Cat Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine

by Kristen J. Sollee, Morgan Claire Siréne (Illustrations)

“No one writes about the subjects of sexuality, desire, the shadow, and diabolism with such relish, and when I read her words I feel both smarter and less afraid of my own ‘tabooed’ feelings and thoughts. Like a cat, Kristen sees in the dark, as she guides us gracefully forward with her vision of unapologetic, feminine power.” —From the Foreword by Pam Grossman, author of Waking the Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power The A sensual shapeshifter. A hearth keeper, aloof, tail aloft, stalking vermin. A satanic accomplice. A beloved familiar. A social media darling. A euphemism for reproductive parts. An epithet for the weak. A knitted—and contested—hat on millions of marchers, fists in the air, pink pointed ears poking skyward. Cats and cat references are ubiquitous in art, pop culture, politics, and the occult, and throughout history, they have most often been coded female. From the “crazy cat lady” unbowed by patriarchal prescriptions to the coveted sex kitten to the dreadful crone and her yowling compatriot, feminine feline archetypes reveal the ways in which women have been revered and reviled around the world—in Greek and Egyptian mythology, the European witch trials, Japanese folklore, and contemporary film. By combining historical research, pop culture, art analyses, and original interviews, Cat Call explores the cat and its indivisible connection to femininity and teases out how this connection can help us better understand the relationship between myth, history, magic, womanhood in the digital age, and our beloved, clawed companions.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Cats, Witchcraft, Audiobook, Gender and Sexuality, Spirituality

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2019

About the author

Kristen J. Sollée is a writer, curator, educator and witch raconteur exploring the crossroads of myth, history, and occulture. Her first book, Witches, Sluts, Feminists, was chosen by the New York Public Library as an Essential Read on Feminism for Adults. Over the past decade, Kristen’s words and work have also appeared on NPR and in National Geographic, Teen Vogue, The Times Literary Supplement, Atlas Obscura, Cunning Folk, NYLON, Rue Morgue, and Dazed, among others. She is currently ensconced in a rural writer’s crypt working on occult fiction under the watchful eye of a British Shorthair named Cherie.

Reviews

[Kathleen Martens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A smart, witty, fascinating and accessible exploration of the cat archetype throughout history. I'm not particularly a cat lover, but I loved Cat Call. I learned, I laughed, I was stunned by the encoding of cat and woman throughout world history, literature, the arts and pop culture. Although it's been quite some time since I've personally received a "cat call" from a man on my way to work or play, I did get this Cat Call.

[Lisa Basile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this blurb for the book, and d*mnit, I stand by it. Love this book. SUCH an engrossing, empowering, and brilliant read.

Cat Call is the necessary text that links the feline, the feminine, and the magical. In many ways, it’s the cat lover’s modern epic poem, an ode to the many sacred archetypes we can all tap into — the feral, the fear-inducing, the autonomous. From Venice’s “kitten-carrying drag queens” to the necromancer cat of Japan, Sollée treats her readers to the delicious mythos of the cat, with meticulous research and gorgeous prose. For any cat lover or witch, this book is a feverish examination of the feline in our dreams and in our lives — and within ourselves. Page by page, you’ll tap into your most catty, feral, transgressive self — caught with the delicious story of the cat between your claws.

[Emily]

Who couldn’t enjoy a book that asks “we know cats are sluts, but why are they kinky?”

(I also ran into six cats while listening to this book over two walks. SPOOKY)

[Jamie Zaccaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the right balance of light-hearted and deep; this one explores a myriad of topics relating to women, cats, feminism and sexuality. A fascinating read.

[Mallory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I misinterpreted the synopsis but I was thinking this would involve more of a breakdown on how all these cat stereotypes came to be. To an extent, there was a breakdown on the crazy cat lady and certain cat related sex stereotypes. However, I felt there was a lot of focus on witches and cats, which is fine, but it seemed to occur repeatedly throughout the book and was just not what I expected to be the main content (maybe that’s silly given the other book by this author).

Overall, some chapters were pretty good and gave me what I was looking for, but other chapters felt almost pointless and contained so many basically opinion-based quotes that I didn’t feel I was getting much out of it.

[Tobi ﾄﾋﾞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super interesting, but I felt that it was a bit repetitive as it went on. I think writing it in a different structure or order would’ve helped, shorter and more concise, because by a quarter of the way through I was like …. Ok…. I get it ……

[Dagger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun pop-feminist read with a lot of interesting facts and anecdotes—I enjoyed myself, and walked away with some fun information to share—but not much serious analysis. Some major gaps in the content suggest Sollee is not particularly interested in doing that analysis.

Most glaringly, for the book’s many mentions of cats used for protest, propaganda, and personal empowerment, I don’t think Solle even once attempts to assess the actual impact of these attempts. Did the p*ssyhat, W.I.T.C.H., and pet-focused tarot readings accomplish any type of measurable, material success? What does personal empowerment actually mean beyond a subjective sense of confidence? Were some of the methods Sollee describes more effective or impactful than others? Sollee doesn’t engage with or even gesture toward any of these questions.

Although Sollee does some intersectional-feminist posturing and touts the worldwide/cross-cultural ubiquity of some cat tropes, her focus is almost exclusively white, cisgender, American, and conventionally feminine. She drops in examples of cats in Eastern and nonwhite cultures every now and then, but examines them exclusively through a white, Western lens. The chapter on Hello Kitty, for example, is written entirely from white, American women’s perspectives despite the phenomenon’s Japanese heritage and despite the fact that Sollee traveled to Japan to study it. Not that there’s anything wrong with focusing more narrowly on cats in Western culture; I just wish Sollee had owned that that’s what she was doing, and maybe replaced some of the weaker, less relevant content with a deeper dive into areas more in her wheelhouse.

In addition, Sollee’s examples seem cherrypicked to support a particular type of uniform cat culture: feminine but not domesticated, feral but not violent, sexual but not pornographic—even, somehow, in the chapter on a porn convention—and her text fails to mention or engage with feline cultural touchstones that don’t fit her vibe. Conspicuously missing, without a single mention, are the massively influential, masculine cats our generation grew up on: the bloodthirsty clans of Warriors, Felidae’s Francis and Claudandus, Germans represented as cats in Pulitzer-winning Maus, Thundercats, Swat Kats, Cats the musical, the male-dominated casts of The Aristocats and The Lion King, and regal male cats from Bagheera to Aslan, who were a staple of cartoons and adventure stories.

Not a bad read, just not a heavy hitter if you’re looking for theory.

[catalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encantaría ponerle más, pero la falta de crítica (realmente) feminista a la industria del porno, el trabajo sexual y la comunidad del BDSM/kinks le quita todo lo bueno que tiene. No podí escribir un libro, decir que es feminista y ni siquiera cuestionar lo inherentemente machista de cada uno de estos elementos y catalogarlos como subversivos porque se salen de la norma del sexo vainilla xd.

Por un momento pensé en dejarlo pasar y darle el beneficio de la duda, pero el hecho de que la autora le dedicó todo un capítulo a Hello Kitty hablando de cómo, por un lado, fomenta la feminidad tradicional y, por el otro, representa una figura subversiva, donde incluso cuestiona qué tan subversivo puede ser un personaje creado por una empresa billonaria, y que no pudo hacer lo mismo cuando se habla de sexo (que es más de la mitad de todo el libro), me di cuenta que la autora realmente cree que todo lo que no es sexo hombre-mujer, vainilla y misionero es disruptivo y feminista.

Vean esta wea sobre los "Oscar" del cine porno xd: "As Angela White said when she took the stage to win Female Performer of the Year at the AVN awards show: “Our industry is innovative, it’s progressive, and it’s inclusive, and ultimately, it’s important. What we do has a positive impact on people’s lives.” Kayden Kross, who won the title for Best Director, offered a similar sentiment about the power of pornography and spoke out about the backlash she has faced for her work."

Y esto: "The stigma and at times deadly consequences faced by sex workers today can be compared to the persecution that women accused of witchcraft—and sometimes their cats—encountered during the witch hunts".

[Naomi C. Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The information contained within this book is awesome. However, I found it hard to read until the last 1/3 or so of the book. It reads a lot like a newspaper or magazine article that is trying to also be a textbook. The writing (or editing, perhaps?) style seemed to change in the last third-ish of the book and it was much more engaging. I think the information in this book is great, but it's not a sit-down-and-relax easy read. This would make a great textbook for a women's studies course.

[Kelsey Drover · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person obsessed with her cat, with interests in feminism and witchcraft, this book was a homerun! My second book from this author and both have been excellent and informative reads. If you're curious on how cats and the car archetype relate to women, witches and feminism, I highly recommend this book!!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a cat lover and owner and witch I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it, but it was not as transformatively powerful as my experience with Witches, Sluts and Feminists was. I recommend for women/femmes who are wanting to investigate their connection to wild selves who are early on their journey and to witches who like to learn about cats!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

What mirror’s the aesthetic of being sexually active and what is interpreted as feline characteristics: how both are entwined within the descriptions of what it is to be seductive, magical and take on the power of our female essence and form.
A decent read with pop culture and historical references.

[Kris]

I really wanted to like this book. I love the idea of it but the narrative voice didn't resonate with me which was a bummer. I gave it a few tries but eventually gave up and sent this book off with a friend to see if they would like it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly comprehensive analysis of how cats have been linked to women and femmes throughout history. Sollee writes with clarity and inclusivity and offers a great variety of examples to illustrate her points.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great analysis of the cat archetype within Feminism and the larger societal stereotypes of women.

[Torro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the concept and the philosophy however the writing gets lost in quotes and who said what about who. 2.5 stars

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this book but unfortunately it didn’t make the cut. I ended up skimming the book for the interesting bits which, unfortunately, were few and far between.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the topics were interesting but it almost felt like there were too many packed into one book. I would've liked to read detailed discussions on each of the concepts (some could be their own book entirely), but I guess this functioned well as an introduction to each of those ideas.

[ToriBeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, I really wanted to love this book but it just fell a bit flat for me. I really enjoyed the chapters exploring the myths and legends about women and cats. I think considering this book is aimed towards cat lovers, there should have been a warning when it came to graphic descriptions of animal abuse.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update 01/16/24: Given the fact I think about this book twice a week, I think I can rate it now.

I’m really unsure on how to rate this. While I feel like I did learn a lot, I still wish it was longer.