Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws, and Kitties of Yore

A hilarious celebration of cats in artwork from medieval times.

Look what the cat dragged in from the Middle Ages--a curious compendium of cats unlike any you’ve ever lapped up before.

For more than a millennium, a myriad of medieval manuscripts and artworks painted a picture of cats as playful and curious but also lazy, selfish, and vicious. Today, these masterpieces live on, shining a bright light on the dark age of cats and telling a hilarious story of their paw-some glory. From bum-licking to cat-fighting to mouse-tricking, Medieval Cats is a hilarious celebration of cats who are up to no good.

Learn cat facts from the Middle Ages and the origins of cat proverbs, and discover poems and excerpts from literature that mention cats. Both humor book and peek into medieval art, Medieval Cats is for cat lovers--and haters--everywhere!

Professor Catherine Nappington teaches felinology--the study of cats--at Maine (Coon) University. She lives with her two tabbies in Portland, a city with more than 700,000 cats (true fact), and is the cat-lady capital of the U.S. She doesn’t get out much.