection and enjoyed the diversity of authorship - so many people writing about cats! William Carlos Williams, Denise Levertov, Emily Dickinson, Franz Kafka, Ezra Pound. . .but my favorite remains Edward Lear's offering: The Owl and the Pussycat.

A sweet bunch of words tied up with a purring topic that will please many and make a few sneeze and itch.

4 starrrrrrrrrs. (rolling r's please)

[Brianna Rickard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very diverse collection of poems, almost all are translated from various languages. Though I enjoyed most of the poems housed in this tiny book, I felt that they did not flow well as a whole. Though the binding is adorable and compact, I did find it tricky to read the book and set it down.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat poems, what’s not to love?

[Casper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this but I am a little biased because I am a sucker for anything cat related. I read this allowed to my cat Keerin and he seemed to really love this book as well

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, mostly a charming little collection of feline poems. Some of the poems left me in a haze of nostalgia and wonder. I was surprised by how long it took me to get through this collection; most poems offered much to appreciate or decipher.

I was a little shocked, however, that some of the cat poems expressed pretty noticeable disdain for cats (some wanted to kill cats??) or portrayed cats rather negatively. So, ***pro tip for the editor: the audience of this collection will be cat lovers/worshipers, so, uh, tailor accordingly…***

Note: I plan to read more Baudelaire, since his poems in this collection were consistently stellar.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book with a bunch of poems about cats from different authors, I read this on a flight and it made me miss my little buggers at home haha, my favorite one was probably “The Flying Petunias” by James Tate, it made me chuckle.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Ed C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too short a book of wondrous poems about gods most wonderful angels….

Honestly such a cute and petite little poem collection about all manner of pet cat….

A treat to read.

[⊹₊⋆Sydney⊹₊⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3/5 stars not the best poetry book, but I just love it because of the cat sleeping and eating references. Because me too.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

How could a collection of poems about cats, all written by very good poets, be just meh? Nice cover art though.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meowwwww.

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I don't really like poetry or maybe I just didn't like these poems. It was an ok collection but there were really only 4 or 5 that I actually enjoyed. Some seemed like a bit of a stretch to include. An ok book, but one I doubt I will pick up again.

[Kyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly thought this was one of the better collections on such a specific subject I've read. All different, but all clearly with a heart for cats in one way or the other!

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

With descriptions of cats like "fur-petalled chrysanthemum, squirrel-killer" and
"warm containers of purring fur," how could I not be immediately drawn to pick up this little book when looking down the barrel of 90 minutes at the register?!

Recommended readings include (for varying degrees of amusement and quality writing):
- "Sonnet: Cat Logic"
- "Friskers, or, Gods and Men"
- "The Cat" (by Ferlinghetti)
- "The Galloping Cat"
- "You Know How a Cat"
- "Little Fable"
- "To a College Cat"
- from "The Retired Cat"

My final takeaway is this passage, which really sums up how I feel about my cats tbh:
"Shall I choke you, Cat,
Or kiss you?
Really I do not know."

[Briana V · Rating 1 out of 5]

This had to be AI compiled. There is no way someone didn’t just have a computer compile poems in the public domain that mention the word cat without checking what it picked. Several poems were not about cats at all and merely mentioned them as a descriptor of something else. Others were incredibly unpleasant to read as a cat lover, which is who the audience presumably is for this collection. Don’t waste your time and don’t be fooled by the adorable cat on the cover, this collection is not good.

[Beth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poems like childhood favorite THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT and new-to-me selections by Stevie Smith and Muriel Spark bring delight, but I cast a suspicious eye at the poets whose pieces reveal they don't understand or aren't truly intrigued by the beasts. A mixed bag!

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good little book. Though it didn't include "Pangur Ban!"

[Jamie Chiang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stumbled upon this book at Powell’s Bookstore in Portland. Love the Illustration on the cover, the papers it’s printed on and the used font. I love the design:)

[Ariestess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little book of cat poems. Good, easy, fun read.

[Carissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few good poems, but most of these were pretty mediocre. I definitely wanted more from a poetry collection dedicated to five of my closest furry friends.

[Joseph Dante · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love cats and we know for a fact that many, many writers love cats too, but this selection was rather disappointing. The best ones were probably the ones by Charles Baudelaire, Amy Lowell, William Carlos Williams, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. I feel like there was more of a focus on finding cat poems by famous writers rather than having a book of quality cat poems. Oh well.

I can assure you, there are many good cat poems out there though! For example, here is "February" by Margaret Atwood:

Winter. Time to eat fat
and watch hockey. In the pewter mornings, the cat,
a black fur sausage with yellow
Houdini eyes, jumps up on the bed and tries
to get onto my head. It’s his
way of telling whether or not I’m dead.
If I’m not, he wants to be scratched; if I am
He’ll think of something. He settles
on my chest, breathing his breath
of burped-up meat and musty sofas,
purring like a washboard. Some other tomcat,
not yet a capon, has been spraying our front door,
declaring war. It’s all about sex and territory,
which are what will finish us off
in the long run. Some cat owners around here
should snip a few testicles. If we wise
hominids were sensible, we’d do that too,
or eat our young, like sharks.
But it’s love that does us in. Over and over
again, He shoots, he scores! and famine
crouches in the bedsheets, ambushing the pulsing
eiderdown, and the windchill factor hits
thirty below, and pollution pours
out of our chimneys to keep us warm.
February, month of despair,
with a skewered heart in the centre.
I think dire thoughts, and lust for French fries
with a splash of vinegar.
Cat, enough of your greedy whining
and your small pink bumhole.
Off my face! You’re the life principle,
more or less, so get going
on a little optimism around here.
Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring.

[Fern · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this one. It’s engaging but approachable enough to share and read aloud with people who aren’t “poetry people” but still quixotic and playful. The scansion and structure of each varies widely, and visually it’s just a pleasure. Love the font, not corny but sort of classical and askew simultaneously. Like cats you can read these again and again, but there’s always something new! I just wish it was a longer or there were other volumes by the same editor, and there were more contemporary authors. Other bonus: tiny enough to carry, or put in the mail to a buddy.

[Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The theme of this little collection is true to title, but the poems aren’t all fanfare. A number of the poems are antagonistic, and Pulitzer-winning poet Amy Lowell expresses some discomforting ambivalence about violence toward her pet—just a spark of dark wit, I hope (for Winky’s sake). Perhaps because of the dark, unexpectedly snide selections, those side swipes and rankled gripes, I really enjoyed the collection as a whole. It struck not just one note, but many. Especially loved the entries by William Carlos Williams, Pound, Lowell, Christopher Smart, and Yeats.

[Kristi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible selection of "cat" poems. Some had one mention of a cat. Another addressed castration - not exactly what I wanted to find. Very disappointing. Apparently Tynan Kogane could not get to print great poems. Most are in the public domain. "The Owl and the Pussycat" was the only poem I enjoyed. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Scott Delgado · Rating 3 out of 5]

They are poems...about cats. You get what it says. Heh heh. Some are good, and some are a bit too artsy. I think I preferred the ones that were not translated from other languages. Poetry sometimes can lose its flow when translated, even if the words and intent remain. Overall, this was a sweet little book that I'm sure any cat lover will enjoy.

[Caleb Sommerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read poetry, and I am completely fine with cats. This was included in a "light reading" bundle from Wise Blood Books here in KC, so why not?
It was warm and snuggly and kind of aloof, just like a cat.

[Marcos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want in my own home:
A wife of sound reason
A cat among the books
Friends in every season
Without which I cannot live.

-Guillaume Apollinaire

(Cmon, I’m behind on my reading goal and I gotta juice the numbers.)