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December 12, 1747

Anna Seward, the 18th century poet, and acquaintance of Dr. Johnson, is also a precursor of the Victorian animal protection movement. Her sensitivity to cats can be seen in her poem, "The Dying Cat's Soliloquy." Herein, the cat, Selima, imagines awaiting for her a paradise with fat mice moving slowly, wingless birds hopping haplessly, and gardens planted with lots of catnip. Selima realizes though that her human mistress will not be there, since this is a heaven for cats. This may be the first such imaginative rendering of a cat heaven; certainly it is not the last. The real author of this picture (Anna, not Selima) was born on December 12, 1747.

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