The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats [Hardcover]

Clea Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2002

What is it with women and cats? The Feline Mystique is the first serious examination of the intense relationship between woman and their cats and of the repercussions that bond can have on others. Richly researched and searchingly personal, The Feline Mystique uses history, science, art, and literature as touchpoints to explain and explore contemporary women's lives with their cats.

From a glamorous tiger trainer to a feral-cat rescuer, from a show breeder to Simon and her own relationship with the gray longhair Cyrus, this book will introduce you to women both ferocious and nurturing and animals both whimsical and noble. It's a fresh, fascinating exploration of the timeless bond between women and cats, and will deepen your understanding of your relationship with your own feline-be he or she tiger or tabby.

A cat person's answer to Pack of Two and The Secret Life of Dogs, The Feline Mystique is an eye-opening and soul-soothing book for all cat lovers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Part history of a species, part personal memoir, and featuring a healthy dose of wry humor, Clea Simon's The Feline Mystique shares the tale of her particular cat (Cyrus) set against a backdrop of interviews and statistics on cats throughout the world. Smoothly blending mythology with modern stories of dedicated feral cat rescuers, feline fanciers might bond with this book as tightly as they've bonded with their own wee beastie.

The focus is relentlessly female and a happy counterpoint to urban myths and ancient folk tales about lonely women and their up-to-no-good pets. Simon walks us through her initial bond with a young kitten, through the warm years of record-clawing, arm-kneading, keyboard-walking, veterinarian-terrorizing cat companionship, and leads us gently through the sadness of parting with a beloved animal. You won't find practical tips on health care or soapboxes about the problem of strays in the city--just page after page of individualized love and fascination. From Norse goddess Freya and her flying cats to references of a study done on the annual kill of an outdoors-living housecat to an interview with Barnum and Bailey's female tiger tamer, each detail helps construct a solid picture of the multifaceted relationship possible between a woman and her cat. --Jill Lightner

From Library Journal

Simon (Fatherless Women) draws on personal experience, research, and interviews with female cat owners to explore the unique relationship between women and cats. She seeks to dispel negative old wives' tales about women and cats, creating a work that largely offers her own insights and reflections. She also examines how cats and women have been intertwined in historical myths and stereotypes, from the Egyptian cat-headed goddess Bastet, to the 15th-century burning of witches and their feline familiars, to the modern Catwoman. Throughout are stories of women and their cats, including a shelter worker, a tiger trainer, and a number of artists. Simon includes her own touching story of 17 years with her recently deceased cat, Cyrus, and explores how the female-feline relationship affects other relationships in a woman's life. A bibliography and list of cat rescue organizations accompany the work. Lovingly written, Simon's work offers an unusual perspective on an age-old topic and makes a suitable purchase for large public libraries. Eva Lautemann, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Clarkston
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 237 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (August 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312268815
• ISBN-13: 978-0312268817
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi! Welcome to my Amazon Connect page. I don't know if you found me because you like fun feline mysteries you might be wondering about my upcoming "Dogs Don't Lie." Yup, it's got a dog in it - but my new heroine, the animal psychic Pru Marlowe, couldn't function without her sidekick, an irascible tabby named Wallis. Meanwhile, I hope you are enjoying my Theda Krakow series - "Mew is for Murder," "Cattery Row," "Cries and Whiskers," or "Probable Claws" - and my Dulcie Schwartz series (think cats AND ghosts!) with "Shades of Grey," "Grey Matters," or the upcoming "Grey Zone." Or perhaps we share some family issues, and you're looking at "Mad House" or "Fatherless Women." Or maybe you just love cats and are interested in my "The Feline Mystique." At any rate, good to meet you! I'm a writer and journalist, an avid reader, and am looking forward to making this page lively and fun.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hear me MEOW loud and proud!, January 21, 2003

By 

Jamie J. Bourgeois (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats (Hardcover)

Well, thank you Clea Simon for writing such a wonderful book about the bond we women have with our cats!

This book is packed with cat women like myself and stories illustrating the points that Clea makes about women and cats. From times before Christ, to ancient Egypt, to modern day, Clea looks at how women get the negative stereotypes that are still present today, as well as looking at why we women love our cats so much. Clea also tells her personal "love story" with her cat. This book also talks about the current feral cat problems, and what women are doing throughout the country to help control this. And yes, there is even women in the book that go a little too far: the cat hoarders.

I also learned something else with this book: I had taken it to work and a few co-workers spotted it. They are on my waiting list to borrow and read this book....turns out there are more women out there who really love their cats than you would imagine. These are the same women who teased me for having a picture of my cat at my desk (and referring to him as "The Handsome Boyfriend").

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book that fundamentally sheds light on Our Cats!, August 25, 2002

By 

Karin Whitmore (Lexington, KY (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats (Hardcover)

I read this book in the course of a weekend. I simply could not put it down. It personifies my relationship with my muse, my cat Henderson. This book sheds a whole new perspective on feelings that I already had for my cat. I would often find myself setting it down after reading something that I could not have said better myself, and just seeing my cat in a much deeper way than I had ever before. I truly recommend this book for ANY woman with a cat in her life, or to any woman, really, who has an interest in cats at all. It is insightful, smart, funny and poignant. I have already ordered it for two woman I know, one of whom is my mother who is one of the Cat Rescuers Ms. Simon described. I finished this book with renewed respects and feelings of awe for my cats. This is one book you should not miss.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars why we connect with our kitties, July 3, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats (Paperback)

This book is a valuable addition to any cat lover's shelf. Author Simon interviews women of all ages, backgrounds and professions to find out just what holds this bond with our cats in place. Much of the pleasure of reading it comes from comparing your own relationship with your cats, both past and present, with the women interviewed and the author herself.

Among the topics explored are: why are women/cats stereotyped so harshly and often similarly; why cat hoarders are so often female and why they do what they do; the mythical and historical connections between women and cats; how cats treat our significant others and what that says about how we feel about them (and how we let them treat us); letting go of our cats when it's time for them to pass on; and how our cats choose to communicate with their owners.