Cats in Art: Still Life With Gun and Cat (Fyt)

From my continuing weekly Sunday series of cats in art. I'm using some ideas from the coffee table book, The Cat in Art, by Stefano Zuffi.

Image credit MutualArt.com, here.   Jan Fyt, Still Life With Gun and Cat (or Game and Hunting Gear Discovered by a Cat), c. 1650, Oil on canvas, 37" x 48", held by The Louvre, Paris, France.

Zuffi comments on the cat at the top left:

This "harlequin" cat, alive and active alongside the dead game, is a brilliant, credible presence, and analogous to similar cats in paintings of pantries and kitchens.

Pantries?  Kitchens?  Duh!--hanging around these places is a no-brainer for any self-respecting cat.  I really think that in this painting the cat is trying to figure out how the gun works, knowing that it would make a difference to cats everywhere.