What do animals mean in the life of humans? This is an increasingly asked question, especially when so many households own at least one pet. Studies abound which demonstrate that pets can save lives or at least sanity, and that people can grieve more for their lost pet than the loss of human companionship. It is interesting then to hear about some of these experiences, and to try to understand in more depth how our furry friends weave themselves inextricably into our homes, our lives, and our existence. This special volume, on the meaning of cats in women’s lives, is the second in a series of collections on what companion animals mean to women around the globe. The book includes pieces from women from several different countries, and of different ages and cultural backgrounds. The types of pieces included reflect this diversity. We have funny, sad and clever pieces. We have pieces that address the political and socially serious side of having cats as pets. We have pieces that reflect the sometime silliness of domestic life with cats. We have poems, short stories, reflections and essays.What has emerged is a clear picture of the different relationships women might have with a feline companion, simply because of the distinctive characteristics of cats as animals, and cats as individuals. They enrich in different ways simply because they are not humans, they are not dogs, birds, horses or monkeys. Cats mean distinctive things to different women. What is the nature of this relationship and meaning? Some tried to describe it by differentiating the characteristics of cats from those of dogs. The saying’ Dogs have masters, cats have staff was quoted several times. Another idea was that of the cat as ‘familiar’, alluding to an almost mystical relationship with a creature who is only part of the human world. The naming of cats, and the special task of creating the name which would capture the magnificent, regal and independent character of that woman’s own cat, was also a notable thread in many stories.Contributors include UK authors, poets, academics, activists, artists and politicians alike, such as: Barbara Becker, Claire Pickard, Nancy Winters, Sal Hampson, Suniti Namjoshi from Bradford, Oxford, Devon, and London; other contributors include Marge Piercy (USA), Fide Erkin (Turkey) Finola Geraghty (Germany), Beryl Fletcher (New Zealand), Liselotte Lassig (Switzerland), Beth Burrows (Canada), Kerry Greenwood, Lin van Hek, Sandy Jeffs, Patricia Sykes, Coral Hull, and Susan Hawthorne (Australia).
