Oops, I did a Google search to find the painting, and came up with the sonnet, with the author's name...but I won't spill the beans.
Here's a link to the painting--click on the image for an enlargement, if you want to see the stripes on the cat:
http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/html/l/lot.../02annunc.html
Julie Stoner