Mystery Writers and Cats
By Elaine Viets
Cats are the perfect pets for mystery writers. They look fluffy and harmless, but they’re pint-sized killers.
Harry, the green-eyed tabby who is sleeping by my computer, turned into a deadly assassin when a mouse wandered into our seventh-floor condo. My husband Don couldn’t bear to watch Harry’s mean cat-and-mouse game. The third time Harry caught the terrified mouse and then let it go, Don scooped it into a dustpan, carried the mouse downstairs and let it loose in the garden. Fortunately, nobody on the condo board was in the elevator when Don had the rescued rodent in the dustpan.
Harry has a true killer’s background. He’s a former feral cat with a Dexter-like beginning: Someone shot his whole family. Harry and his brother were the sole survivors of the bloodbath. Both kittens were taken to our local veterinarian. Harry’s brother curled into a ball and never recovered. Harry did. I adopted him, and he’s been my writing partner for six novels, including “Final Sail.” Harry is a playful brown striped cat, but he’s permanently marked by his family’s death. He’s terrified of large white males and hides under the sofa whenever a Caucasian man visits. He isn’t as frightened by men of other races. We’re guessing that a white man wiped out his family.
Our other cat, Mystery, is a different kind of rescue cat. She’s a registered, pedigreed Chartreux who comes from a family of show cats. Chartreux are French cats known for their smoky gray fur and copper eyes. Her brother won a slew of ribbons. Mystery bit a judge at her first show (Editor’s note: She clearly did not want to be judged on her looks alone.) and ended her career. Her breeder spayed her and allowed us to adopt her. Don fell in love with those big copper eyes. Except for one episode of judge-chomping, she’s a gentle, loving cat.
But she is still a show cat. Her official name is Columbleu’s Unsolved Mysterie, and she expects to be admired. Mystery writer Marcia Talley was so taken with her beauty, she put our cat in her Hannah Ives’ novel, “Dead Man Dancing.” Marcia couldn’t call that cat Mystery. Chartreux names indicate the year they are born: They must have a certain letter of the alphabet. Mystery was born in 2008, a U year. Marcia named her novel cat Bella de Baltimore. Hannah marveled at Bella’s “woolly gray-blue fur and unique golden eyes.”
When our condo was damaged by Hurricane Wilma, Mystery batted those unique eyes at an insurance adjuster. This adjuster was no hardhearted stereotype. She was young, pretty and honored to have Mystery jump in her lap and shed on her suit. The insurance adjuster ruled that our old hurricane shutters, which had been dented by a flying coconut, should be replaced with nine floor-to-ceiling hurricane windows. Maybe the insurance adjuster would have given us the windows anyway. But we give copper-eyed Mystery some of the credit.
Let her relatives keep racking up those ribbons. Mystery won a $50,000 prize for us.
Elaine
Elaine Viets has actually worked those dead-end jobs in her mystery novels, just like her character, Helen Hawthorne. Over the years, Elaine has been a dress store clerk, phone book proofreader, babysitter, telemarketer, bookseller, and weed puller at fifty cents a bucket. She is also the author of the Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series and numerous short stories. Elaine has won an Anthony Award and an Agatha Award. She lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with her husband, author and actor Don Crinklaw. She can be found on her site, Twitter and Facebook.
I can’t imagine living without a cat in the house. They’ve owned me, one and all, for the past 35 years and I don’t expect it to change. Who else would understand me?
People think cats are aloof, Mare, but all the cats I’ve had have very distinct personalities.
Elaine,
Interestingly, I too, formerly had a feral feline. Mine was also traumatized and afraid of men. Hmmm. With Don being so concerned about the mouse, I’m assuming Harry has taken to Don. Mystery is sooo regal, I certainly admire her. Thank you for sharing your wonderful and charming cats with us!
Harry took six weeks to warm up to me. Meanwhile, he hid under a book case and only came out to eat. My husband Don had to wait much longer — nearly six months — before Harry would let him get close enough to scratch him. Feral cats take extra work but they are very loyal once they trust you.
I loved your story, Elaine, and your cats look just like inspirations for a writer! Cats have that intangile something that rubs off on our writing – I think little spurts of inspiration shoot from their eyes to us and on to the keyboard! Thelma Straw in Manhattan, a lifelong cat lover!
They also provide distractions, Thelma, which I like to believe help improve our creativity. Are you sure that intangible something isn’t cat hair?
I grew up with cats. From the time I was in my crib until when I moved from home. Sadly, my husband is allergic, so my children have never known the joy of having a cat in their own house. We do, however, have dogs. Not the perfect substitute, but our newest addition, a standard black and white parti-poodle, amazingly makes close to a purring noise when you rub the inside of her ears with the knuckles of your hand! And (thanks to the kids) she lounges on the back of the couches like a proper feline. I swear she was a cat in her former life!
Robin, my husband grew up with dogs and loves them, but we don’t keep regular hours that dogs need. Sounds like you have the best of both worlds with your dog.
Robin,
Drop me a line, we should have you send up pics of the poodle!
Jeremy
I’d love to have a calendar of mystery writers and their cats. Just aren’t any good mystery calendars.
I would even help make one, if anyone is interested.
DHW
What a terrific idea, Deborah. Count me in, if you go forward with the calendar.
Love your cat, have had many through my life and one was as meaningful as the other, Hippie, Pyewacket, Jessie and so many more.
catless, I now have two crazy weimeraners – at least they get me up at 5 am and we walk everyday 2 miles. Gppd exercise. Love to Helen!
I knew there was a reason I’m a cat lover, Patricia. You’d have to put a gun to my head to get me out of bed at 5 AM for a two mile walk. I am lost in admiration for your early morning walks (and going back to bed at the thought).
We are down to one inside kitty and are trying to tame a feral under the house. S/he has become “Shimmy” because we can’t tell if she’s a female or a neutered male. Spay Baton Rouge clips the ears of the cats they catch and neuter but this kitty’s ears are so tattered who can tell? I think s/he may be related to our inside cat, Evinrude, because of the markings. He walked out from under the house when he was a little kitten and has always been very loving.
Poor Shimmy. I hope those tattered ears are the sign of a neutered cat, so s/he doesn’t get into more fights. Keep up the good work.