When Cats Reigned Like Kings
On the Trail of the Sacred Cats
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- $64.99
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- $64.99
Publisher Description
In her fascinating exploration of feline history, Georgie Anne Geyer explores the connections between the royal and sacred felines of ancient civilizations and the beloved domestic cats of today. Chasing an irresistible mystery across the globe, Geyer conducts exhaustive research into the little-known puzzle of how cats came to occupy their unique position in the lives of humans. Treated with the tenacity, resourcefulness, and narrative instinct of a seasoned foreign correspondent, the investigation yields unexpected answers and poses tantalizing new questions.
It was Geyer's curiosity about her own cats that inspired her to study the history of human-feline relations and especially the exalted status of cats among the ancients as royal or sacred beings. In Egypt, Geyer learned of the cat-goddess Bastet and of the cat's role in the transmigration of souls. In Myanmar she saw Leonardo DiCaprio, Ricky Martin, and the other incongruously named cats of the Nga Phe Kyaung monastery, trained by the monks to jump through hoops. She even met a family who dutifully guards the heritage of the Japanese Bobtail, cultivating the line in of all places rural Virginia.
Richly illustrated with photographs of Geyer's journeys and historical cat images, When Cats Reigned Like Kings describes forty-one recognized modern cat breeds plus other popular cats. Every cat lover can, thus, trace his or her cat to these breeds and their many relatives. The result is a remarkable book, bound to delight and amaze cat fanciers and adventure seekers.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Veteran foreign reporter Geyer (Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro; Buying the Night Flight: The Autobiography of a Woman Correspondent) brings her profiling skills to a more lighthearted but still complex topic--"the true history, legends, and sagas of the cats who served the human need for symbols of the spirit and of sacredness and royalty"--in this charming blend of reportage and personal history. Inspired by her first feline, Pasha, Geyer travels to Egypt to investigate a number of cat "mysteries" at the Egyptian Museum and the ruins of the cat temple Tell Basta at Bubastis. Later, inspired by Nikko, her Japanese Bobtail, she travels through Burma, Bangkok, Siam and Tokyo to explore why their ancient societies revered "cats, and cats alone." Geyer keeps a light, playful tone through most of the book; Pasha's regal bearing makes her realize that "although I had met many males who thought they were gods, I was for the first time sleeping with one." A later section offers impressively concise descriptions of more than 30 breeds, and both this and her chapters about her travels easily support her belief that "all cats are beautiful and... share in that sacred and royal spirit that they exemplify in themselves and inspire in us humans." Photos.
