Cats as heroes against the dark forces.

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At this time of year, black cat costumes and figures are overflowing from every pound shop in the UK. Halloween is a timely reminder of how cats have been perceived as associated with the more “sinister” side of life such as witchcraft and the Devil.
So, here are a couple of refreshing perspectives on cats and their alleged alignment with the darker side of life….

Cats Eye
Cats Eye is a 1985 film based on the works of author, Stephen King and features a young Drew Barrymore as the main role of Amanda. Amanda adopts a stray cat and names him General…When strange occurrences in the household arise, they see General defending the little girl against malevolent forces, who are cunning and engineer events that cause discredit to the heroic feline. His tenacity in ensuring the leads safety make for an extremely gripping short and it’s well worth a viewing to see how the film pans out.

The Price
The Price is a short story in a compilation published by Neil Gaiman. It’s about another mysterious stray, who appears one day seemingly looking for food and a place to rest. The cat disappears in the evenings and reappears looking exhausted and somewhat unnerved every day. The reason is mostly unexpected, but suffice to say the cat is most definitely the paladin in this adventure. Neil Gaiman writes the story with exactly the right degree of suspense and it’s a riveting piece of writing from start to finish.
I was unaware an animation of the short story had been made, and happened across it this week. So I’m posting it here for your viewing pleasure. Happy Halloween, everyone….

 

The star of Cats Eye, “General”……