12 Must-Read Poems about Cats

While cats aren’t as popular a subject in poetry as, say, love or relationships, they do feature in the oeuvres of several famous poets, like T.S. Eliot. Cat poems usually celebrate the eccentricities that make cats, cats.

In poems about cats, poets often write about the way cats behave in the home, interact with human beings, take care of themselves, explore the wild, and more. Cats are loved for their distinct personalities and surprising quirks. While not all cats are the same, poets commonly return to images of cats as hunters, as lithe creatures sneaking around the home, and as loving companions that are there when you need them.

When reading a poem about living with or seeing a cat, readers should expect to be both amused and warmed. As any cat owner knows, having a cat doesn’t exactly always go as planned!

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Another Insane Devotion

by Gerald Stern

‘Another Insane Devotion’ by Gerald Stern is about a man reflecting on his life experiences. His memories, while not always easily understood, help him see the value of the choices he has made.

This poem prominently features a cat. It is a street cat in Rome that attacks the speaker, trying to eat his ham sandwich. The man gives the cat half of the sandwich, and the two sit on the street and eat together. Although the poem is really about a love affair, the cat remains central to the man's memories of the experience. He finds its intensity somewhat disturbing, and his memories of the cat's face, as it ate the sandwich remain striking and vivid, even thirty-five years later.

This was gruesome—fighting over a ham sandwich

with one of the tiny cats of Rome, he leaped

on my arm and half hung on to the food and half

hung on to my shirt and coat.

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Macavity: The Mystery Cat

by T.S. Eliot

‘Macavity: The Mystery Cat’ is a light verse presenting the amusing crimes of the superhuman cat – Macavity.

'Macavity: The Mystery Cat' bears the topic of cats as the poem's main character is a cat called Macavity, who has extraordinary capabilities as he charms the readers with his wit and exploits despite being a notorious criminal. The poem is an important part of Eliot's poetry collection called 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats,' in which he wrote a number of light verses on cats.

Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw—

For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.

He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:

For when they reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!

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The Naming Of Cats

by T.S. Eliot

‘The Naming of Cats’ is a light verse explaining how cats have three different names: a family name, a peculiar name, and a secretive name.

'The Naming of Cats' is foregrounded on the issue of the cats' names and how cats get their three different names. The poem works around its declaration that all cats have three names explaining each while adding a mysterious air to the third one, known only to the individual cat himself. The poem's nonsensical issue and absurd contemplations concerning cats accentuate readers' amusement and enjoyment.

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.

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The Early Purges

by Seamus Heaney

‘The Early Purges’ brilliantly renders the invasive and persistent effect negative memories can have on a person’s life for years.

Far from a poem for cat lovers, this poem is deeply upsetting as it depicts the drowning of kittens on a farm. The fact cats are beloved pets for many only serves to emphasize the brutality of life on the farm. Strikingly, the kittens cease to be depicted as animals very quickly after their death, almost immediately becoming objects in the narrator's eyes.

I was six when I first saw kittens drown.

Dan Taggart pitched them, 'the scraggy wee shits',

Into a bucket; a frail metal sound,

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The Song of the Jellicles

by T.S. Eliot

‘The Song of the Jellicles’ introduces merry and bright felines – Jellicle cats awaiting to dance by the light of the Jellicle Moon.

This poem is about Jellicle cats who are part of T.S. Eliot's fantastical world of cats. The Jellicle cats "are of moderate size" and seem fun-loving as the poem encompasses a description of their world and appearance. Faber and Faber even published an individual picture book of the poetry 'The Song of the Jellicles' named 'Jellicle Cats' in 2017.

Jellicle Cats come out to-night

Jellicle Cats come one come all:

The Jellicle Moon is shining bright—

Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.

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Death of a Cat

by Gillian Clarke

In ‘Death of a Cat,’ Clarke reflects on a real-life incident in which her son witnessed cats mourning their family cat’s death. Her simple but precise language highlights how the death of one creature ripples out to affect everyone around her.

'Death of a Cat' shows the aftermath of the speaker's cat being hit by a car. She observes, through her son, how cats mourn their dead in a similar way to humans.

Dylan dreamed it again,

woken by caterwauling.

Two mourners held a wake

at dawn on the compost heap

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The Cat Metamorphosed Into A Woman

by Jean de La Fontaine

‘The Cat Metamorphosed Into A Woman’ is a playful yet insightful fable that highlights how deeply-ingrained habits and nature can’t be changed, no matter how hard we try.

The poem revolves around the transformation of a cat into a woman, using the animal’s traits as a metaphor for the character’s inner nature. The cat’s behaviors, such as pride, cunning, and independence, transfer into the woman’s persona. This exploration reveals the complex relationship between humans and animals, and how qualities often associated with cats reflect broader themes of identity and self-understanding.

A bachelor caressed his cat,

A darling, fair, and delicate;

So deep in love, he thought her mew

The sweetest voice he ever knew.

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At Dusk

by Natasha Trethewey

‘At Dusk’ by Natasha Trethewey tells a story about overhearing a neighbor calling their cat, while also considering missing someone.

The cat is central to this poem. The way that the cat's owner misses her cat and wants it to come home is shown, and also the way that the cat doesn't heed the call. This shows the independence and wilfulness of cats as well.

At first I think she is calling a child,

my neighbor, leaning through her doorway

at dusk, street lamps just starting to hum

the backdrop of evening.

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A little Dog that wags his tail

by Emily Dickinson

In ‘A little Dog that wags his tail’ Emily Dickinson explores themes of human nature, the purpose of life, and freedom. She compares animals, cats and dogs, to adults and children.

The cat is presented in sharp contrast to the fun-loving dog. Dickinson depicts the animal in the corner and without desire. Cats are therefore implied to be more practical and austere animals compared to dogs, possibly mirroring the contrast between human adults and children.

A little Dog that wags his tail

And knows no other joy

Of such a little Dog am I

Reminded by a Boy

#10

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The cat’s song

by Marge Piercy

‘The cat’s song’ by Marge Piercy describes the way that a cat interacts, questions, and regards his owner as the two live together.

Mine, says the cat, putting out his paw of darkness.

My lover, my friend, my slave, my toy, says

the cat making on your chest his gesture of drawing

milk from his mother’s forgotten breasts.

#11

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The Duel

by Eugene Field

‘The Duel,’ one of the best-known poems of Eugene Field, tells the oddly amusing tale of the gingham dog and the calico cat.

The gingham dog and the calico cat

Side by side on the table sat;

'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)

Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink!

#12

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The Story Of The Cat That Drank The Sea

by Riyas Qurana

In ‘The Story Of The Cat That Drank The Sea’ Riyas Qurana has used a very simple analogy to uncover the identity crisis an addict faces.

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12 Must-Read Poems about Cats

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12 Must-Read Poems about Cats

by Gerald Stern

by T.S. Eliot

by T.S. Eliot

by Seamus Heaney

by T.S. Eliot

by Gillian Clarke

by Jean de La Fontaine

by Natasha Trethewey

by Emily Dickinson

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