TCH book review - The Cat and the Tao

The Cat and the Tao

The Cat and the Tao, by Kwong Kuen Shan

          An intriguing title, but the thing about this book that I find really captivating are the paintings.  Unlike the author, I have always liked cats.  This delightful book by Kwong Kuen Shan illustrates all the elements of a cat's personality.

                   Kwong Kuen Shan grew up in Hong Kong. She has studied classical Chinese, Chinese calligraphy and Chinese brush paintings.  She now paints, exhibits and teaches art.  In the prologue of this book, the author relates her former phobia of cats and tells of the cat who  "quietly and patiently" changed all that. She describes being inspired by her cat, Healey, while he was relaxing in the garden.  This was the beginning of her cat paintings.

           I often feel inspired by the simple beauty and wonder that I see in my cat, but not being an artist, I grab my camera.  And, not being a photographer, I never seem to be able to capture the moment as perfectly as it appears.  

          In her studies of classical Chinese literature, Kwong Kuen Shan found sayings and texts that she felt cried out to be linked with a painting, something she has achieved successfully in the book.  The Taoist and Confucian texts she has included are selected from ancient Chinese proverbs, poems and sayings of great teachers: Confucius, Lao Tse, Chong Tse and Sun Tzu.  What better way to illustrate these sayings than with cats?  They are elegant, agile, resilient and independent.  Within the paintings you will also find Chinese characters and seals that have different meanings, including the artist's signature. 

          As a child, we always had cats, and as an adult I have had 5 different cats.  The first, Spike, was a loyal companion for 15 years.  "A friend who truly knows you is always with you." (Chinese Proverb)  During the "Spike years", we also had Dinah. Dinah was the independent soul, who took off to live in the ceiling of the neighbor's shed with the wild cats. "To be self-sufficient is to be happy, to have no demands is to have no worry." (Anon)  We also had Tia, a long haired gray beauty who disappeared around the time that my daughter graduated from high school.  We never found out what became of her.  "The roughest roads are not found across rivers and mountains, but in people's hearts." (Bai Juyi) While all of my cats have been special, the one most dear to my heart was Freddy.  I rescued him from a junk pile in the late fall of 1994. He was a faithful friend with a great personality.  He disappeared in January of this year while my son was away at Marine boot camp.  Funny how our "cat events" correspond so intimately with the major events in our lives.

            I've learned a lot from loving my cats.  While they are independent, they are also very eager to show appreciation and love to their owners.  When they want to.  Mysterious in their actions, they seem to abandon us just when we think they are enjoying our attention. "Do not exhaust a friend's kindness and loyalty - this way friendship is sustained." (Chinese Proverb)

          I read "The Cat and the Tao" for the first time on a Friday afternoon.  The next morning I was lying on the couch watching my new cat, Benny, as he stood on a table, gazing out the window listening to the birds.  His lean body stood next to an antique pitcher, which he never disturbed.  He was silent and still.  With the curious tilt of his head,

I thought of the words of Confucius, "To know is to recognize what you understand and what you do not understand."  Thus is the curiosity of the cat.  I would have loved to capture that moment with water color and ink, the way that Kwong Kuen Shan does so vividly.  Instead, I will keep the image in my mind and look to "The Cat and the Tao" for more tangible evidence of their amazing traits.

           I will continue to watch cats, and learn from them the lessons that Kwong Kuen Shan is trying to impart in her book. "The Cat and the Tao" was extremely uplifting.  Anyone who loves cats will enjoy it and those  who don't, need only look at one of Kwong Kuen Shan's paintings to find some appreciation of the many qualities they possess.