Checking out the race of Catherine's dog, I get this cutie; their wiki entry also mentions, in addition to Catherine, MT and the Marquise de Pompadour as prominent owners. Was no one in this cast a cat person, I wonder?
(The only contemporary who comes immediately to mind is Dr. Samuel Johnson, whose cat was named Hodges. Also Rousseau, who voices this theory in conversation with young Boswell: ROUSSEAU: Do you like cats? BOSWELL: No. ROUSSEAU: I was sure of that. It is my test of character. There you have the despotic instinct of men. They do not like cats because the cat is free and will never consent to become a slave. He will do nothing to your order, as other animals do. BOSWELL: Nor a hen, either. ROUSSEAU: A hen would obey your orders if you could make her understand them. But a cat will understand your perfectly and not obey them.
*looks at what dog lovers Fritz, MT, Catherine and the Marquise have in common*
*thinks of cats*
*agreeds with Rousseau's point*
(Except: one century earlier, Cardinal Richelieu was a great cat lover. He had up to thirteen at one point. They don't get more despoting that Monsieur "I have no enemies but the enemies of the state".)
Fritz' dogs: but what would they make of Up To No Good types like Glasow who nonethless spend a lot of time in Fritz' proximity for as long as they're in favour? What on earth would they make of Voltaire? (Now if there was someone born to be a cat person...)
Re: How (Not) To Conduct A Very Secret Affair
(The only contemporary who comes immediately to mind is Dr. Samuel Johnson, whose cat was named Hodges. Also Rousseau, who voices this theory in conversation with young Boswell:
ROUSSEAU: Do you like cats?
BOSWELL: No.
ROUSSEAU: I was sure of that. It is my test of character. There you have the despotic instinct of men. They do not like cats because the cat is free and will never consent to become a slave. He will do nothing to your order, as other animals do.
BOSWELL: Nor a hen, either.
ROUSSEAU: A hen would obey your orders if you could make her understand them. But a cat will understand your perfectly and not obey them.
*looks at what dog lovers Fritz, MT, Catherine and the Marquise have in common*
*thinks of cats*
*agreeds with Rousseau's point*
(Except: one century earlier, Cardinal Richelieu was a great cat lover. He had up to thirteen at one point. They don't get more despoting that Monsieur "I have no enemies but the enemies of the state".)
Fritz' dogs: but what would they make of Up To No Good types like Glasow who nonethless spend a lot of time in Fritz' proximity for as long as they're in favour? What on earth would they make of Voltaire? (Now if there was someone born to be a cat person...)