60 Famous Cat Quotes That Describe Our Fanciful Felines Purrfectly

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For centuries, cat devotees have tried to put into words the enigmatic ways of their furry companions. Although we might not understand cats completely, we love them unconditionally, including all their quirks and attitude! As author Neil Gaiman said, "I would like to see anyone, prophet, king, or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time." In truth, their independence is probably what we love most about them.

We've selected the following famous cat quotes to spark a good laugh, inspire a note to accompany a gift for another cat-lover, or help ease the grief over the loss of a beloved feline friend. Here are our favorite quotes about cats.

Funny Cat Quotes

Jody Tramontina

While no two kitties are the same, sometimes they share similar idiosyncrasies that make us all nod knowingly.

• "The only thing a cat worries about is what's happening right now." –Lloyd Alexander

• "Cats have it all: admiration, an endless sleep, and company only when they want it." –Rod McKuen

• "Cats are connoisseurs of comfort." –James Herriot

• "If cats could write history, their history would be mostly about cats." –Eugen Weber

• "There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." –Albert Schweitzer

• "As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat." –Ellen Perry Berkeley

• "Are cats strange animals or do they so resemble us that we find them curious as we do monkeys?" –John Steinbeck

• "Dogs eat. Cats dine." –Ann Taylor

• "A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." –Mark Twain

• "A cat is a puzzle for which there is no solution." –Hazel Nicholson

• "The way to get on with a cat is to treat it as an equal—or even better, as the superior it knows itself to be." –Elizabeth Peters

• "All cats like being the focus of attention." –Peter Gray

• "If cats could talk, they wouldn't." –Nan Porter

• "My cat is not insane, she's just a really good actress." –P.C. Cast

• "One cat just leads to another." –Ernest Hemingway

• "Like all pure creatures, cats are practical." –William S. Burroughs

• "Cats are a mysterious kind of folk." –Sir Walter Scott

• "The problem with cats is that they get the same exact look whether they see a moth or an axe-murderer." –Paula Poundstone

• "The cat is above all things, a dramatist." –Margaret Benson

• "Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause the most inconvenience." –Pam Brown

• "When Rome burned, the emperor's cats still expected to be fed on time." –Seanan McGuire

• "The key to a successful new relationship between a cat and human is patience." –Susan Easterly

• "Dogs come when they're called. Cats take a message and get back to you later." –Mary Bly

• "Cats are kindly masters, just so long as you remember your place." –Paul Gray

• "A cat understands how to be pleasant in the morning. He doesn't talk." –Tamora Pierce

• "To err is human, to purr is feline." –Robert Byrne

• "In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this." –Terry Pratchett

• "A cat will do what it wants when it wants, and there's not a thing you can do about it." –Frank Perkins

• "Cats will outsmart dogs every time." –John Grogan

• "If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much." –Mark Twain

RELATED: 4 Surefire Ways to Bond With Your Cat and Build the Ultimate Relationship

Cat Love Quotes

Jody Tramontina

From headbutts to languid slow blinks, few things compare to the assurance your cat loves you.

• "Cats know how to obtain food without labor, shelter without confinement, and love without penalties." –W. L. George

• "A meow massages the heart." –Stuart McMillan

• "There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat." –Tay Hohoff

• "A cat has absolute emotional honesty: Human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not." –Ernest Hemingway

• "People who love cats have some of the biggest hearts around." –Susan Easterly

• "A kitten is, in the animal world, what a rosebud is in the garden." –Robert Sowthey

• "Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose." –Garrison Keillor

• "No cat purrs unless someone is around to listen." –Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

• "It is impossible to keep a straight face in the presence of one or more kittens." –Cynthia E. Varnado

• "I have lived with several Zen masters—all of them cats." –Eckhart Tolle

• "Time spent with cats is never wasted." –Sigmund Freud

• "Kittens are angels with whiskers." –Alexis Flora Hope

• "The human race can be roughly divided into two categories: Ailurophiles and ailurophobes—cat-lovers and the underprivileged." –David Taylor

• "Cats choose us, we don't own them." –Kristin Cast

• "Of all the things God created, from sunrises and rainbows, to black holes and humor, cats are the most fascinating to me." –Jarod Kintz

• "Dogs like everyone. Cats choose who to like." –Lauren Myracle

• "I have felt cats rubbing their faces against mine and touching my cheek with claws carefully sheathed. These things, to me, are expressions of love." –James Herriot

• "I take care of my flowers and my cats. And enjoy food. And that's living." –Ursula Andress

• "What greater gift than the love of a cat." –Charles Dickens

• "The smallest feline is a masterpiece." –Leonardo da Vinci

• "I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul." –Jean Cocteau

RELATED: Do Cats Love Their Owners? Here's How You Can Tell

Cat Loss Quotes

Jody Tramontina

Hopefully one of these cat quotes brings special comfort and fond memories for anyone who's lost their furry feline.

• "Many beautiful angels are leaping through heaven with a meow." –Unknown

• "I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through." –Jules Verne

• "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." –Anatole France

• "When the cat you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure." –Unknown

• "No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch." –Leo Dworkin

• "The loss of a cat is immeasurable. But so is the love left behind." –Unknown

• "One day all the cats we've ever loved will all come running towards us, and that day will be a good day." –Unknown

• "When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has brought you delight." –Khalil Gibran

• "The memories and paw print of a beloved cat remains in our heart and soul forever." –Unknown