The Cat Inside is a quick read, a nice way to spend some time with the author without getting too deeply into the dense and dark that reading Burroughs often brings.
Only in the latter years of his life did Burroughs became a cat person. The Cat Inside is a brief window into the bonds that formed between the writer and his feline companions during that time.
But the book also pulls on memories from earlier times, before he discovered his inner cat lover.
As one might expect from Burroughs, The Cat Inside is non-linear; it's a collection of thoughts, it's a place where scribbled notes find their way to publication. Primarily about cats, but often about dreams, visions and Burroughs’ belief that cats were psychic companions, the book is a cornucopia of insights and surprises for cat lovers.
“You can't shake your white cat because your white cat is you. You can't hide from your white cat because your white cat hides with you.”
Burroughs’ direct, matter-of-fact style rings clear even in a frivolous collection such as this. Considering our current tendency to polish and soften, the brutish honesty of the times comes across as both slightly crass and incredibly refreshing.
Burroughs was never one to sugar coat, but his gentle, compassionate side shines brightly in these pages as well.
“Where is he now? I have put the cat food cans back on the window, still hoping he will come back and knock them over. And the last two nights I've kept the porch lights on.”
I find this is a good book to pull off the shelf and randomly open. What snippet of thought might be waiting to make itself relevant to the here and now?
“As the forests fall to make way for motels and Hiltons and McDonald's, the whole magic universe is dying.”
Each time I open this book, I find a new passage that speaks to me, something that gets tumbled around in my head. For me, that's a sign of a really good book.
Are you a cat person? Do you have a favorite piece of cat literature? Please let us know!
I respect cats and am ultimately am a dog person. But my favorite cat would have to be Mahitable by Don Marquis. Have you ever read it?
I'm definitely a cat person. And a dream of mine has come true: we informally have a cat sanctuary. We feed stray cats and recently a pregnant cat came to us, approved of our shelter and had 3 gorgeous kittens on our porch. We have been able to place 2 calicos with a loving home and plan to invite the Mom and the white kitten inside.