Bruce Ingham
What exactly are pets doing with their time once the humans have left the house for the day? If his activity while we are home is any indication, our pug sleeps for 80% of his day, and spends his remaining time rubbing his nose against the furniture. Throw in the occasional pee on a scatter rug to keep us on our toes and that's his whole day. Martha is under the impressions that her big, orange cat just sleeps the day away and boy, has he got news for her!
Martha's cat (whose name is not revealed) has an entire daily routine that good ole Martha knows nothing about. Actually, his routinely is even more jam packed than mine. He kicks his day off by reading Cats Today - the newspaper written specially for felines. He entertains cat visitors and pumps a little iron before calling his cousin in Atlantic City for a relaxing telephone chat. He makes his own lunch, listens to the radio and dons a tiny tuxedo (with tails) to play the baby grand for the neighboring cats. They love his deft piano skills, calling for encores.
These Illustrations are just hilarious. While Martha's car is pulling out of the driveway, her cat is left standing in the window, with his paw raised, as if waving goodbye. No litterbox for this this guy - he reads his newspaper in the bathroom like the evolved cat he is. I like how he pushes a stool over to the stove to make his lunch and throws his little paw behind his head when settling in for a good long chat on the telephone. He is very careful to dash to the sofa just before Martha returns home, so she will believe he has been curled up asleep all day.
See - a cat's routine isn't much different than a human's! And here we thought they just lounged around and slept all day. But really, when Martha's away ... the cat will lift weights and raid the fridge. Who knew?
Review copy provided by Candlewick Press.
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