Spies of the apocalyse

Louis turned in to Pigeon's street and noticed a cat in a bakery window passively taking in the world. He smiled at it: the rescued dog had given him a feeling of communion with animals. Paris was full of cats, he realized, who held that aloofness of looking down from a height. But mostly they were asleep in wine- and cheese-shop windows. They were silent witnesses, spies of the apocalyse. Louis suspected that cats, like the souls of the dead, could not be photographed. [152-153]

Smith, Dominic. The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre. Atria Books. ISBN: 0743271149.

Thanks to Susan for originally typing this in.