Cats in Medieval Manuscripts

British Library Medieval Guides

by Kathleen Walker-Meikle

Cats were illustrated in medieval manuscripts throughout the Middle Ages, often in exquisite detail and frequently accompanied by their natural prey, mice. Medieval cats were viewed as treasured pets, as fearsome mousers, as canny characters in fables, as associates of the Devil, and as magical creatures. Featuring an array of fascinating illustrations from the British Library's rich medieval collection, Cats in Medieval Manuscripts includes anecdotes about cats—both real and imaginary—to provide a fascinating picture of the life of the cat and its relationship with humans during the Medieval period. A great gift for all cat-lovers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Art, Cats, Medieval, Animals, Medieval History

96 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[emma]

i now know cool cat facts

[xylatra]

Under 100 pages and I've seen some interesting art, read some interesting facts, and I know countless ways that people in medieval times tortured, abused, and killed cats. It doesn't hold back; I know more than I ever wanted to know about that, and I already knew a fair bit.

It isn't the books fault that all that happened - it's just giving me the facts of the time. But this was given to me as a gift for a special occassion, so I went into this all sweet-summer-child happy, thinking of the funny medieval cat memes, and now I'm sad...

It's a really beautiful little British Library hardback, gorgeously presented with high quality prints, and a signficant chunk of it's contents are just absolutely horrifying. It details how cats were viewed and treated during that time, and a lot of it was uncompromisingly evil. I wish I'd have known that going in, so take this review as a heads-up just in case you're someone who loves cats, is in the mood for a cute cat book, and might be in a good mood before cracking this one open.

It's ironic that much of the abuse of cats happened under the superstitious comparison of cats to the Devil.

The way their torment was sought to be justified said much more about the evil of mankind than it ever could about cats.

[historic_chronicles]

Cats have dazzled the human population for centuries. From their status as beloved pets and companions, skilled hunters, cunning characters in the world's favourite literature, and even their darker association with witchcraft and the Devil himself, the cat has been a figure never far from the human world.

Kathleen Walker-Meikle takes a light-hearted investigation into the relationship between the cat and the human during the medieval period by exploring their history through illustrated manuscripts. Often recorded alongside their natural prey, mice, this is a unique perspective on medieval history utilising archival sources.

Vibrant, fun and entertaining, the author is engaging with supplying the reader with many fascinating cat-related facts that will leave you ready to pass on your newly learned information to your friends and family! ("Did you know....?")

A perfectly delightful book, I wish I had read this much sooner than I did.

[Erika]

「猫礼賛祭壇展」に行って、中世的絵なのに猫がちゃんとリアルに描かれている楽しい違和感を体験したので、今度は「ちゃんと中世的に変な猫の絵を見たい」と思って借りた。

中世ヨーロッパでの猫の立ち位置がさらっと描かれていて楽しい本だった。

[Claire Blackshaw]

Very easy to dip into, a fun read with fun information and great examples from archives.

Picked this up after going to a great talk from the author at the British Library a few years ago. Was recently reminded of it on my shelf when a friend and I started reading another book. It is a delightful little reference book with wonderful examples and bits from the archives. Most of the highlights I remember from her talk but the book was a delight to read and I would encourage it as a gift for a cat lover in your life or just a fun coffee table book.

[Mehmet Dönmez]

Genuine and exquisite. Combo for a catlover and medieval illustration / miniature fan like me. Nice illustrations, excellent print and very fun examples from medieval beastries. Pure gem!

[Jodi]

Dieses Buch ist das perfekte Geschenk für jene, die wenig lesen, aber Katzen und ggf. auch die mittelalterliche Zeit mögen. Es ist ein qualitativ hochwertig hergestelltes Büchlein, das die wichtigsten Aussagen Walker-Meikles aus "Medieval Pets" über Katzen in sich vereint. Durchgehend farbig gedruckt, das Papier dick und glänzend, dazu kurze Texte darüber, wie das kätzische Leben im Mittelalter ausgesehen hat. Ich habe mir das Büchlein selbst geschenkt und bin begeistert davon.

[Lyra Lavinia Bee]

Read on long car journey. Very amusing. Highly recommend. Favourite part was when the Cistercian monks accused the Cathars of worshipping a giant black cat devil that descend a pole into hell and they were obliged to kiss it all around its tail and rear end.

[Tosca Wijns-Van Eeden]

A coffee-table book. Lovely vibrant colours of pictures. Funny stories and facts. Unfortunately I had hoped it would be a bit more scientific.

[Amanda]

Cute and informative little book!

[T]

An interesting collection of anecdotes concerning cats in medieval societies.

[lifewithcats]

didn’t expect to read this but now i know random stuff about cats. was surprisingly interesting and easy to read.

[Bridget]

Lovely layout and pictures, and a fun selection of facts.

[Skye Knights]

An interesting and informative read of cats throughout history as well as their stigmas and reputations. It did however seem a bit random in places.

[KG]

It’s full of cats! A short but interesting read, almost more like a coffee table book really.

[Jbondandrews]

This is similar to another medieval cats book but enjoyable nonetheless.

[Anlubali]

ეს ყველაზე კარგია