Better to be a Male Writer, Cats Edition

Thanks to the blog Writers and Kitties, we can now simultaneously view the most popular (G-rated) thing on the Internet alongside one of the least popular, the long-form writer:


If I were Werner Aspenstrom (above Swedish poet and essayist), or better, if I were me, but in possession of the stately cat in this photo, a re-creation of this photo featuring me, and a book deal, I know exactly what my author photo would look like. Except probably not, because I am a female and a woman with a cat is a cliche of plucky pitiable loneliness, while a man with a cat is awesome, the cat having singularly penetrated his manly inability to feel warmth.

To wit, no one is more endearing than Herman Hesse and his cat:


No one more badass than Bukowski and his:




And no one more just a lady with a cat than Lydia Davis and hers:



So, never mind; Werner, I guess you can keep your awesome manly-heart photo.