18th - 19th century cat haiku

The Japanese poet Issa (1763-1827) had a life with a deal of struggle and sadness; his mother died young, his stepmother drove him from home, his wife and children died before him. This may explain the tenderness with which he constructed haiku such as:

on the cat's grave

in First Month

...dried sardines

and

wild cat--

after making love

he's the town pet

Haiku Guy has a terrific archive on Issa; just use the search box for "cat". Try "kitten".

ten kittens

ten different

colors