Fluffy philosophers and adventurers
March 1st isn't just the first day of spring. It's also Russia's unofficial Cat Day.
Cats are more than just our cozy companions and friends. Their contribution to world culture is truly invaluable!
We've collected vibrant cat images that have delighted and captivated us for years.
1. The Cheshire Cat is a philosopher
The Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland is one of the most recognizable cats in world literature. He can disappear, leaving behind a smile, and engages in paradoxical dialogues with Alice about logic and madness. In Tim Burton's film, he also acquires the ability to shapeshift: he takes on the appearance of the Mad Hatter to save him in exchange for his hat. The Cheshire Cat has become a symbol of irony, the relativity of truth, and the absurdity of the world.
2. Puss in Boots is an adventurer
Puss in Boots first appeared in a fairy tale by Charles Perrault. Using cunning and eloquence, he makes his master rich and noble. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Puss in Boots was given a second life in animated films by Soyuzmultfilm, DreamWorks, and other studios. Like most of his fellow characters, he is completely amoral, but incredibly likable. He is also living proof that having a cat at home positively influences the worldview and career advancement of its owners.
3. Behemoth the Cat is a demonic personality
Behemoth the cat from Bulgakov's novel "The Master and Margarita" is a troublemaker, drinks vodka, shoots a revolver, fixes a primus stove, delivers caustic tirades, and does a host of other brilliant and criminal things. He's very charming—even his devilish companions admit it. Behemoth's image is yet another reason to take a closer look at the domesticated purr-cat and realize that things aren't so simple with cats, oh, not so simple...
4. The goddess Bastet is mysterious and enigmatic
There's no escaping patriarchy: in global culture, male cats clearly predominate over female cats. But for the ancient Egyptians, who were famously the first to understand the divine nature of cats, it was the female cat who became the goddess Bastet. Mysterious and enigmatic (like any cat), she was the patroness of the home, motherhood, fertility, joy, and protection from evil.
5. Kot Murr is a writer and blogger.
The cat from Hoffmann's "The Worldly Opinions of the Cat Murr" was born long before computer technology and social media. He expressed his views on current events by dipping his paw in ink and writing letters on paper borrowed from his owner. But his ability to respond to cultural and political events, and especially his penchant for unbridled boasting, make Murr one of the outstanding bloggers of the 19th century.
6. Tom the Cat is a loser and aggressor
Tom the cat from the animated series Tom and Jerry is a perpetual loser in his pursuit of Jerry the mouse. He's certainly a predator and an aggressor, but his constant failures sometimes evoke sympathy. Critics find many hidden meanings in this children's cartoon and even see it as a political satire on the confrontation between Britain and Germany during World War II.
7. The cat is a cyberpunk hero
A ginger cat is the main character in the game Stray. Together with his companion drone, B-12, he attempts to uncover the mystery of a city inhabited by robots. He travels through the abandoned city, solves puzzles, fights parasitic zurks, and searches for a way home. There are no humans in this cyberpunk world, and the protagonist brilliantly proves that cats can get by just fine without us, should the need arise.
