Times may change, but cats do not.
Cat lovers know that living with our feline friends means never leaving your dinner plate or water glass unattended. They just can’t resist the urge to sneak a nibble of your food, and as Molly Hodgdon pointed out on her popular “Cats of Yore” Twitter page, it’s always been that way.
1. Molly started a thread of paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries that prove cats have always been food thieves.
One of my favorite sub-genres of art is Cats Stealing Food in Still Life Paintings. It’s so wonderfully disrespectful. So here is a thread celebrating the need for snacks triumphing over art. First, Still Life with Cat. Alexandre-Francois Desportes, 1705. https://t.co/pvPWJOYuZj pic.twitter.com/dGtRqaB62V
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
2. The styles and artists may be different, but those stealthy bandits never change.
Still life with a Cat and a Mackerel on a Tabletop. Giovanni Rivalta. https://t.co/xQvCm46dVz pic.twitter.com/klqX9TFAdk
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
3. Many of the cats in these paintings at least have the courtesy to look like they’re trying to be stealthy.
Still life with Cat. Sebastiano Lazzari. 1760. https://t.co/CLVL7gpUdJ pic.twitter.com/HTbWY5OUp7
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
4. But as Molly points out, a few of them look like they have zero regrets.
The lack of guilt on this one kills me. Abraham van Beijeren. https://t.co/Hom0xkqNLI pic.twitter.com/CDHsMAb7q6
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
5. This cat looks like he got caught mid-nibble, but he’s still not jumping off the table.
Still life with cat and fish. Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin, 1728. https://t.co/zFHySok2N9 pic.twitter.com/S9oJSQ6NLJ
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
6. This bashful guy is most likely waiting for the human to leave the room so he can pounce.
Still Life with an Ebony Chest. Frans Snyders, 17th century. https://t.co/8ZNaVYZ8NH pic.twitter.com/YgwtKjYjZu
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
7. This one is looking straight at the artist, as if to ask, “what are you gonna do about it?”
Kitchen still life with fish and cat. Ca. 1650. https://t.co/cawPT2bsok pic.twitter.com/KQkawaJWk6
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
8. Hey, if you’re going to leave a pile of fish out on the table, you’d better expect a cat to find it.
Still Life with Fish, Oysters, Birds, and Cat. Alexander Adriaenssen, 1631. https://t.co/G10ez8xCLU pic.twitter.com/u4XlDh3hdT
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
9. Something about his eyes tells us not to try to take that fish away, unless we want to get scratched. (Which we do not.)
Look at this absolute gremlin. Pieter Claesz, 1656. https://t.co/OzeQESH2Zx pic.twitter.com/YS1RqDRtG7
– Cats of Yore (@CatsOfYore) September 14, 2022
10. Once Molly exhausted her historic portrait cache, her followers started adding their own, more modern versions of the same theme.
11. Lots of people agree – cats really haven’t changed through the ages.
12. They just seem to come pre-programmed with a sense of entitlement.
13. They literally have no shame.
14. They’ll eat the corn right off your cob.
15. And lick your cupcakes before you can say “Happy Birthday.”
Cats! Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em! They may be a little bit greedy, but they make up for it in a number of adorable ways. We’ll allow it.
Share this story if you love cats, faults and all.
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