Medieval Cats is a quirky and visually rich journey through feline depictions in medieval manuscripts. This book blends humor with historical tidbits, offering cat facts, medieval proverbs, and literary excerpts.

The artwork is undeniably charming and often hilarious, and the playful captions is a delight to read. However, the book occasionally stumbles on factual accuracy and misses opportunities to delve deeper into the cultural significance of cats in medieval society.

Overall, Medieval Cats is a fun, light-hearted read for cat lovers and fans of medieval art, though those seeking scholarly insight may find it wanting.

This was such a fun and informative read.

Packed with history and fun facts along with art from back in the day it's an entertaining read for everyone who loves cats and enjoys history.

An ARC was provided to me via Netgalley in return of an honest review.

It's so cute and hilarious! If you love animals and cats, then you'll enjoy this fun book with a touch of medieval history and plenty of cats. Thank you to the publisher and author for this arc!

This perfect little book is truly a delight. If you laugh at memes that recycle medieval art and have a fondness for the feline species, this is for you. Perfect gift. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy. Al opinions are entirely my own.

A mildly humorous coffee table book pairing illustrations, poems, facts, and quotes about cats from the Medieval era with funny one-liners.

I was surprised at how often cats featured in Medieval literature and artwork, many times popping up in spots where they perhaps shouldn't have been, like the cat cleaning it's genitals above the crucified Jesus, and a cat dressed as a nun. I loved seeing the role cats played as mousers, companions, and nuisances, and was saddened to learn more about their vilification in their "connection" to Satan.

The book would have been better if a more scientific approach was taken, perhaps detailing why the cat was included in illustrations rather than choosing humorous yet unrelated captions.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions written are completely honest and my own.


Middle cat art has fascinated me for a while, why did the not know what a cat looked like ?

I was educated on many interesting (and at times cruel) ways cats were treated while being amused and I enjoyed that .

Fun book for both cats and history lovers

Medieval Cats is a delightful, slightly unhinged romp through art history. If you’ve ever looked at a medieval manuscript and thought, “What is that cat doing?”—this is the book for you. Catherine Nappington pairs hilarious commentary with truly bizarre illustrations of cats being chaotic, smug, or just plain cursed.

It’s short, funny, and surprisingly informative. A perfect coffee table book or gift for the medieval meme-lover in your life.

I discovered Medieval Cats Paws Claws and Kitties of Yore, in the Arts & Photography section in Netgalley. Unfortunately I did not notice that it had been also filed under Humor & Satire. My expectations for a lovely book about depictions of cats in medieval art and literature were dashed. It seems that Medieval Cats is just a coffee table satire book filled with lots of art, but very little useful information.

The author of the book, Professor Catherine Nappington (Cat…Nap?) is purported to teach felineology at the University of Maine. However, I was unable to find any information on the university’s website about this professor, and no results for the subject of ‘felineology’.

Once I got over my disappointment, I started the book in the hopes that I could still learn a little bit about cats in Medieval art and literature.

Medieval Cats Paws Claws and Kitties of Yore is filled with lots of interesting examples of cat illustrations in medieval manuscripts, and snippets from medieval literature. Each piece of art or text has the reference right underneath. This is helpful if you want to go looking for more information.

On the other hand, at least in my copy which is an advance reader copy and therefore possibly not complete, there is no index or bibliography. It is hard to tell if the book is supposed to include an index or bibliography, as my copy stops rather abruptly at page 208.

I found the format of the book confusing, and it would have been nice if the examples were organised chronologically. As it is, the dates of the examples within each chapter jump all over the place. The chapters themselves are named in a joking faux-medieval style, for instance: “The Catt Satteth upon the Matteth”. While humorous, these titles have nothing to do with the chapter contents.

The reddit-style captions underneath each illustration are also amusing, but that made me ask: why wouldn’t I just go straight to /r/MedievalCats for almost the exact same experience?

In fact the whole of Medieval Cats by Catherine Nappington reads like someone scraped /r/Medieval Cats for the best art examples and then compiled these into a book with some added snippets of literature from the period. Having realised this, I found it difficult to enjoy the remainder of this volume.

I would suggest picking up Medieval Cats by Catherine Nappington if you just want to look at amusing pictures of cats in Medieval art, or would like to have a fun coffee table book available for visitors to peruse while you are making the coffee.

Or, you could just go straight to Reddit…

I am a real fan of illuminated manuscripts, and marginalia cats are a win. This is a niche title but I mean, who doesn't want to read a book about silly cats? These cats are a lighthearted step into history.

Stumbling across quirky marginalia and purposeful art in medieval books that's gone viral on social media is always fun so I was instantly interested in a proper collection of quirky art from medieval manuscripts, especially about cats.

Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws, and Kitties of Yore is a fun, easy ready. Lots of amusing artistic interpretations by artists of old and lots of fun random tidbits of information about how cats were viewed by the artists and writers of the time.

It's only a three-star read for me, though, because a) now that I've seen it, I don't need to see it again and b) I'm a 'rabbit hole' driven fact-check type person and I checked out a few of the stories the author included (primarily related to Pope Gregory IX and Muhammad) as Fact but it turned out were more like Possibly Fact, and I wish there'd been at least an asterisk to say that.

But it's a fun book, and maybe even more fun because it's got the opportunity for lots of rabbit holes of research in which you might find more medieval art and marginalia to amuse you.

I received a early copy of Medieval Cats through Clarkson Porter/Ten Speed Press, NetGalley, and the author in exchange for a review.

Cats aplenty and cats galore!
Catherine Nappington promies to bring us medieval illustrations of cats in droves, and doesn't she just deliver!
This book is laid out in a way that would appeal either as a coffee table book meant for brief episodes of perusal, or as a fun gift for that feline fanatic in your life, full of tidbits, facts and anecdotes about cats and their place in a changing medieval world.
Far from being universally reviled as harbingers of bad fortune, cats have often demanded to be the centre of attention, and I have always been particularly fond of stories of monks and their interactions with cats.
The humour of the book is not necessarily to my taste, but would most likely bring a smile or two to a reader's face.

As the mother of two beloved cats, an art historian, and an artist who references illuminated manuscripts consistently in her work, this book feels like it was made specifically for me.

I especially loved the myths and folklore shared from around the world, and the list of all the times Shakespeare referenced cats in his writing. 

I could've done without all the silly captions. I think the folktales, witticisms, and quotes are enough to pair with the illustrations. I also wish it was organized in a more straightforward way (maybe by country or century?). But regardless, I still added it to my cart immediately. 

I can't wait to have this on the coffee table in my studio.

4 out of 5 stars / 8 out of 10

I love cats and the medieval period so was excited to read this but ended up being very disappointed with this book. It's more of an immature coffee table book and only has a few lines of substance. It consists of drawings of cats from medieval manuscripts paired with wince-inducing quotes and a few lines of actual medieval cat facts/trivia sprinkled in. I wouldn't say it was a waste of time to read but I don't see myself needing to read it again or spending any money on a copy. I was hoping for something more along the lines of the book "Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan."

I loved this book! There is great humor and a lot of research in this book. The author di a lot of work looking for art, saying, quotes, and as well as facts about cats during the Medieval times. There is lots of humor and fun facts. This is a great gift for cat people.

I really love this. It's hilarious and informative and has great illustrations of medieval cats. Thank you NetGalley for this review copy.

I received an ARC from Net Galley for a review.

"Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws, and Kitties of Yore" by Catherine Nappington is a hilarious and charming book that brings together over 200 medieval illustrations of cats from old manuscripts. If you’ve ever wondered what cats were up to in the Middle Ages, this is the book for you!

Why I loved it:

Super funny captions: The book pairs each cat picture with witty commentary that will make you giggle. My book club and I were in hysterics laughing at the captions and rather (lets be honest, terribly painted cats)
Feline facts: Learn quirky bits about how cats were seen in medieval times.
Perfect gift: Whether you're buying for a cat lover or someone who enjoys quirky history, this book is a great pick.
Coffee table material: The mix of cute cats and funny comments makes it a perfect conversation starter for any home.

It’s an easy, fun read that’s packed with quirky facts and delightful cat pictures, making it an ideal gift for the cat lovers (or "cat ladies and gentlemen") in your life. Some readers wished there was more context about the illustrations, but overall, it’s a fun, light-hearted addition to any bookshelf.

In short, if you love cats and history, this book is a win!

The added humor wasn't to my taste, but I wanted a book to look at lots of fun and unique cat medieval marginalia and it delivered. Lots of fun art in here.

Thank you to Ten Speed Press and author Catherine Nappington for this pre-reader galley of Medieval Cats: Claws, Paws, and Kitties of Yore. I was drawn to this title and its content by the prevalence of quirky cat medieval marginalia posted on Instagram from archives and special collections across the world. Unfortunately, this title was not for me, and it’s been added to my DNF list.

The tone Medieval Cats is silly and playful, and it would likely be a perfectly giftable, goofy, coffee-table book for a cat lover in your life.

I enjoyed the illustrations selected throughout the book, but the prose was thin. I found myself craving a more cohesive academic cultural exploration of the symbolism and vilification of cats throughout the medieval period. At times, the book repeated common misconceptions about the Middle Ages without challenge. The cats in these drawings win the day, but I wasn’t compelled to finish the text.

The book is a hilariously weird compendium of cats from medieval manuscripts and artworks. Unsurprisingly, cats in the Middle Ages were like cats of today. While playful and affectionate, they were also mischievous, lazy, and sassy. Medieval Cats depicts furry fiends doing typical feline activities. They lick their butts, catch mice, and judge humans with serious side-eye.

While all that is to be expected, artists in the Middle Ages also portrayed cats engaging in human behavior. Illuminated manuscripts show cats playing musical instruments, reading, and dressing as nuns. Much of this iconography was common back in the day and certainly has meaning behind it. But to modern viewers, it’s equal parts amusing and just plain weird.

Author Catherine Nappington supplements the artwork with fun cat facts, proverbs, excerpts from literature, and historical tidbits. She gives us a peek into the lives of medieval cats and their owners.

Medieval Cats is a fun, easy read. It’s not a scholarly treatise on felines in the Middle Ages, but rather a fun collection of artwork and tidbits about cats from primary sources. The balance between visuals and text is just right. The book makes a lovely gift for cat lovers (or haters) and medievalists alike because its informative and accessible to all readers. It’s short, sweet, and to the point.

Medieval Cats is also quite funny. I actually laughed out loud many times. Nappington pays attention to detail, with humor infused into everything. For example, the table of contents is called “Ye Olde Contents” and the chapter titles are equally hilarious: “Catt Satteth upon the Matteth,” “Get Thee to a Cattery,” “Nippeth and Nappeth,” and “The Catt Outteth the Baggeth.”

Additionally, Nappington includes amusing titles for artworks accompanied by made-up quotations from the cat’s perspective. Perhaps my favorite image in the whole book (because it’s so freaking weird) has the following caption, “Sorry, Jesus, but my bum’s not gonna clean itself! / “Christ in Majesty (while a cat licks its bum), MA 112, f.7r, Germany 1440-1460.”

I also appreciate Nappington’s commitment to citing her sources. From the artworks to the literary and historical documents, everything contains bibliographic information. This lets me know she did her homework, but it also provides me with with the necessary information should I want to access the original sources.

Recommendation: Medieval Cats is a light-hearted, humorous compendium of cats doing weird shit in the Middle Ages. For those of you who are scholars, I encourage you to pick up the book and enjoy it for what it is. It’s not an academic piece of literature, but it does have hilarious historical information and tons of citations to original source material.

Medieval Cats by Catherine Nappington had such an intriguing premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The concept — exploring the role of cats in medieval society — sounded fascinating, but the execution felt a little dry.

There’s plenty of historical detail, and I could tell the author did her research, but the writing leaned too heavily on facts and lost some of the charm I was hoping for. I wanted quirky cat lore, funny anecdotes, or even some heartwarming tales about these medieval felines — but instead, it read more like a textbook.

That said, the illustrations were a definite highlight! The medieval-style artwork sprinkled throughout the pages was gorgeous and added some much-needed personality. I just wish the narrative had matched that same energy.

If you’re a hardcore history buff or obsessed with medieval culture, you might enjoy this one. But if you’re looking for a more engaging, lighthearted read about cats, this may not be the purr-fect fit.