Medieval Cats

 Title: Medieval Cats
Author: Catherine Nappington
Rating: 3.5/5
Info: 208 pages, first pub Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press 03/04/2025
Genre: Arts & Photography, History, Humor & Satire

Catherine Nappington’s Medieval Cats was a hilarious read. I had a great time reading the quotes and stories about cats while looking at all the crazy medieval art. It warmed my heart reading about people from hundreds of years ago dealing with the same cat behavior I deal with today. From cattitude to zoomies to butt licking all our favorite, and not so much, behaviors get a mention.  One picture is of a manuscript with cat paw prints in ink on it. This brought to mind all the times my cats have stepped on my laptop while I am working. Same struggles, different tech. The art is exactly what I expected it to be so no complaints there.
A quick note about the elephant in the room. Yes, there are some rather unhappy stories about cats presented in a humorous manner. I don’t mind dark humor and the way it was presented in this book didn’t bother me. This will be up to the reader’s own taste and sensitivities though. It is something to keep in mind if you are going to buy this for yourself or another cat lover.
All in all, I found Medieval Cats to be a fun, fast read. I imagine this would be the perfect coffee table book depending on what size the physical version is. I recommend it to anyone that likes cats and the crazy art styles from the medieval period. The only caveat being some readers might be upset by some of the stories due to mentions of cat harm.
Thank you to NetGalley, Clarkson Potter, Ten Speed Press and Catherine Nappington for providing me with an copy of this hilarious book.