The Untold Story of Mark
Twain & His Cat Obsession – 4 Feline Facts You Never Knew!
“…Samuel
Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, is referenced in libraries across the
world, &…his preference in pets is unmistakably cut-&-dry.
‘If man
could be crossed with the cat,’ Twain wrote, ‘it would improve man, but it
would deteriorate the cat.’
4. SO MANY CATS
He
owned as many as 19 cats, whose names were perhaps even more impressive than
their master’s wit. Apollinaris, Beelzebub, Blatherskite, Buffalo Bill, Satan,
Sin, Sour Mash, Tammany, Zoroaster, Soapy Sal & Pestilence… are just a few
of them.
He loved
them more than most humans & was confounded by humans who didn’t love them
back.
‘When a
man loves cats, I am his friend & comrade, without further introduction.’
3. BAMBINO’S DAY OUT
One cat
named Bambino was given to Twain by his daughter Clara, the only of his
offspring to survive their father. Following the death of Twain’s wife, Livy,
Clara was sent to a sanatorium, & Twain locked himself up at home. Clara
was prohibited from keeping the animal, which she had nurtured until another
patient informed the facility staff, & Twain took Bambino in.
The cat
helped Twain through a deep depression, & after he went missing in New York
City, the author offered a $5 reward for anyone who could return Bambino to his
home at 21 5th Avenue in New York City, according to the Smithsonian. An
advertisement in the New York American read, ‘Have you seen a
distinguished-looking black cat that looks as if it might be lost? If you have,
take it to Mark Twain, for it may be his.’
Twain
offered his own concise description: ‘Large & intensely black; thick,
velvety fur; has a faint fringe of white hair across his chest; not easy to
find in ordinary light.’
2. CATS FOR RENT
While
traveling, Twain was a great steward of the felines who crossed his path. He
couldn’t bring his own cats while he toured speaking engagements, so he rented
those that were available.
‘The
most famous cat-renting episode occurred in Dublin, New Hampshire, in 1906,’
New England Today reports. ‘Twain biographer Albert Bigelow Paine was there
when the author rented 3 kittens for the summer. One he named Sackcloth. The
other 2 were identical & went under the joint name of Ashes.’
1. FELINES & FRIENDLINESS
Twain
was also known to treat cats far better than he treated most humans.
‘Once,
as he was about to enter the screen door that led into the hall, 2 kittens ran
up in front of him & stood waiting,’ Paine said. ‘With grave politeness he
opened the door, made a low bow, & stepped back & said, ‘Walk in,
gentlemen. I always give precedence to royalty.'’
Stories
of Twain’s fondness for felines are almost as numerous as his works of
fiction…”
Matthew
Russell
Weekly Chuckle:
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