Cats of the Literary Classics Quiz / Test | Specific Subjects & Themes

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In which of Shakespeare's plays do we hear the line "Thrice the brindled cat hath mewed"?

Answer: Macbeth

The witches (or "three weird sisters", as they're called) speak of the brindled cat.

The other plays, too, have lines about cats. Hamlet says "The cat will mew, the dog will have his day." In "Midsummer Night's Dream" Gremio asks, "But wilt thou woo this wild cat?" And Falstaff, in "Henry IV", tells us,"I am as vigilant as a cat to steal cream."

2. Who is the "Prince of Cats" in the medieval stories of Reynard the Fox?

Answer: Tybalt

Tybalt the cat, also spelled Tibert, appears in the stories of Reynard, the trickster/hero fox. Reynard is a figure in German, French, Dutch, and English fables, and also appears in Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." The character Tybalt in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is named for the medieval cat. Shakespeare's Tybalt is taunted by his rival Mercutio as "prince of cats" and "king of cats." Mercutio threatens to take one of Tybalt's nine lives, but loses his own life instead.

3. What 14th Century saint, author of "Revelations of Divine Love", is often pictured with a cat?

Answer: St. Julian of Norwich

Julian was an anchorite; that is, she lived in a cell attached to the church, praying and counseling those who sought her help. She is traditionally believed to have shared her cell with a cat, which is often included in artistic portrayals of Julian. She is best known for the vision in which she was assured that "all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."

St. Gertrude is the actual patron saint of cats. St. Roch is the patron saint of dogs. St. Anthony is often invoked to pray for the return of whatever is lost, including lost cats.

4. What author wrote, in the 1380 dream-poem "House of Fame", about the cat that would have fish, but would not wet his claws?

Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer

In Middle English: "For ye be lyke the sweynte cat that would have fissh; but wostow what? He wolde nothing wet his claws."

The basic proverb originated least 150 years earlier. It is this cat Lady Macbeth is talking about when she says her husband is "letting 'I dare not' wait upon 'I would,' like the poor cat i' the adage."

5. What is the name of the 8th Century poem translated from Old Irish by W.H. Auden about the relationship between a monk and his cat?

Answer: Pangur Ban

The monk is looking for words and the cat for mice. "How happy we are alone together, scholar and cat."

6. Speaking of W.H.Auden, what were the names of his cats?

Answer: Cenerentulla and Rudimace

Cenerentulla is a form of Cinderella. Rudimace, according to Auden, is a name from an opera. If any Funtrivia players know which one, please tell me!

7. Which 18th century writer's cat is commemorated with a bronze statue in London?

Answer: Samuel Johnson

Johnson's cat Hodge is immortalized in a statue unveiled by the Lord Mayor of London in 1997 outside the house where Hodge and Johnson lived. Hodge is shown sitting on the dictionary Johnson created along with the inscription "a very fine cat indeed."

8. Who wrote a poem about a cat named Minnaloushe?

Answer: W.B. Yeats

The title is "The Cat and the Moon" -- recommended for poetry lovers and cat lovers alike!

9. Who said "I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through"?

Answer: Jules Verne

Mark Twain said: "If a man could be crossed with a cat, it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.'

Andrew Lange said: "Of all animals, the cat alone attains to the contemplative life. He regards the wheel of existence from without, like the Buddha."

Leonardo da Vinci said: "The smallest feline is a masterpiece.'

10. Let's finish with something a little less classic lit and a little more pop culture. What is the name of the cat that appears in the "Doctor Who" New Adventure novels?

Answer: Wolsey

It's good to think of a cat named Wolsey traveling through time and space righting wrongs, now, isn't it?

Source: Author wylie6

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor MotherGoose before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Cats of the Literary Classics Trivia Quiz

Here are some questions about cats in classic literature, authors' cats, and quotes from literary cat lovers.

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