Cats | Lecturia

Theodore Sturgeon: Fluffy

“Fluffy” is a short story by Theodore Sturgeon, published in Weird Tales in March 1947. Ransome, a regular guest at social gatherings thanks to his talent for telling anecdotes, spends the weekend at the home of Mrs. Benedetto, an eccentric widow who is devoted to her enormous cat, Fluffy. Fascinated by his hostess’s devotion and amused by the animal’s indifference, Ransome amuses himself by reflecting on the nature of cats. However, during the night, a strange incident in the guest room will change the course of his stay.

Juan Carlos Onetti: The Cat

“The Cat” is a short story by Juan Carlos Onetti, published in the collection Liminar in 1980. The story follows John, a cynical and distant Englishman, who confesses to a friend the reason behind his decision not to marry. In his account, he recalls a former engagement to Marie, a French woman with whom he was deeply in love. Everything was ready for them to begin their life together, until an unexpected and strange situation changed the course of their plans.

Lafcadio Hearn: The Boy Who Drew Cats

Lafcadio Hearn - El niño que dibujaba gatos

“The Boy Who Drew Cats” is a tale by Lafcadio Hearn, published in 1898 as number 23 in Hasegawa Takejirō’s Japanese Fairy Tale Series. It tells the story of a Japanese boy, the youngest in a farming family, who is sent to a temple to be trained as a priest. Despite his intelligence, he has an irresistible obsession: drawing cats everywhere. His master expels him from the temple with a cryptic warning: “Avoid large places at night;—keep to small!” Without fully understanding these words, the boy sets out on a journey to another temple in search of a new opportunity.

Rudyard Kipling: The Cat That Walked by Himself

“The Cat That Walked by Himself” is a short story by Rudyard Kipling, published in July 1902 in Ladies’ Home Journal. A long time ago, when all animals and humans were still wild, a woman decided to leave her nomadic life behind and build a home. Little by little, various animals approach her cave and seal pacts that make them domesticated. Only one of them remains apart: the proud and solitary cat watches from a distance and cunningly plots his own way of approaching the fire without giving up his independence.

Doris Lessing: An Old Woman and her Cat

An Old Woman and her Cat is a short story by Doris Lessing, published in 1972 in the New American Review. It tells the story of Hetty, an older woman marginalized by her family and society, who survives as best she can on the fringes of London. Proud, eccentric, and free, Hetty finds comfort in Tibby, a stray cat she adopts and makes her only companion. The story focuses on her wanderings through run-down neighborhoods, her struggle to remain independent, and her endearing bond with the animal in an environment that becomes increasingly hostile and indifferent.

Émile Zola: The Paradise of Cats

The Paradise of Cats (Le paradis des chats) is a short story by Émile Zola published in 1874 in Nouveaux Contes à Ninon. It tells the story of a cat who experiences an identity crisis. Raised in the comfort and luxury of a home, where he is spoiled with plenty of food and a warm place to sleep, the cat feels dissatisfied and longs to experience the freedom and adventures of the outside world, idealizing the life of stray cats. However, he soon discovers that not everything on the street is as he thought.