Polcats: Famous Poles with Cats
Lolcats are no longer the latest thing. Culture.pl presents Polcats: felines so refined they only bestow their affection on distinguished representatives of the Polish cultural elite. Here are seven portraits of writers, poets, filmmakers and actors alongside their whiskered companions.
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Marek Nowakowski and his cat, 1981, Warsaw, photo Adam Hayder / Forum
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Marek Nowakowski, 1981, Warszawa, fot. Adam Hayder / Forum
It is well known that writers are cat lovers, and Marek Nowakowski, one the of the most prolific post-war Polish authors, master of minor narrative forms, and pioneer of Polish 'dirty realism', was obviously no exception. While Nowakowski himself may have prefered to write about vagrants and prostitutes rather than animals, there is abundant proof that cats have a privileged spot in the heart of Polish authors.
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All maidens are like cats at play;
Faces whiter than milk, lashes soft as black silk,
And their eyes – like the star-shine are they!
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'Three Budryses', Adam Mickiewicz
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Krystyna Janda & her cat, 2002, photo: Robert Jaworski / Forum
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Krystyna Janda, the grande dame of Polish film and theatre, is also a fan of felines. According to her, her cats are fond of her because of her performance as Margaret in Tenessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
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My cat sleeps in my closet, on the fourth shelf. I have to remember not to close the door. My mother suspects that it’s because he’s crazy about my perfume.
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From Krystyna Janda's blog, 7th February 2012, trans. Culture.pl
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Wisława Szymborska with a cat, Bagatella bookstore in Warsaw, 2008, on the occasion of the launch of Vicki Myron and Bret Witter’s book 'Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World', photo: Jerzy Dudek / Fotorzepa / Forum.
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Wisława Szymborska z kotem, księgarnia "Bagatella" w Warszawie, 2008, z okazji premiery książki Vicki Myron i Breta Wintera "Dewey. Wielki kot w małym mieście", fot. Jerzy Dudek/ Fotorzepa / Forum
The late Nobel Prize laureate Wisława Szymborska needs no introduction! But did you know that one of her most well-known poems was about a cat? A Cat in a Empty Apartment is a true testament to her affection for the little companion cradled in her arms.
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Die? One does not do that to a cat.
Because what's a cat to do in an empty apartment?
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'A Cat in an Empty Apartment', Wisława Szymborska
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Andrzej Kondratiuk, photo: Roman Sumik / Filmoteka Narodowa / www.fototeka.fn.org.pl
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Andrzej Kondratiuk, fot. Roman Sumik / Filmoteka Narodowa / www.fototeka.fn.org.pl
In addition to being a perfect Zach Galifianakis look-alike, Andrzej Kondratiuk was a renowned filmmaker known for his abstract humour. Kondratiuk’s artistic world was populated not only by eccentric characters and improbable situations, but also by a small menagerie of dogs and cats. He and his wife, actress and singer Iga Cembrzyńska, shared their home with rescue animals including the cats Bahomet and August – and later a cat called Kot Kot, literally ‘Cat Cat’, alongside a dog named Pies Pies, or ‘Dog Dog’.
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Andrzej Łapicki in the film 'Zazdrość i Medycyna' (Jealousy & Medicine), 1973, directed by Janusz Majewski, pboto: Studio Filmowe Tor / Filmoteka Narodowa/www.fototeka.fn.org.pl
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Andrzej Łapicki w filmie "Zazdrość i medycyna", 1973, fot. reżyseria: Janusz Majewski, fot. Studio Filmowe Tor / Filmoteka Narodowa/www.fototeka.fn.org.pl, fot. Studio Filmowe Kadr / Filmoteka Narodowa/www.fototeka.fn.org.pl
This elegant gangster was once one of the most in-demand actors of Polish theatre and cinema. Andrzej Łapicki played over a thousand roles on stage and on screen, among others in Andrzej Wajda’s Everything for Sale. The disquieting black animal besides him reminds one of another cautionary Polish proverb: A black cat will tell you the truth.
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Beata Tyszkiewicz and Raffcio, Warsaw, 1992, photo: Jerzy Kośnik / Forum
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Beata Tyszkiewicz i kot Raffcio, Warszawa, 1992, fot. Jerzy Kośnik / Forum
The renowned director Andrzej Wajda’s former wife was often called the Catherine Deneuve of the East, and one can hardly deny Beata Tyszkiewicz’s allure, especially with a small cat on her shoulder. While blonde beauties like Beata may have the favour of adult admirers, cats are often the main protagonists in Polish creations for children, which brings us to...
7. Papcio Chmiel
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Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski (Papcio Chmiel) with his neighbour's cat, photo: Krzysztof Żuczkowski / Forum
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Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski ( Papcio Chmiel ) z kotem sąsiad, fot. Krzysztof Żuczkowski / Forum
Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski, better known as Papcio Chmiel, was the legendary cartoonist behind Tytus, Romek i A’Tomek, one of Poland’s most beloved comic-book series. A Warsaw native, former Warsaw Uprising participant and lifelong illustrator, he cultivated the image of an eccentric, warm-hearted storyteller whose imagination was always in motion. Cats suited his world perfectly: independent, watchful and quietly comic, they seem like natural companions to the creator of Tytus and his friends. Chmielewski died in Warsaw in 2021, leaving behind generations of readers and a cast of characters permanently embedded in Polish popular culture.
8. Tadeusz Konwicki
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Tadeusz Konwicki holding his cat, with his family, Warsaw, 1975, photo: Michał Browarski / Forum
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Tadeusz Konwicki (w glebi z kotem) z rodzina w mieszkaniu, Warszawa, 1975, fot. Michał Browarski / Forum
And of course, cats are much beloved family members, even in families of famous filmmakers and writers like Tadeusz Konwicki, a founder of the Polish school of auteur cinema. Konwicki’s most famous cat was Iwan, affectionately known as Wania – a grey, dark-striped stray brought to the Konwicki family in a cardboard box by Marysia Iwaszkiewicz. He soon became less a pet than the household’s resident despot: he occupied the best furniture, terrorised the family, attacked anyone who displeased him and expected to be served his favourite foods. Konwicki responded by turning Iwan into a literary character, recording his cruelty, vanity and unexpected tenderness in a series of comic sketches. The result is a portrait of a cat who is, in Konwicki’s words, ‘infinitely beautiful and infinitely stupid’ – and therefore impossible not to love.
9. Maryla Rodowicz
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Maryla Rodowicz, photo: Krzysztof Jarosz / Forum
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Maryla Rodowicz, fot. Krzysztof Jarosz / Forum
Singer Maryla Rodowicz’s home in Konstancin has long been shared with cats, including Maine Coons and Siberian cats. Their names have often been as grand as their owner’s stage persona: among them were Kazimierz, Sasha and Katarzyna. Rodowicz has also developed an unusual way of communicating with her pets – she speaks to them in foreign languages, including Russian and Bulgarian.
Sources: own materials, edited by MJ, LB, AA and AN 27/06/2013, updated Aug 2026