The Sassoons
Martha, a black and white tuxedo cat with enormous yellow-green eyes, looking directly at the camera.

Presenting

Martha.

Black & white. Connoisseur of laps. Keeper of strong opinions.

 

Fig. 1  ·  Direct eye contact, held rather longer than necessary Martha Sassoon
01By way of introduction
Martha in a perfect loaf pose on a striped bedspread, an orange wall behind her.
Fig. 2  ·  Loaf, with backdrop. 2026

Martha is the household's resident diva — small, opinionated, and operating under the firm impression that she is the most interesting creature in any given room.

(She is, more often than not, correct.)

She arrives with conviction, leaves only when ready, and in the meantime registers her position on every available subject — most of which, somehow, lead back to dinner.

She is tuxedo, top to tail, and the tail is considerable. She loves a lap (yours, ideally), holds strong eye contact, and is fond of the sound of her own voice. She is, in every sense, the headliner.

02Established by Martha

House rules.

Laps
Mandatory. She is on one now.
Doors
To remain open
The tail
For admiring, not handling
Brushing
At her discretion
Volume
Whatever the moment requires
Bedtime
Open to negotiation
Brother (Jarvis)
Tolerated. Occasionally adored.
Strangers
Will be assessed
Dinner
Chicken, obviously
Sleeping arrangements
Anywhere. Literally anywhere.
Asleep for
a good while
03From the archive

In her element.

Selected works from the family archive.

“She is not a difficult cat. She simply has views.”

— a household observer