by Kalli Damschen
When most masses think of the stereotypical cat lover , they may picture someone resembling the character fromThe Simpsonsknown simply as the Crazy Cat Lady — an insane , grizzled old woman who speaks in gibberish and throws cats at innocent passersby . And although the stereotype of the crazy cat lady is far from flattering , several of story ’s most successful women were devoted to their furry friends . Here are eight of account ’s greatest cat gentlewoman .
1. Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh , the English actress who star in the 1939 version ofGone with the twist , have multiple cats throughout her aliveness . She was specially fond of Siamese cats , and she is quoted as saying , “ Once you have kept aSiamesecat you would never have any other kind . ” Leigh ’s first Siamese , calledNew Boy , was a talent from her husband , actor Laurence Olivier . New Boy ( named after London ’s New Theatre ) wore a custom neckband import from Paris and appears in many photographs with Leigh . Poo Jones , the seal point Siamese she take in after New Boy ’s death , was Leigh ’s favourite cat . He locomote with her everywhere ( with his own luggage ) and napped in her medical dressing room whenever she was work onstage or in front of the camera .
2. Clara Barton
Wikimedia Commons(Barton ) / iStock ( Cat )
Clara Barton , the famous nurse and founder of the Red Cross , was an fauna lover with a particular kinship for felid . During the Civil War , Barton garner the byname “ Angel of the Battlefield , ” and in appreciation for her selfless workplace , U.S. Senator Schuyler Colfax sent Barton akitten . Barton ’s most beloved cat was the fateful and white Tommy , who hold on her company for17 long time . A portrait of Tommy painted by Barton ’s friend and associate nanny Antoinette Margot still hang in the Barton mansion in Glen Echo , Maryland .
3., 4., and 5. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte
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The far-famed Bronte babe not only share a love of writing , but also a love of true cat . felid are featured in many of the sis ’ writings , includingAgnes GreyandWuthering Heights , as well as in thepersonal diariesof Anne and Charlotte . Emily Bronte even wrote a French essay entitled “ Le Chat ” ( “ The Cat ” ) , in which she defends cat against those who indicate that they are selfish and cruel , asserting that the disposition of cats is quite similar to that of humans and even arguing that the self - trust of bozo is better than the hypocrisy of humanity .
6. Florence Nightingale
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Florence Nightingale , often reckon as the founder of mod breast feeding , take the term “ cat lady ” to unexampled level . Nightingale once said that “ cats possess more sympathy and feeling than human beings , ” and throughout her life-time she ownedover 60 cats — perhaps as many as 17 at once . Nightingale was a devoted caretaker for her feline supporter , who ate specially prepare food for thought off of china denture in her elbow room . grounds of Nightingale ’s affection for her qat can still be seen today , as some of her kitties left ink paw prints on her letters .
7. Louisa May Alcott
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Louisa May Alcott once jokingly listed an “ inordinate love life of cats ” amongher vices , and her fondness of felines shone through her writing . InLittle Women , the March babe have a best-loved Caterpillar , and at one pointedness in the story Beth is visit bet with the cat and her kittens . The Word of God even include a verse form call “ A Lament ( For S.B. Pat Paw ) ” eulogise a darling pet cat : “ We mourn the loss of our footling pet , / And sigh o’er her pitiful fate , / For never more by the fire she ’ll sit down , / Nor play by the old gullible gate . ”
8. Harriet Beecher Stowe
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The famous author ofUncle Tom ’s Cabinowned an self-assertive Maltese qat named after her husband , Calvin . consort to Stowe ’s friend and fellow writer , Charles Dudley Warner , Calvin “ walked into her house one Clarence Shepard Day Jr. out of the big unknown region and became at once at dwelling house . ” Stowe was immensely bind to Calvin the guy , and purportedly she even tolerate him to perch on her shoulder while she write . When Stowe and her husband had to move , she give Calvin to Warner , and the cat work on to become the star of Warner ’s essay , “ Calvin ( A Study in Character ) . ”
