....For he keeps the Lord's watch in the night against the adversary.
For he counteracts the powers of darkness by his electrical skin and glaring
eyes.
For he counteracts the Devil, who is death, by brisking about the life.
For in his morning orisons he loves the sun and the sun loves him.
For he is of the tribe of Tiger.
For the Cherub Cat is a term of the Angel Tiger.....
from Christopher Smart's Jubilate Agno, Fragment B, lines 695-768
My favorite part of that poem is the way it ends: "For he can creep."
The English composer Benjamin Britten wrote a really neat setting called, "Rejoice in the Lamb" for choir, organ and soloists that uses much of Smart's text. The "cat" section is for soprano, as I recall.
On a more mundane level, I might add
For he counteracts the powers of duvets by his sharp claws and shedded hair ...
Can anybody recommend cat-claw-proof bedding: duvets/comforters, duvet covers, pillows?
Cat Lover - I have the same problem you do. I have the most beautiful silk duvet that I will not put on my bed because all comforters end up shreaded on the bottom left corner.
The best I've been able to do is keep his claws clipped. You may want to look into soft paws. They can be found at www.softpaws.com
Thanks, pb. One of our cats eats rubbery things.
I'd be afraid that he'd regard those nail tips as an especially tasty treat.