In her first book, "I & Claudius," British writer Clare de Vries went on a tour of the United States with an unusual traveling companion: a dashing chocolate-brown Burmese cat called Claudius. De Vries and Claudius lived together for some 20 years. When he died, she decided to find a replacement, as a series of failed relationships with men had led her to believe "it is far wiser to get a cat to love."
"Of Cats and Kings" chronicles her solo journey through Myanmar and Thailand in search of Burmese and Siamese cats. Though Claudius is obviously not able to tag along on this jaunt he is there in spirit. He materializes in grotty hotel rooms amid "a rich smell of frankincense, candles, champagne and all things lovely" and is a surprisingly (for a cat) erudite presence; he can lecture on the Buddha's eightfold path and quote Thomas Hardy.
Intellectual as the ghost of Claudius may be, he, like de Vries, isn't able to enlighten us on the exotic origins of Burmese and Siamese felines. The Siamese, with its cream body and dark markings on its face, ears, feet and tail, was first introduced to the West at a Crystal Palace exhibit in the late 19th century; the British consul general in Bangkok had brought back a pair of Siamese cats given to him by the King of Siam. The breed was once a favorite of Thai royals and has been spotted in ancient temple paintings, yet no one knows exactly where it came from.