Interesting. Twain/Clemens was definitely a cat person. Despite protesting a bit much that he didn’t, it seems he liked dogs well enough (never trust somebody who hates dogs, btw), but he identified with cats much more closely. He was of the school that wonders how you can respect a creature that loves humans unconditionally. He also didn’t like barking.
Even if he couldn’t respect them fully, he did appreciate their good nature, and especially in his older years where his writing developed a particularly acerbic streak of misanthropy, he constantly compared them favorably to humans:
The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.
Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
And, after his daughter died (epilepsy), he spent his last few months with her German Shepherd as his frequent companion.
I do not like dogs, because they bark when there is no occasion for it; but I have liked this one from the beginning, because he belonged to Jean… The dog came to see me at eight o’clock this morning. He was very affectionate, poor orphan! My room will be his quarters hereafter.
One thing I’m pretty confident he didn’t say is “The more I learn of men, the more I like my dog.” While it’s in character with some of the other quotes, it had been going around as a French witticism since the 1700s and eventually got attributed to Twain not long after his death.
That’s how I feel about cats, dogs, and people too.
Feels like a good enough reason to share a picture of my little dumbass. He was striking a pose, because he’s a himbo.
Thank you. Here. She’s a dumbass too.
I also bring offerings of my mum’s cat. He’s actually a very smart little man, but he is… odd. I think he’s autistic.
Cats have a tendency to need personal space at times and you can tell a lot about someone regarding whether or not they respect that space.
Agree with you. If you want to pet a cat you HAVE to learn their body language. You either would scare them away, or learn it the hard way. I’ve aways thought cats are actually pretty great way to teach consent.
And you have to respect the fact it’s super unintuitive 😂. Community cat here would come running towards me the second I make eye contact. But once I tried petting it when it was resting on a scooter. Immediately got hissed at. Never did it again.
A man’s treatment of a dog is no indication of the man’s nature, but his treatment of a cat is. It is the crucial test. None but the humane treat a cat well.
-Mark Twain
That’s a good thought.
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I can’t be friends with a cat, my children wouldn’t allow it.
My children:
(They’re adopted. And only the two on the left, the light one is our friend and guest)
One of my closest friendships was founded on both of us had cats.
Spent a couple hours sitting by a fire in my friends back yard with their cat in my lap a couple weeks ago. Best time I’ve had on a while.
Not sure you want to aspire to Twain as a person
