Vintage Photos Suggest Mark Twain Was Totally Obsessed With Cats
Mark Twain is best known for his sharp wit, classic novels, and larger-than-life place in American literature, but this photo collection points to a softer side of the author. Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the name Mark Twain, had a long, colorful life, and these vintage images suggest one of his favorite companions may have been cats.
From playful kittens to relaxed portraits with furry friends nearby, the pictures make his affection for cats hard to miss. It is a charming detail that adds a little more personality to an already legendary figure, and the photos only get more delightful as they go on.
1. Kittens
Sitting with a kitten, we wonder if Mark Twain found himself conversing with the little mews the same way we do today.
2. Perched
Mark Twain was born shortly after the appearance of Halley's Comet. He once joked (or predicted, depending on your perspective) that he would "go out with it" as well; he died the day after the comet returned.
3. Mark Twain loved cats
Some of his most famous cat-related quotes:
“If man could be crossed with the cat,” he once wrote, “it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.”
Twain's cat obsession is already pretty obvious here.
4. No, he really loved cats!
Over the course of his life, he had up to 19 cats, and each one had a unique and adorable name: Apollinaris, Beelzebub, Blatherskite, Buffalo Bill, Satan, Sin, Sour Mash, Tammany, Zoroaster, Soapy Sal, Pestilence, and Bambino.
"When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade, without further introduction."
5. Was his love of cats really a secret?
It was more of a lesser-known fact, but indeed it was known. In 1910, six years after his death, Concerning Cats: Two Tales by Mark Twain was published. The book tells two stories about cats, and he reportedly would read the stories to his daughters to help them fall asleep.
6. But wait, there's more...
Twain really loved cats, so much so that when he went on vacation, he would ask around the community to see if he could "rent" someone else's cats! Albert Bigelow Paine, a biographer who wrote about Mark Twain, said that he was present when Twain rented three kittens one summer. He gave them temporary names (one was Sackcloth, and the other two were identical, so they shared the name Ashes). Of the cat-renting escapades, Paine said:
He didn’t wish to own them, for then he would have to leave them behind uncared for, so he preferred to rent them and pay sufficiently to ensure their subsequent care.
He clearly had a soft spot for feline company.
7. Cat love, companions abound.
"I simply can't resist a cat, particularly a purring one. They are the cleanest, cunningest, and most intelligent things I know, outside of the girl you love, of course."
Mark Twain
8. Authors and Cats
Mark Twain isn't the only 19th and 20th-century author to have a distinct fondness for cats. Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, and Patricia Highsmith were also known for loving their furry feline friends.
9. Cats, cats, cats!
Twain biographer Paine recounted a telling tale of Twain and his fondness for cats:
Once, as he was about to enter the screen door that led into the hall, two kittens ran up in front of him and stood waiting. With grave politeness, he opened the door, made a low bow, stepped back, and said, ‘Walk in, gentlemen. I always give precedence to royalty.'According to author and life coach Jen Sincero, "Cats have a unique way of bringing out the best in us, often teaching us the importance of respect and kindness." This sentiment echoes Twain's own affection for his feline companions.
10. Mark Twain wrote about cats more often than we realized.
We love this purr-fect quote from Twain’s 1894 novel, Pudd’nhead Wilson:
A home without a cat — and a well-fed, well-petted, and properly revered cat — may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?
That detail makes the whole collection even better.
Twisted like Mark Twain’s kitten chatter, these cat owners’ quirky nickname battles prove cats demand weird names.
11. Bambino went missing.
Bambino was one of Twain's cats that originally belonged to his daughter, Clara. One time, Bambino went missing, and Twain stopped short of nothing to find the beloved puss:
He “took out an advertisement in the New York American offering a $5 reward to return the missing cat to his house at 21 5th Avenue in New York City,” writes Dr. Ramani Durvasula, a clinical psychologist. Twain’s description of his beloved pet: “Large and intensely black; thick, velvety fur; has a faint fringe of white hair across his chest; not easy to find in ordinary light.”
Bambino returned on his own.
12. Resting with cats.
Mark Twain's final resting place is at Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira, New York. However, we suspect his experience in the potential afterlife must involve frolicking with all the cats who need a love like his.
The fans are absolutely here for it.
The fans approve.
As more people learn about Mark Twain's love of cats, more people are rediscovering their love for Mark Twain. For some, this is just another reason to love the author!
Reasons to like him even more?
Cats are the purr-fect reason to like anyone more than previously thought.
It's only natural.
Of course someone like Mark Twain would love cats; it makes purr-fect sense.
Logical
We're sure Twain saw many awful things growing up in the late 19th century; cats are such a happier place.
A truth-filled Irish Proverb
We'll take this one to heart!
All the love and head boops.
Cat lovers unite.
Inspirational!
Suddenly, Mark Twain may be a bigger hero to you, too!
Before cat memes ruled the feed, kids and cats were already “pure magic” in these vintage photos.
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