The Cat and the Human Imagination is a fascinating investigation of the changing cultural attitudes toward cats and the myriad ways they have been depicted in literature and art over time. Feline images have permeated civilization since the ancient Egyptians, and during this time the status of the cat has changed dramatically. The book examines the changing images - fertility goddess, agent of Satan, aristocrat, spirit of the home, bloodthirsty killer - and relates them to the contexts in which they arose.

It also analyzes how human attitudes toward cats seem to have evolved in parallel with attitudes toward other animals, toward authority, and toward gender.