The Cat Character Analysis in A Man Called Ove

The cat is a mangy creature that begins lurking around Ove's house after Patrick and Parvaneh move in across the street. Ove rescues the cat from the Blond Weed's dog and Parvaneh insists that Ove keep the cat. The cat is standoffish and acts superior, but sleeps with Ove and accompanies him everywhere after Ove agrees to keep it. Ove often interprets the cat’s facial expressions to be judgmental, and in this way the cat seems to encourage Ove to do the right thing and not be cruel.

The Cat Character Timeline in A Man Called Ove

The timeline below shows where the character The Cat appears in A Man Called Ove. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Ove and the cat meet each other at 5:55am and immediately dislike each other. Just as he's done every... (full context)

Ove considers telling Sonja about the cat, which continues to stick around. Ove is wearing his navy suit, which his wife likes,... (full context)

...his house, he notices that “Blond Weed” is yelling violently and throwing stones at the cat, which is backed into a corner, bleeding, and hissing at her dog. Ove comes up... (full context)

...puddle of urine from the dog. Ove gets out his drill and drill bits. The cat stares at him when he comes out of the shed, and Ove yells at it... (full context)

...for his inspection the next morning, the ground is covered in snow. Ove notices the cat sitting by his door and tries to scare it away. The cat is unconcerned with... (full context)

The cat is back when Ove comes out of his shed. Ove notices that it has more... (full context)

...her dog and feels disturbed, though he's reluctant to admit that he's worried about the cat. (full context)

...studies his Saab. He looks over his shoulder and hopes that nothing happened to the cat, because he knows Sonja will be very upset if something happened. Ove hears an ambulance... (full context)

Ove had prepared his house for his death and not noticed the cat-shaped hole in the snow outside his shed. He'd walked to the train station so that... (full context)

...out of breath. When he recovers, he heads back to his house and notices the cat-shaped hole in the snow and the cat at the bottom of it. (full context)

As Ove regards the cat in the snowdrift, Parvaneh rushes towards him, asking in a terrified voice if the cat... (full context)

Parvaneh strides into Ove's house with the dripping cat and orders Ove to find her blankets. She tells him to turn up the radiators.... (full context)

Ove argues with Parvaneh about the cat's outlook as Jimmy takes off his shirt and cuddles the cat close to his chest.... (full context)

...and asks for some food. Ove brings Jimmy a sandwich and they remark that the cat looks much better. Jimmy offers Ove condolences for Sonja's death. Ove doesn't feel angry. He... (full context)

...Ove spending most of the previous day yelling at Parvaneh that he wouldn't keep the cat, the cat is in his house today and Ove isn't dead. Parvaneh had called a... (full context)

After Ove feeds the cat, he tells it that it will have to accompany him on his errands. Ove and... (full context)

At the cemetery, Ove kicks the cat out of the car, gets his flowers, and they walk to Sonja's grave. Ove offers... (full context)

Ove stays in the parked Saab for nearly twenty minutes. The cat gets agitated and then falls asleep. Ove looks over the parking area and thinks about... (full context)

Back in the present day, Ove finally wakes the cat up and gets out of the Saab. He hears an unfamiliar female voice calling his... (full context)

Ove walks towards his house with the cat, goes inside, and sits on his stool. He's shaking with humiliation and he remembers that... (full context)

Ove and the cat sit in the Saab outside the hospital. This is Ove's third trip to the hospital... (full context)

...Ove pushed her back out. Lena waved a camera at Ove as Ove and the cat walked to the parking area. (full context)

...parking area, she followed them and found Ove standing outside his garage door with the cat. She heard knocking from inside the garage and Ove looked away. Lena spoke from inside... (full context)

...a man from a train yesterday. Parvaneh is awestruck and Nasanin starts to chase the cat around Ove's ankles. Ove mumbles a brief explanation of what happened at the train station... (full context)

...is why Ove is at the hospital for the third time in a week. The cat looks disappointed that it had to ride with Nasanin in the back seat. Parvaneh had... (full context)

The cat keeps looking at Ove with a look that reminds Ove of Sonja. Ove tells the... (full context)

...it up from his front seat. Jimmy's phone pings and Patrick asks who owns the cat. Parvaneh insists that it's Ove's, but Ove insists that the cat's a vagrant. However, Ove... (full context)

...himself with the exhaust again. He thinks he misses Sonja, but he looks at the cat asleep on the passenger seat and turns the car off. After Ove gets up the... (full context)

After breakfast, Ove lets the cat out and finds a plastic bottle of pills in the bathroom. The narrator explains that... (full context)

...in the bottle. As he passes a window, he sees Blond Weed rush towards the cat. Ove opens his front door just as she's about to kick the cat. The cat... (full context)

...seems to follow him through the house. When Ove picks up the pill bottle, the cat looks at him with a horrified expression. Ove puts the bottle away and drinks his... (full context)

Ove and the cat knock on Rune's door. Rune finally answers. Ove asks Rune for corrugated iron, but Rune... (full context)

...Blond Weed's dog will get when it tries to pee on his paving stones. The cat gives Ove a look and Ove dismantles his trap. The narrator explains that it had... (full context)

When he hears the mail arrive, Ove says "I won" to the cat. The narrator explains that Ove and Rune used to bet on when the mail would... (full context)

Parvaneh, the cat, and Ove reach the cafe after arguing over where to park. Ove recognizes the young... (full context)

Amel asks Ove if the cat belongs to him. Ove insists it doesn't, and Amel insists the cat has to go.... (full context)

Ove had planned to shoot himself when the cat went outside, but Parvaneh had knocked on Ove's door and asked to use the bathroom.... (full context)

Late that night, Ove and the cat go to bed. Ove waits for the cat to fall asleep on Sonja's pillow before... (full context)

...to take down. In the morning, Ove wakes to a house occupied by himself, the cat, and a gay person. He thinks that Sonja would've liked it. (full context)

...He accuses Mirsad of making toast and notices that Mirsad made coffee and fed the cat as well. Ove tells Mirsad that he's going to take a walk with the cat.... (full context)

...Parvaneh's house, Nasanin had asked Ove to read her a story. After Nasanin and the cat had fallen asleep, Ove crept back down the hallway past the seven-year-old's room. She'd been... (full context)

...and offers him cake. Ove refuses and says he's going for a walk with the cat, who saunters into the hall with cake on its whiskers. Parvaneh confirms their driving lesson... (full context)

Ove returns home four days later, supported by Parvaneh and Patrick. The cat is waiting outside the door. Inside, Parvaneh explains the drawings all over Ove's table that... (full context)

...shoveled outside Ove's house. She runs across the street and into Ove's bedroom, where the cat is lying with its head in Ove's hand. Parvaneh sits on the bed with the... (full context)