January 20, 1926

The Book of the Cat (1903) written by Frances Simpson (died on the 20th of January 1926)  is one of the earliest books to treat the feline species from a variety of perspectives-- the lore, the history, the literature, the fascination, in one volume. I have not studied the question of whether or not her book may have been the first of this genre. This volume repays consideration still: her stories, and her thoughts, have a freshness which supports the idea that she inaugurated a new category of book -- a compendium  geared to the ailurophile.

The author was one of the early proponents of, show cats. This activity began at a Crystal Palace exhibition (1871) and the idea of awarding prizes to individual cats among groups of groomed and carefully bred felines, caught on, especially since royalty participated in raising cats. We know little of her private life but Simpson lived in the world of the cat fancy. 

We are indebted to www.messybeast.com for more information about this writer. For now though we are going out of that fancy world, and quoting Simpson on --- stray cats. She gives a glimpse of the middle class attitude to the homeless cat when she discusses licensing cats (she calls it taxing cats) and says such a policy would not help, " in exterminating the poor, disreputable, half starved members of the feline tribe, who have no fixed abode and whose only means of existence is by plunder."

Here is our author. Without the attention to pampering cats she illustrates, there would not now be an audience willing to work on protecting those alley cats.