Jean Burden

Jean P. Burden (September 1, 1914 – April 21, 2008) was an American poet, essayist, and author. She was the poetry editor for Yankee magazine for nearly fifty years. She also wrote multiple animal-care books under the pen name Felicia Ames.

Biography Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Burden was an only child. She developed an interest in poetry at age 7 which continued throughout her adult life. As a child, she adopted a small kitten which found her reading on her porch, and from that time forward she always had one or two cats. Her cats figure in some of her poetry and inspired her to write several books on cats, such as the bestseller The Classic Cat. She wrote many books on the care of animals for the Friskie Corporation, selling between two and three million copies. The first of her two books of poetry, Naked as the Glass, was praised by U.S. Poet Laureate Howard Nemerov as filled with "unobtrusive technical virtuosity".

Burden received the only two-year scholarship offered to women to attend the University of Chicago where she studied under Thornton Wilder and graduated in 1936.

The Cat You Care For, 1968 The Dog You Care For, 1968 The Bird You Care For, 1970 The Fish You Care For, 1971 A Celebration of Cats, 1974 The Classic Cats, 1975

As Jean Burden

Naked as the Glass, 1963 Journey Toward Poetry, 1966 The Woman's Day Book of Hints for Cat Owners, 1980