Leonardo da Vinci loved to draw La
Madonna Del Gatto, or the Madonna of the Cat. He made
many drawings of her in 1480 and 1481. In the
drawings, the chubby child Jesus is depicted holding,
stroking and playing with a cat. The drawings are
based on a medieval legend about a littler of kittens
that were born in the stable in Bethlehem the same
night as Jesus was born.
If this were true, one of these kittens could have
become a pet for Jesus. Born on the same night in the
same place, what would their relationship have been
like? THE CHRISTMAS CAT, coming soon from Dial,
imagines the story of Jesus and his pet cat.
A picture book, coming soon from Dial.
