How Jackie Kennedy’s Cousins Became America’s Most Famous Recluses

In her later years, when asked about her unconventional life, Little Edie summed it up with a single line: “I had the cats — and the cats were enough.” It was a statement at once whimsical and deeply telling. For all the talk of missed opportunities, family feuds, and faded grandeur, Edie’s contentment rested on simple companionship.

The cats represented loyalty, comfort, and the freedom to live without judgment. In that quiet remark, she revealed the philosophy that had carried her through decades of isolation and scandal. It was, in its own way, the perfect final word on Grey Gardens.