In a literary career of almost 50 years, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1852 - 1930) wrote 15 collections of short stories, 16 novels, one play, and eight volumes of prose and poetry for children. Her most memorable writing occurs in the genre of short fiction. The short story The Cat is about an old man and a cat who share a dwelling and keep each other company through a long cold winter. The character of the cat is anthropomorphized in an interesting way, and elicits more empathy than the human.