You ask whether I own cats or simply enjoy them, or both. The answer is: both.

In 1966 Russian-American author Ayn Rand responds to a question posed by the editor of Cat Fancy magazine, to which she subscribed.

March 20, 1966

Dear Miss Smith,

You ask whether I own cats or simply enjoy them, or both. The answer is: both. I love cats in general and own two in particular.

You ask: "We are assuming that you have an interest in cats, or was your subscription strictly objective?' My subscription was strictly objective because I have an interest in cats. I can demonstrate objectively that cats are of great value, and the charter issue of Cat Fancy magazine can serve as part of the evidence. ("Objective" does not mean "disinterested" or indifferent; it means corresponding to the facts of reality and applies both to knowledge and to values.)

I subscribed to Cat Fancy primarily for the sake of the pictures, and found the charter issue very interesting and enjoyable.

Ayn Rand

Letter excerpt taken from Letters of Note: Cats