Poems About Cats
Purrrr-ty Poems . . .
The reason for this page is simple. I love poetry and I love cats. Many poets have written about our feline friends and some are presented here in traditional and contemporary verse. Enjoy!
"Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience." ~ Pam Brown ~
The Cat and the Moon
by Wm. Butler Yeats
The cat went here and there
and the moon spun round like a top,
and the nearest kin of the moon,
the creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
for, wander and wail as he would,
the pure cold light in the sky
troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet,
what better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
tired of that courtly fashion,
a new dance turn.
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
from moonlit place to place,
the sacred moon overhead
has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
will pass from change to change,
and that from round to crescent,
from crescent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
alone, important and wise,
and lifts to the changing moon
his changing eyes.
by Jim Howell
Cats...
have eyes that yawn,
green
as a halt sign.
In morse-tail
language
they speak your mind,
loving you
to fur-deep
distraction.
Let Sleeping Cats Lie
by William Cowper
A poet's cat, sedate and grave,
as poet would wish to have,
was much addicted to enquire,
for nooks to which she might retire,
and where, secure as mouse in chink,
she might repose, or sit and think.
I know not where she caught her trick,
nature perhaps herself had cast her,
in such a mold philosophique,
or else she learn'd it of her master.
Sometimes ascending, debonair,
an apple tree or lofty pear,
lodg'd with convenience in the fork,
she watched the gard'ner at his work;
sometimes her ease and solace sought,
in an old empty wat'ring pot,
there wanting nothing, save a fan,
to seem some nymph in her sedan,
apparell'd in exactest sort,
and ready to be borne in court.
art: Karadajuu / photobucket
The Cat of the House
by Ford Madox Ford
Over the hearth with my 'minishing eyes I muse; until after
the last coal dies.
Every tunnel of the mouse,
every channel of the cricket,
I have smelt,
I have felt
the secret shifting of the mouldered rafter,
and heard
every bird in the thicket.
I see
you
Nightingale up in the tree!
I, born of a race of strange things,
of deserts, great temples, great kings,
in the hot sands where the nightingale never sings!
The Monk and His Cat Pangur
by an Irish Monk, 18th cetury
I and my white Pangur
have each his special art:
His mind is set on hunting mice,
mine is upon my special craft.
I love to rest - better than any fame!
With close study at my little book;
White Pangur does not envy me:
He loves his childish play.
When in our house we two are all alone...
A tale without tedium.
We have - sport never-ending!
Something to exercise our wit.
At times by feats of derring-do
a mouse sticks in his net,
while into my net there drops
a difficult problem of hard meaning.
He points his full shining eye
against the fence of the wall:
I point my clear though feeble eye
against the keenness of science.
He rejoices with quick leaps
when in his sharp claw sticks a mouse;
I, too, rejoice when I have grasped
a problem difficult and dearly loved.
Though we are thus at all time,
neither hinders the other,
each of us pleased with his own art
amuses himself alone.
He is master of the work
which every day he does:
While I am at my own work
to bring difficulty to clearness.
See the Kitten on the Wall
by Wm. Wordsworth
See the kitten on the wall,
Sporting with the leaves that fall.
Withered leaves - one - two - three
From the lofty elder tree.
Though the calm and frosty air,
Of this morning bright and fair.
Eddying round and round they sink,
Softly, slowly; one might think.
From the motions that are made,
Every little leaf conveyed
Sylph or Faery hither tending,
To this lower world descending.
Each invisible and mute,
In his wavering parachute.
But the Kitten, how she starts,
Crouches, stretches, paws, and darts!
First at one, and then its fellow,
Just as light and just as yellow.
There are many now - now one,
Now they stop and there are none.
What intenseness of desire,
In her upward eye of fire!
With a tiger-leap half-way,
Now she meets the coming prey.
Lets it go as fast, and then;
Has it in her power again.
Now she works with three or four,
Like an Indian conjurer;
Quick as he in feats of art,
Far beyond in joy of heart.
Where her antics played in the eye,
Of a thousand standers-by,
Clapping hands with shout and stare,
What would little Tabby care
For the plaudits of the crowd?
art: wanderra / photobucket
Cats Sleep Anywhere
by Eleanor Farjeon
Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair.
Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge.
Open draw, empty shoe, anybody's lap will do.
Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks.
Anywhere! They don't care! Cats sleep anywhere.
Confess . . .
The Cats Will Know
by Cesare Pavese
Rain will fall again
on your smooth pavement,
a light rain like
a breath or a step.
The breeze and the dawn
will flourish again
when you return,
as if beneath your step.
Between flowers and sills
the cats will know.
There will be other days,
there will be other voices.
You will smile alone.
The cats will know.
You will hear words
old and spent and useless
like costumes left over
from yesterday's parties.
You too will make gestures.
You'll answer with words-
face of springtime,
you too will make gestures.
The cats will know,
face of springtime;
and the light rain
and the hyacinth dawn
that wrench the heart of him
who hopes no more for you-
they are the sad smile
you smile by yourself.
There will be other days,
other voices and renewals.
Face of springtime,
we will suffer at daybreak.
The Naming of Cats
by T. S. Elliot
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, or George or Bill Bailey -
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter -
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum -
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover -
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.
Puss
by Walter De La Mare
Puss loves man's winter fire
Now that the sun so soon
Leaves the hours cold it warmed
In burning June.
She purrs full length before
The heaped-up hissing blaze,
Drowsy in slumber down
Her head she lays.
While he with whom she dwells
Sits snug in his inglenook,
Stretches his legs to the flame
And reads his book.
Brat
by Beryl Halinbourg
Brat of a cat,
Where are you now?
Never a sign or an answering yeow;
Not in the garden, not in your bed,
Though it's five o'clock and time to be fed -
Brat of a curious cat
Brat of a cat,
I heard today
There's a conference on just over the way,
With the local toms all having their say;
So that's, I guess, where you go all day -
Brat of a vagrant cat.
Cat Math
by Ruth Berman
Addition:
How many strokes
Of cheek against chair
Does it take to prove
Territorial rights?
Geometry:
is any amount of bare space
Shining at the bottom of the food bowl
Acceptable?
And how do you prove the negative
To humans?
Calculus:
Jump too close
And the parabola will be still ascending
Feet below the surface
Where their tangent
Should be level
Landing without lift or fall.
Jump too far
And the parabola will be descending
Feet below the surface.
Feet shouldn't scrabble for purchase.
Cat math depends on dignity.
The derivative should be zero
Eyed before the leap
Into quadratics.
On a Cat Aging
by Alexander Gray
He blinks upon the hearth-rug,
and yawns in deep content,
accepting all the comforts
that Providence has sent.
Louder he purrs, and louder,
in one glad hymn of praise
for all the night's adventures,
for quiet, restful days.
Life will go on for ever,
with all that cat can wish:
warmth and the glad procession
of fish and milk and fish.
Only-the thought disturbs him-
he's noticed once or twice,
the times are somehow breeding
a nimbler race of mice.
Two Cats
by Winston Plowes
My cats groom themselves
Vain contortionist coiffeurs
Lick fur....... Content purr
Both my cats hunt mice
Miniature jungle tigers
Keep still....... Torture, kill
My cats sleep all day
Long symmetrical slumbers
Squashed tail....... piercing wail
Both my cats climb trees
Lofty feline ascenders
Scots Pine....... 999
My cats play with string
Junior Gladiators
Too fast....... Elastoplast
Both my cats eat grass
In creep regurgitators
Retch, waul....... kitchen towel
My cats have been ill
White coat investigators
Nothing found....... £100
© Winston Plowes 01/09
Fickle Lover
by Charles Albano
She loves the gentle feel
Of sunbeams on her fur,
But as the day wears on,
It gives her cause to stir.
The sun's a fickle lover
Courted in ritual,
By my nomad cat under skylights,
Unable to sit still.
art: kurostarsunny / photobucket
Cats in Every Space
by Mark A. Dye
I live a very simple life
with cats in every space
But when I got to bed at night
they sleep upon my face
Now to live without the luxury
of cats in every space
Would be to live a sorry life
in a very sorry place.
I've never been without a cat
and this I can uphold
I'll have a cat in every space
Until I'm gray and old.
For every fool should be aware
that cats are complex creatures
they live about in every space
And give the house its features.
Now take my house away from me
and place me in a tent
I'll have a cat in every space
And still I'll be content.
Sleeping with Cats
by J Brehmer
last night I woke up around 2:00 a.m.
Mocha Joe was sleeping
in the crook of my arm
Java was curled on my chest
Jax was stretched out on my legs
and I had to pee
you know you're a sucker
when you lie awake
thinking about peeing
but don't want to disturb
the cats
so I lay there
knowing I'm an idiot
hoping to drift off
in spite of a screaming bladder
knowing all the while
I won't sleep until I pee
my cats are not
that considerate of me
they think:
she's reading
let's sit on her book
she's on the computer
let's park in front of the screen
she's taking a nap
let's play king of the human
and still
I lay there . . .
art: betscampbell / photobucket
What's your favorite cat poem? - or other comments
anonymous on August 10, 2013:
I read a small poem the other day......"and God called the cat".....misplaced the newspaper,can't find it.......hoping to find it on you site
Loretta Livingstone from Chilterns, UK. on July 10, 2013:
I've visited your page before, but I love it so much that it's worth an extra visit. I expect I'll be back to read these lovely poems about cats again. Each one is a masterpiece - just like a cat.
anonymous on May 26, 2013:
Catanalysis
Cats know many things weâll never know,
things they are not inclined to tell us.
Things like why and how the dandelions grow,
or why the rose falls in love with the trellis.
Cats have long enjoyed the laps of Queens,
and window ledges in the loftiest spaces.
And they posed for the sphinx and libraryâs lion,
but you could not discern those facts from their faces.
They always proffer that axiomatical staring,
Oh, how they find us all so entertaining.
Seeing as we all spend half our time comparing,
while spending the other half complaining.
They wonder about things like eyeglasses,
padlocks, bathtubs, and potted plants.
Those gadgets of ours that count time as it passes,
closets full of socks, shoes, hats, coats and pants.
A cat is not given to bouts of depression,
nor any moments of great exultation.
All thatâs conveyed from any catâs expression,
is the catâs imperturbable contemplation.
Though cats seem remote and hard to the core,
a cat will always be soft to the touch.
The catâs Master the cat will always silently assure,
people matter, albeit not very much.
The cat holds closely to the enigma thatâs he,
yet the cat possesses an ascertainable plus.
Whatever the aspersions cast upon the cat might be,
we love our cats for all the ways theyâre not us.
2013 Daniel Thomas Moran
anonymous on April 17, 2013:
LOVE KITTENS
anonymous on February 17, 2013:
OMG!!!!!!!! I LOVE CATS!!!!!!!!!!! FREAKEN OWSOME POEMS!!!!!!!!!!!! PEOPLE WHO DON'T LOVE CATS ARE CRAZY!!!!!!!!! =^.^=
anonymous on January 21, 2013:
This is a poem about my cat when he ran away for 4 days but he's back now though
Ode to a Cat
A poem for my cat,
Stretch is his name,
He ran away 3 nights ago,
Now I may never see him again.
His sleek cream fur,
His sapphire blue eyes,
His ability to meow so loud,
It would always wake up the whole house,
Nine years I looked after him,
I always spoilt him rotten,
I can promise one thing to him,
Stretch, you will never be forgotten.
Loretta Livingstone from Chilterns, UK. on January 19, 2013:
"Cats sleep anywhere", and "Sleeping with Cats" I also write cat poetry. I don't have them all on my lens but since I have so enjoyed these, if you would like to read any, let me know and I will send you them.
anonymous on January 14, 2013:
very nice lens
softclaws on December 11, 2012:
This was a nice read - thanks for taking the time to write this lense - going to look at some TS eliot poems in a moment :)
aussiejon on November 14, 2012:
Great poems, sums cats up purrrrfectly (sorry couldn't resist hehe)
anonymous on October 09, 2012:
A Tale of Two Cats by Jeremy Bloomfield
All is silence, not a peep
Like cat voyeurs, we watch them sleep
Dreaming away the hours
Of prowlings amongst spring flowers
The butterflies you chased after
Your cuteness and our laughter
As curious little noses
Sneezed at the pollinated roses
And such innocence doth enchant
As a newborn nephew to his aunt
Tranquil, as a red sunset
Calm, as a storm unmet
As they sleepily awaken from their doze
A yawning purr and a lick of the nose
A stretch of claws and how they mewed
A hungry demand, a cry for food
Oh cats, what a beautiful pair
As you lie upon the pillowed chair
What strange thoughts pass through your heads
As angels dance and lovers wed
anonymous on October 05, 2012:
My 4 month cat just died this morning after a 6th story fall and it's killing me the worst way: inside. Love your page, after all we're just humans that wsh we were as noble as these fine creatures. Yeats' poem is simply magnificent.
KevinGeetar on September 09, 2012:
Great lens, love cats as well as the poems. Can't pick a favourite, always a fan of TS Eliot. Not sure why, but this poem by Carl Sandburg has resonated in me since childhood:
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
anonymous on September 03, 2012:
I absolutely love cats and these poems are adorable. Well done to the authors who created such fabulous poems. May God bless all of you.
SteveKaye on August 16, 2012:
Since I wrote and published a book of cat poems, I have many favorites. Thank you for publishing this lens. I enjoyed reading the poems. They earn a full Four Paws. Meow.
anonymous on August 14, 2012:
i love the poem cats sleep in every space
ResearchAddict on August 14, 2012:
Love this lens. My favorite poem is Cats Sleep Anywhere and the picture you included is just precious!
LoriBeninger on August 08, 2012:
I'm a T.S.Eliot fan...this is a beautiful lens.
Jacqueline Marshall (author) from Chicago area on August 02, 2012:
@anonymous: Love it, thanks for sharing it.
anonymous on August 02, 2012:
This one: I'm only a cat,
and I stay in my place...
Up there on your chair,
on your bed or your face!
I'm only a cat,
and I don't finick much...
I'm happy with cream
and anchovies and such!
I'm only a cat,
and we'll get along fine...
As long as you know
I'm not yours... you're all mine! >anon
anonymous on July 24, 2012:
The last one is so true!
anonymous on May 30, 2012:
the last one is too true.
anonymous on May 06, 2012:
Pangur Ban
anonymous on May 03, 2012:
@anonymous: wow. these arent childish. its POETRY. don't be so freakin rude
anonymous on April 18, 2012:
Cat's are the best! I love all the poetry here!
getmoreinfo on March 22, 2012:
Cats are fun.
Lemming13 on March 06, 2012:
Cats Sleep Anywhere is my favourite, I have read it to my children so often at bedtime. But all of these are wonderful; a terrific choice. Great lens.
Tracey Boyer from Michigan on February 28, 2012:
This lens is featured in my new lens "Twelve Best Cat Lens on Squidoo." Come and check it out: http://www.squidoo.com/catlenses. Congratulations !
Leah J. Hileman from East Berlin, PA, USA on February 27, 2012:
The first and last poems both resonated with my experience as a cat owner.
anonymous on February 02, 2012:
@sheilamarie78: I know the poems are ok. Hope ur kittens r cool. :)
anonymous on February 02, 2012:
do u nowhere non childish poems are. I need help.
anonymous on December 14, 2011:
I forgot! the cat and the moon and cats! - they are all awesome-
anonymous on December 14, 2011:
the naming of cats - and sleeping with cats -
cmadden on December 13, 2011:
I have three favorites: "On a Cat Aging," "Cats in Every Space," and "Sleeping with Cats." I resemble that last one entirely too much!
marlene3 on November 22, 2011:
I really enjoyed reading your cat poem lens. You did a fantastic job! my favorite is : Brat- Thanks & Thumbs up!!!
anonymous on November 20, 2011:
If you know the way of cats........is a little poem, and I can't remember the rest of it.
Can someone help me, please ????
Heather B on September 26, 2011:
This is easily one of my favourite lenses so far. Such beautiful poetry, and great fodder for my cat Facebook page! Tee hee. ;)
Sheilamarie from British Columbia on August 28, 2011:
Some great poems here! I have two new kittens. Maybe there's a cat poem in my future.
anonymous on August 26, 2011:
These are great!! We have two cats (used to have four). These speak to us!! : )
GrinningFool on August 12, 2011:
Great choice of cat poems and pictures.
SilmarwenLinwelin on August 11, 2011:
Cute lens! The naming of cats is one of my favourites!
David Dove on August 06, 2011:
lovely, lovely lens, thank you.
laki2lav on July 27, 2011:
i never knew that poetry for cats existed. but it makes sense. nice lens
anonymous on July 21, 2011:
Holy Macaroni! Your first photo looks a lot like one I have: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandmemories/5950604... Anyway, this is a great lens. Thanks!
anonymous on July 15, 2011:
Wonderful collection! Cats are quite poetic in and of themselves. :)
Brodo51 on July 09, 2011:
@anonymous: Test
anonymous on July 07, 2011:
I'm chasing a poem I *think* is called "Brat of a Cat". It starts..
"....Brat of a Cat I heard you say
There's a conference on just over the way
........."
and each verse ends with the line "Brat of a cat". My sister used to recite it when she was in primary school 40 years ago.
Can anyone help?
efriedman on June 24, 2011:
Great poems and pictures.
Renaissance Woman from Colorado on June 10, 2011:
Really enjoyed this. I, too, love poetry and my three kittens. Such a lovely combination. :-)
Lisa Marie Gabriel from United Kingdom on May 20, 2011:
Loved and lensrolled to Persian Cats and Poetry :)
pawpaw911 on May 17, 2011:
I lensrolled this to Cats, Diamond Rings, and Poems. Nice lens.
anonymous on May 11, 2011:
Inspiring. Thank you.
scar4 on May 01, 2011:
Great lens, even though I love dogs more than cats. Thumbs up!
WorldVisionary3 on April 24, 2011:
Cute lens! I love cats.
anonymous on April 23, 2011:
Purrr-ty nice poetry and so wonderfully presented along with your array of cat images.
anonymous on April 11, 2011:
the cat and the moon was my fav poem thanks i could really use it for poem in my pocket day, thanks! you really helped! :) :) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BeyondRoses on April 06, 2011:
One of my favorite cat poems is The Cat and the Moon. Love poetry, cats and cat photos. Sweet cat lens!
RinchenChodron on April 04, 2011:
I like the Brehmer one! I also LOVE the photo of the kitten sleeping on her back on the laptop with her feet crossed - made me laugh - thanks! I have several cat lenses too. My cat Kisser has me trained.
Jacqueline Marshall (author) from Chicago area on February 26, 2011:
@ZenandChic: Its appreciated!
Patricia on February 25, 2011:
Wonderfully done! Blessing!
Manjurul Islam from Chittagong, Bangladesh on January 06, 2011:
A nice lens.
Manjurul Islam from Chittagong, Bangladesh on January 06, 2011:
A nice lens.
CozyKitty on November 22, 2010:
This is great! I am such a cat lover. Dogs are okay, but cats rule! Gorgeous lens - thanks so much ...
;-)
NoodleKittens on November 17, 2010:
This is just great! I really enjoyed reading it.
jp1978 on October 15, 2010:
I don't like poetry so much, but I do love cats!
julieannbrady on October 02, 2010:
Oh gosh, that there can be so much creativity and awe in cats and cat poems!
Amy Fricano from WNY on April 10, 2010:
clever!
Mona from Iowa on April 10, 2010:
What a beautiful lens both art and poem wise. :) 5*
Indigo Janson from UK on April 10, 2010:
What a wonderful celebration of cats in poetry and in art!
Indigo Janson from UK on April 10, 2010:
What a wonderful celebration of cats in poetry and in art!
