What is it about cats that so fascinates humankind? Those who love them extol their fiercely independent natures, their lithe and beautiful lines, intelligence, and adaptability. They show endlessly cute pictures of kittens and cats playing, purring, cuddling, and meowing. On the other hand, I have seen Facebook posts where cat haters talk about how stealthy, unintelligent, nasty, and evil they are. Those people describe some of the things they would do if a cat was ever unlucky enough to sneak in their houses. That kind of polarity has been around for eons. The Egyptians adored them and medieval Europeans thought they were companions of witches and devils, (especially the black cats), even going so far as to hunting and killing them. Ironic, considering that this ‘catricide’ was at the same time as the bubonic plague, a disease spread by rats.

The history of the domestic cat is still shrouded in mystery, although scientists and historians are finding out more and more about our feline companions. At first, it was believed cats were domesticated about 8,000 years ago. Now, according to an article on Smithsonian.com, it was most likely 12,000 years ago that the love affair began between cats and people. That still makes the domestic cat a newer phenomenon than the domestic dog. The belief is that dogs were useful to people who had to hunt to survive, whereas cats became useful when people began settling down, farming, and storing their crops. According to Carlos Driscoll, one of those studying the history of domestic cats, “…cats sort of domesticated themselves.”

In the perfect symbiotic relationship of the distant past, humans were delighted with their feline vermin hunters. It is believed that over time, people began to favor cats with more docile traits, particular colors and coats, and the various breeds of domestic cats were born. In the United States, cats are the most popular pet, with about 90 million cats in 34% of households. Pretty good for a pet that is considered aloof and independent.

And the idea that cats are only ‘in it for themselves’ or that they can’t be trained has come under scrutiny lately, too. Look at the example of Tara, the kitty from Bakersfield, California, who body-slammed a large neighborhood dog attacking her 4 year-old human. She even chased him out of the yard. There was also a story about a little calico who jumped in the middle of a group of pit bulls that had surrounded and bit her 97 year-old owner. The kitty led them on a merry chase, allowing the old woman to escape to her house. (The cat survived as well.)

As to training cats, yes, they do require different tactics and more patience than with dogs, but if you look up Didga, the cat, on YouTube, you will find that her owner, Robert Dollwet has scads of videos showing how he trained Didga, and several other cats, for that matter. For the record, (Guinness World Records, 2017), Didga is listed as performing the most tricks by a cat in a minute. And it’s not just a few. At last count, it was a couple of dozen.

Which is why I finally wrote a fiction book about cats. The main characters weren’t just any cats, but based on several cats from my past. The protagonist of Realms of the Cat is TB (short for Toe Biter). The real TB was a spunky, adventurous black cat who could get along with dogs or tell them off, whichever was appropriate, and had among his companions a rabbit and a crow. Melvin, an older grey tabby, was his buddy. He was a bit fat, sometimes lazy, but willing to mentor the fuzzy little black kitten and try to keep him out of trouble. Both brought their quirks to my fantasy story where they went across “alternate universes” to save their kidnapped human girl.
And before anyone thinks I am a cat lover/dog hater, that isn’t so. Realms of the Cat has a wonderful dog protagonist named Butch, based on another pet I owned. I have written several books, but this was the first one where the main characters were animals. It was a joy writing about them and extolling their virtues. I only exaggerated a little! I promise.

Susan Kite is the author of Realms of the Cat, (published last summer) and four other middle grade/young adult fiction books: The Mendel Experiment trilogy (science fiction), and My House of Dreams, (historical fiction).