Jean Cocteau was a genuine cat lover, and cats were a big part of his life as well as his art.
One of his best-known feline companions was a blue Persian called Karoun.
His fondness for cats was well known, and he became an honorary president of the Club des Amis des Chats, the Friends of Cats Club in Paris.
Cats in His Art
Cats also found their way into Cocteau’s drawings. His distinctive, flowing line style suited them perfectly: a few simple marks could suggest a sleeping cat, an alert face or that wonderfully elegant way cats move. He seems to have been fascinated by their independence and mystery as much as their companionship. Cats appear in different parts of his visual work, from drawings and decorative designs to bookplates and emblems.
One quotation often attributed to him sums up his affection for them beautifully: “I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.”
It’s a lovely thought, that a cat doesn’t simply live in a home, but somehow becomes part of its character.
Society Of Feline Artists 