Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.
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Copyright © 1997 - 2010
Cat Poems
Part III
"Women, poets, and especially artists, like cats;
delicate natures only can realize their sensitive nervous systems."
~ William Cowper ~
Cats sleep
Anywhere,
Any table,
Any chair,
Top of piano,
Window-ledge,
In the middle,
On the edge.
~ Eleanor Farjeon ~
Stray Cat
Dear God, please send me somebody who'll care.
I'm so tired of running and sick with despair.
My body is aching and filled with such pain;
And dear God I pray, as I run in the rain
That someone will love me and give me a home,
A warm cozy bed, and food of my own.
My last owner left me alone in the yard...
I watched as they moved, and God that was hard.
So I waited a while, then went on my way
To rummage in garbage and live as a stray.
But now, God, I'm so tired and hungry and cold;
And I'm so afraid that I'll never grow old.
They've chased me with sticks and hit me with straps
While I run the streets just looking for scraps.
I'm not really bad, God, please help if you can,
For I have become just a "Victim of Man."
I'm wormy, dear God, and I'm ridden with fleas;
And all that I want is an Owner to please.
If you find one for me, God, I'll try to be good.
I won't scratch the carpet; I'll do as I should.
I'll love them, play with them, and try to obey.
I will be so grateful if they'll let me stay.
I don't think I'll make it too long on my own,
'Cause I'm getting weak and I'm so all alone.
Each night as I sleep in the bushes I cry,
'Cause I'm so afraid, God, that I'm gonna die.
I've got so much love and devotion to give
That I should be given a new chance to Live.
So dear God, please hear me, please answer my prayer,
And send me somebody who will REALLY care.
~ Author Unknown ~
What Is A Cat?
Gentle eyes
that see so much,
paws that have
the quiet touch.
Purrs to signal
"all is well"
and show more love
than words can tell.
Graceful movements
touched with pride,
a calming presence
by our side.
A friendship
that will last and grow -
small wonder
why we love them so.
~ Author Unknown ~
Evening
Little kitten loves the evening time
When midges whoop and holler over the lawn.
She skulks out from the greenwood
To sway in ballet as she chases the beast.
The sun long gone and the dark not yet there
But soon the efluorescent electric light
Will grandstand her sallies up in the air.
Long white hair sucking out the surrounding black
As for the first time in the day she busies herself.
She sleeps from morn to night
And only arouses herself to digest her tea.
She is a luxury cat,
A scrumptious ball of fluff,
Who hunts phantasms at evening.
~ Douglas Clark ~
The Song of the Jellicles
Jellicle Cats come out to-night
Jellicle Cats come one come all:
The Jellicle Moon is shining bright -
Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.
Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats are rather small;
Jellicle Cats are merry and bright,
And pleasant to hear when they caterwaul.
Jellicle Cats have cheerful faces,
Jellicle Cats have bright black eyes;
They like to practise their airs and graces
And wait for the Jellicle Moon to rise.
Jellicle Cats develop slowly,
Jellicle Cats are not too big;
Jellicle Cats are roly-poly,
They know how to dance a gavotte and a jig.
Until the Jellicle Moon appears
They make their toilette and take their repose:
Jellicle Cats wash behind their ears,
Jellicle dry between their toes.
Jellicle Cats are white and black,
Jellicle Cats are of moderate size;
Jellicle Cats jump like a jumping-jack,
Jellicle Cats have moonlit eyes.
They're quitet enough in the morning hours,
They're quitet enough in the afternoon,
Reserving their terpsichorean powers
To dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon.
Jellicle Cats are black and white,
Jellicle Cats (as I said) are small;
If it happends to be a stormy night
They will practise a caper or two in the hall.
If it happens the sun is shining bright
You would say they had nothing to do at all:
They are resting and saving themselves to be right
For the Jellicle Moon and the Jellicle Ball.
~ T.S. Eliot ~
The Mysterious Cat
I saw a proud, mysterious cat
I saw a proud, mysterious cat,
Too proud to catch a mouse or rat-
Mew, mew, mew.
But catnip she would eat, and purr,
But catnip she would eat, and purr.
And goldfish she did much prefer-
Mew, mew, mew.
I saw a cat - 'twas but a dream,
I saw a cat - 'twas but a dream
Who scorned the slave that brought her cream-
Mew, mew, mew.
Unless the slave were dressed in style,
Unless the slave were dressed in style
And knelt before her all the while-
Mew, mew, mew.
Did you ever hear of a thing like that?
Did you ever hear of a thing like that?
Did you ever hear of a thing like that?
Oh, what a proud mysterious cat.
Oh, what a proud mysterious cat.
Oh, what a proud mysterious cat.
Mew ... mew ... mew.
~ Vachel Lindsay ~
Cat's Prayer
I hope I'm not asking too much, Lord;
All I want is a home of my own,
And to know when my next meal is coming
Instead of the scraps I get thrown.
I've been out in the cold for so long now,
Just coping as best as I can;
But it's not been so long I've forgotten
The touch of a soft caring hand.
I look in house windows at Christmas,
As cats doze by the fire, quite replete;
How I'd welcome a box in the kitchen,
And tasty food for me to eat.
For me there was tinsel and giftwrap,
But the fun didn't last very long.
They put me outside with the rubbish;
I still don't know what I did wrong.
I really don't want to be greedy;
At the moment I'm all skin and bone,
So would it be too much to hope for
That someone will give me a home?
~ Author Unknown ~
Cat Owner's Prayer
Because I'm only human,
It's sometimes hard to be
The wise, all-knowing creature
That my cat expects of me.
And so I pray for special help
To somehow understand
The subtle implications
Of each proud meowed command.
Oh, let me not forget that chairs
Were put on earth to shred;
And what I like to call a lap
Is actually a bed.
I know it's really lots to ask
But please, oh please, take pity;
And though I'm only human,
Make me worthy of my kitty!
~ Author Unknown ~
Lend Me A Kitten
I will lend to you for awhile a kitten, God said.
For you to love while he lives, and mourn when he's dead.
Maybe for twelve or fourteen years, or maybe two or three.
But will you, 'till I call him back, take care of him for me?
He'll bring his charms to gladden you and, should his stay be brief
You'll always have his memories as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay, since all from earth return.
But there are lessons taught below I want this kitten to learn.
I've looked the whole world over in search of teachers true.
And from the folk that crowds life's land I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love, nor think the labor vain?
Nor hate me when I come to take my kitten home again?
I fancied that I heard them say 'Dear Lord Thy Will Be Done'
For all the joys this kitten brings the risk of grief we'll run.
We'll shelter him with tenderness, we'll love him while we may.
And for the happiness we've known, forever grateful stay.
But should you call him back much sooner than we planned,
We'll brave the bitter grief that comes, and try to understand.
If, by our love we've managed your wishes to achieve,
Then in memory of him whom we loved, please help us while we grieve.
When our cherished kitten departs this world of strife,
Please send yet another needing soul for us to love all his life.
~ Author Unknown ~
Gray Thrums
Which is the cosiest voice,
The piping droning noise
When the kettle hums,
Or this little old-fashioned wheel
Spinning gray thrums?
Gray thrums! What wheel, you ask,
Turns at such pleasant task
With a soft whirr?
Why, the one in pussy's throat
That makes her purr.
Listen the rippling sound,
And think how round and round
The spindle goes,
As the drowsy thread she spins
Drowsily grows.
What will she do with it
When it is finished? Knit
Some mittens new?
Or shuttle it, and weave cloth
As weavers do?
A funny idea that,
A spinning wheel in a cat!
Yet how it hums!
Our puss is gray, so of course
She spins gray thrums.
~ Clara Doty Bates ~
The Christmas Kitten
I once was a cuddly kitten,
But now I am a stray,
'Cause when I was no longer fluffy,
They sent me on my way.
They've kept their big watchdog,
As he can bark and growl,
But I could fly at strangers,
If I caught them on the prowl.
I slink around their garbage can;
I mew outside their door;
But it's clear from their behaviour,
They don't want me anymore.
Now I'm cold and hungry,
And getting very thin,
What have I done to hurt them,
Why won't they let me in?
I crouch in sheds and boxes,
In my bedraggle fur,
So shivery and dejected,
I cannot even purr.
They have another kitten,
Their children's whole delight;
But probably next Christmas,
It will share my wretched plight.
~ Author Unknown ~
A Kitten
He's nothing much but fur
And two round eyes of blue,
He has a giant purr
And a midget mew.
He darts and pats the air,
He starts and cocks his ear,
When there is nothing there
For him to see and hear.
He runs around in rings,
But why we cannot tell;
With sideways leaps he springs
At things invisible -
Then half-way through a leap
His startled eyeballs close,
And he drops off to sleep
With one paw on his nose.
~ Eleanor Farjeon ~
Confidence
Little cats walk with their tails up.
Happy, they are afraid of nothing.
They will hiss at a big dog or a big person,
Not to defend themselves,
But to show their spirit.
~ Martha Baird ~
Puss
Puss loves man's winter fire
Now that the sun so soon
Leaves the hours cold it warmed
In burning June.
She purrs full length before
The heaped-up hissing blaze,
Drowsy in slumber down
Her head she lays.
While he with whom she dwells
Sits snug in his inglenook,
Stretches his legs to the flame
And reads his book.
~ Walter De La Mare ~
A Cat in My Lap
I know I have a lot to do,
So many things - see them through.
There are clothes to clean, grass to mow,
Cookies to bake, seeds to sow.
But I really can't do all these things in a snap.
Because, you see, there's a cat in my lap.
He stretches and rolls and gives me a wink,
From his sleepy gold eyes - just a small blink.
I smooth his long tail and tickle his tummy,
He yawns and purrs to tell me that's yummy.
The telephone rings. The paper boy taps.
No move do I make. There's a cat in my lap.
Bright sunlight dances across the floor,
To warm my small friend just a bit more.
A happy prisoner am I in my chair -
Some moments of peace - not a care.
I think I'll take a little nap,
With this soft, furry ball, a cat in my lap.
~ Karen Boxell ~
The Cat and The Moon
The cat went here and there
And the moon spun round like a top,
And the nearest kin of the moon,
The creeping cat, looked up.
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For, wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood.
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
Tired of that courtly fashion,
A new dance turn.
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
From moonlit place to place,
The sacred moon overhead
Has taken a new place.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
Will pass from change to change,
And that from round to crescent,
From crescent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise,
And lifts to the changing moon
His changing eyes.
~ W.B. Yeats ~
The Robber Kitten
A kitten once to its mother said:
"I'll never more be good,
But I'll go and be a robber fierce,
and live in a dreary wood.
Wood, wood, wood,
And live in a dreary wood."
So off it went to the dreary wood,
And there it met a cock,
And blew its head, with a pistol, off
Which gave it an awful shock.
Shock, shock, shock,
Which gave it an awful shock.
Soon after that it met a cat.
"Now give me your purse,
Or I'll shoot you through, and stab you too,
And kill you, which is worse.
Worse, worse, worse,
And kill you, which is worse."
It climbed a tree to rob a nest
Of young and tender owls;
But the branch broke off, and the kitten fell
With two tremendous howls.
Howls, howls, howls,
With two tremendous howls.
One day it met a Robber Dog,
And they sat down to drink;
The dog did joke, and laugh and sing,
Which made the kitten wink.
Wink, wink, wink,
Which made the kitten wink.
At last they quarrelled; then they fought,
Beneath the greenwood tree,
Till puss was felled with an awful club,
Most terrible to see.
See, see, see,
Most terrible to see.
When puss got up, its eye was shut,
And swelled, and black and blue;
Moreover, all its bones were sore,
So it began to me.
Mew, mew, mew,
So it began to mew.
Then up it rose, and scratched its nose,
And went home very sad;
"Oh mother dear, behold me here;
I'll never more be bad.
Bad, bad, bad,
I'll never more be bad."
~ R. M. Ballantyne ~
The Naming of Cats
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, or George or Bill Bailey -
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter -
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum -
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover -
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.
~ T.S. Eliot ~
Do You Know Me?
Why do you look at me in that forlorn way?
Are you cold and hungry in this winter's day?
Why do you gaze with tears in your clear green eyes,
They are so translucent under the matching skies.
You look so familiar, like someone I know,
But sadly, last year, he had to go.
He burrowed deep into my heart,
Made me cry when we had to part.
He invaded my home, when he had no right,
Yet I had to give in to those eyes so bright.
They were like yours, a pearly green,
With the deepest aura that I've seen.
He did things wrong but I didn't mind,
The will to throw him out, I couldn't find,
He wasn't perfect, and I liked him for that,
And I tried to correct him as we sat.
But he was so stubborn, so determined and willed,
I dearly missed his encouragement when he was killed.
Are you his spirit, here to haunt me again?
And die once more and cause me pain?
Well, if him you cannot be,
Why do you look as if you know me?
And the night we met, he too, was ragged and thin,
Miserable and abused near the garbage bin.
If you think I would adopt and care for you,
And then rear you up faithful and true,
Then only to lose another life once again,
You're right, so don't just stand there, come on in!
~ Author Unknown ~
Why Sarab Loves Me
Sarab is a lovely cat -
On my lap she sat and sat
Why she loves me I don't know unless -
I give her food six times a day,
I stroke her fur and talk to her
Considerate in every way
I always do what she prefers -
Come to think of it I know
Why Sarab does love me so.
~ Rachel A. Gold ~
The Singing Cat
It was a little captive cat
Upon a crowded train
His mistress takes him from his box
To ease his fretful pain.
She holds him tight upon her knee
The graceful animal
And all the people look at him
He is so beautiful.
But oh he pricks and oh he prods
And turns upon her knee
Then lifteth up his innocent voice
In plaintive melody.
He lifteth up his innocent voice
He lifteth up, he singeth
And to each human countenance
A smile of grace he bringeth.
He lifteth up his innocent paw
Upon her breast he clingeth
And everybody cries, Behold
The cat, the cat that singeth.
He lifteth up his innocent voice
He lifteth up, he singeth
And all the people warm themselves
In the love his beauty bringeth.
~ Stevie Smith ~
A Certain Wisdom
You curl the silence of your sleep,
One velvet paw curved like a shell
Scooping an intrinsic substance
To cover your eyes.
I watch you in your world
And I grow wise.
You are a golden flash
That singles itself in shadows.
You carve your domain
From fence to house
Then gather the rooms about you
For your own.
Each of your days is a world.
You do not look back on yesterday
Nor do you anticipate tomorrow.
You live the present intensified
In its own way,
And trust my every circling of your world.
~ Ruth Munch ~
The Awakening
A tickle tongue
Between my toes
Kitty whiskers
Up my nose
Softly punching
Furry feet
Wake me from
My morning sleep
~ Frank Llloyd Kramer ~
St. Jerome's Cat
St. Jerome in his study kept a great big cat,
It's always in his pictures, with its feet upon the mat.
Did he give it milk to drink, in a little dish?
When it came to Fridays, did he give it fish?
If I lost my little cat, I'd be sad without it;
I should ask St. Jeremy what to do about it;
I should ask St. Jeremy, just because of that,
For he's the only saint I know who kept a kitty cat.
~ Author Unknown ~
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