I love cats. I like dogs, and animals in general, but I love cats most of all (shh, don’t tell my dog!).
Having raised two cats from birth (and feeding several other neighborhood strays), I find that cats are one of the smartest creatures (and yes, smarter than dogs, as I’ve raised more than my share of those too) on earth.
They’re clean, they’re naturally housebroken, and they’re low-maintenance. They won’t give their loyalty freely, but they make the most loyal and affectionate companions when they do.
And I love how easily they learn even without training. While I love our dog as much as my cats, my cats can open doors, climb onto bed with me and pull a blanket over themselves, use their litterbox and keep it clean (our dog has a spraying problem), and get up and down the stairs faster than lightning (our dog forgets how to go up and down the stairs like every other hour).
Last year, my cat Tomas, an orange mackerel tabby that I raised since he was a kitten, passed away due to kidney failure and subsequent cardiac arrest (I really suspect it was canned cat food tainted with melamine), and it was one of the hardest things I ever had to get through in my life.
I got a lot of cat books since then, including a beautiful copy of 99 Lives: Cats in History, Legend, and Literature, that was a present from fellow book lover Triccie. I still can’t get myself to finish reading that book (because I end up bawling), but I was able to find another cat book to cheer me up: Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot (book #112 for 2009).
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats is the book on which the musical Cats is based. I discovered it upon reading about T.S. Eliot in the book The Archivist by Martha Cooley (ugh, I did not appreciate the psychodrama in that one either!), and it took months until I finally came across a copy in a bargain bin at Book Sale. Several months later, Mauie very kindly sent me a copy and then two weeks later, I got myself a hardcover copy in another Book Sale bargain bin! Three copies in all!
Apparently T.S. Eliot went by the name “Old Possum” and wrote this assortment of whimsical poems about cats in letters he wrote to his godchildren. It’s a great compilation of funny poems about cat, which any cat loving (or even not so much cat loving) reader would appreciate, and this particular edition is beautifully illustrated by Edward Gorey, one of my favorite illustrators!
There is a little introductory poem entitled “The Naming of Cats” and I love how the poem emphasizes the importance of naming a cat:
But I tell you,
a cat needs a name that’s particular,
A name that is peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he
keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers,
or cherish his pride?
Haha, my cats are named Tomas (short for Tomasino, after my brother’s best friend) and Missy (named by my mom,because she looks very prissy) and people tell me that when I talk about them I don’t sound as if I’m talking about cats.
A selection of poems follow the first, this time regaling the reader with the antics of several cats with very distinct personalities.
There’s Jennyanydots (“The Old Gumbie Cat”) whose owners think she is very lazy because she’s always found snoozing, but as soon as everyone is asleep, she rounds up the mice so she can teach them “music, crocheting and tatting.” She also teaches cockroaches to dance.
Growltiger is some sort of pirate cat, living on a barge and wreaking terror along the Thames.
The Rum Tum Tugger is a fastidious cat who reminds me of Tomas — ornery, hard to please, and with an inflated sense of self-importance, hahaha.
The Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat:
If you offer him pheasant he would rather have grouse.
If you put him in a house he would much prefer a flat,
If you put him in a flat then he’d rather have a house.
If you set him on a mouse then he only wants a rat,
If you set him on a rat then he’d rather chase a mouse.
There are also other cats with equally interesting stories, namely the Jellicles, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, Old Deuteronomy, The Great Rumpuscat, Mr. Mistoffelees, Gus the Theater Cat, Bustopher Jones, Skimbleshanks, and Cat Morgan.
Perhaps the most famous (and most interesting) of them all is the cat Macavity, the mystery cat, who is a master criminal who never leaves any tracks, reminiscent of the famous Sherlock Holmes nemesis Professor Moriarty.
I love this book because it capture the cat-ness of each character perfectly, while portraying them in humorous and highly imaginative situations. You can easily tell that T.S. Eliot was a cat lover and spent a lot of time observing their mannerisms and behavior to be able to write all these poems about them that personify them rather than pertain to them as mere animals.
The poetry has a very musical quality to it, making it a great book to read aloud to kids, to yourself, or to your cat, because as T.S. Eliot concludes:
You now have learned enough to see
That Cats are much like you and me
And other people whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind
For some are sane and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse —
But all may be described in verse.
I love it!
***
My copy: hardcover with dust jacket, P30 at Book Sale
My rating: 5/5 stars
***
but wait! there’s more — a book giveaway for all those cat lovers out there!
The 2nd copy of this book is going to my Flipper friend Marie, who rescued a kitten abandoned at a gas station on a stormy night and now is the proud owner of a black kitty named Shadow! (Just for that I’m smooching back your point after I hand the book over on Saturday).
I’m keeping the hardcover for myself, of course, but that still leaves me one other trade paperback copy to give away .
If you want this book, please comment on the form below so I can draw out a name at the end of July.
+1 entry if you include a cat story of yours in the comment form
+1 entry if you become a new follower to my blog
+1 if you add me to your blogroll or if I’m already on your blogroll
+2 entries if you have been following this blog prior to this entry
+3 entries if you blog about the contest and why you want to win this book.
Local and international entries welcome! Deadline for joining is July 30th.
***
and a little bit more! Here is Rum Tum Tugger from the Cats musical. Enjoy!
Please enter me! I love cats and would enjoy this book very much – I’m sure our cat will as well since he loves to sit on them!
vvperesk@gmail.com
What a wonderful book! My 3 kids are all about cats right now. And I so love Edward Gorey’s illustrations. A great combination.
Cheers,
cabadov at hotmail dot com
Our big male cat is now in the hospital with a urinary blockage. We visited him yesterday and he immediately recognized us. He is normally very quiet, but as we were leaving he gave us two meows.
I am also a follower.
I’d love to win this book for my small nephews. He’s dog-mad right now, but I have no doubt that a book like this and a nudge in the right direction will get him straightened out and loving cats. Thanks for holding the giveaway!
celialarsen(at)gmail(dot)com
I would love to win this book for me-I have become a true cat lover.
thanks
Esme
My first cat came to me as a stray-she was adorable, my little girl, but one night she wandered onto the road, we then went and rescued a brother and sister-she is our squak box-she talks to us, to herself just constantly, sometimes I call her Aquafina, as she loves to sneak my water. He is a true mama’s boy, loves to be around me, roll over like a dog and get his belly rubbed. Best of all they love each other and we love having them in our house. While I still cry for my little girl, and feel guilt that because she was hit by a car we have them, they are my babies and I am grateful to be able to give them a home and have them put a smile on my face every single day.
thank you,
@Vera- Haha, my cats love to sit on my books too!
@Carrie Anne – As a kid I loved cats but was never allowed to have one :D And yup, Edward Gorey is awesome!
@Barbara- Thanks for following!
Aww, I do hope your cat gets better. I think I’ve been traumatized by hospital confinements, dealing with the anxiety is so difficult!
@Celia- hahaha, agree, I think anyone reading this book will find cats hard to resist! :)
Hi Esme! My cats were former strays too but you wouldn’t suspect it based on their appearance. For some reason cats always get fat in our house. Hahaha.
Hi Blooey! I’m not really into cats as pets, but I did love the musical “Cats”! I’ve always been a dog person.
I would like to share a cat story involving my lola who passed away 5 years ago. She and I are both dog lovers, but my lola really hated cats for some reason. One day, our neighbor’s Siamese cat walked into our garden and my lola exclaimed, “Ay, ang pangit ng pusa! Parang monkey!” Hahaha. I couldn’t stop laughing after that.
Hi Peter, that’s okay. Some people are really more predisposed to liking one animal over the other… I like dogs too, but not dogs in general. But you still qualify for this giveaway.
Haha, I want a Siamese cat! The cat I know I’ll never want to own is the Sphinx (remember Rachel’s cat in FRIENDS?) — it looks like it’s inside out!
Thanks Blooey! :)
Posted something about my cat. Posted her picture na rin (finally!):
http://blackbodyslists.blogspot.com/2009/07/poe-and-black-cat.html
LOL!
Hi Marie! Will head on over to your blog right now — can’t wait to see Shadow.
See you Saturday!
When it comes to cats, they really are smart. People always assume you can only train dogs, but cats are very intelligent and very trainable. Kudos to you for training yours!
:) Hi Anna. They actually learned all their tricks on their own!
I’m a new follower! And my previous cat used to hunt earthworms. She copied the robins – her mouth was constantly covered with dirt from getting at those worms. She brought them in the house and left them all over – months after she died we kept finding dried worms in dark spots of the house (under carpets, in closets, etc.)
Hi Mozi Esmes Mommy :) Thanks for following.
Wow, that’s cool about your cat! My cats have this way of torturing mice they hunt — they’d play with them by letting them go and pouncing on them over and over again. Not a pretty sight after they’re done. Missy (the white cat) has been catching rats outside the house lately — we keep hearing them squeal in terror and find them on the doorstep in the morning.
You have a great blog! I’m a huge cat person too which you’ll see if you go to my blog! Thank you for hosting this giveaway – it’s a wonderful book.
I have a small, white female cat named Hennessey and a larger black male cate endearingly nicknamed “Dopey”. Hennessey and Dopey came to live in my household at different times from different locales and for many, many months they co-existed peacefully with very little interaction. Then one day Dopey was crabby and fought with his siblings, Hennessey included. He growled at her, chased her around the room and swatted at her. She put up with it for a little while but Dopey finally chased her one too many times and she let him have right across the nose! Ever since that day, Hennessey and Dopey have been inseperable. They follow each other every where, call out to each other when they aren’t side by side and nuzzle noses and clean each other’s head and neck, when finished they sleep side by side. I thought this would last a week or two but it’s been going on for several months. I think they’re the real deal! My husband’s wondering if we should host a wedding! They are adorable together though!
I’m a new follower of your blog and have added you to my blog roll =o)
Thank you!
Hi Amy, that story is soooo cute! Haha Tomas and Missy were never close, haha, they always got into little tussles. Maybe it’s because they were neutered and spayed.
Hi, Blooey!
Luv contests like this. Although I’m not entering, just wanna say that I’ve blogged about this also.
http://pachuvachuva.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/here-kitty-kitty/
^_^
We have two cats, Ruby and Reba. Whenever anyone in our family plays Yahtzee, Ruby hears the dice. She comes running and sits on her chair by the table and waits for us to give her a dice. She then knocks it off the table and chases and hits it for a long time! So we have to play Yahtzee way more than we want since Ruby loves it so much! We love cats!
@Mauie- It’s because of you I’m able to hold this giveaway :) Thanks!
@Beth- That’s so funny!
My cats will play with anything shiny and crinkly, so crumpled candy wrappers are always a hit.
Just a note that I’ve posted about this on Winning Readings:
http://winningreadings.blogspot.com/2009/07/old-possums-book-of-practical-cats.html
Our family is blessed with the suckiest cat in the world. Our 1 year old can sit on him, grab his face with her hands, pull him around by the tail etc. etc. and he just purrs. He is the oddest cat in the world, but I am incredibly blessed to have him (his name is Oscar).
Thanks for the contest!
@Winning Readings – Thank you!
@Jennifer- Oscar’s so precious! I think he’s equally blessed to be part of your family :)
Please enter my name in your draw. We had many cats when I was growing up and my favourite one was the first one who was tragically killed in an accident. It broke my heart.
Hi Wanda! Yup, you’re in now :)
Everyone — results by the end of the week
Winners announced here:
https://sumthinblue.com/missy-picks-a-winner-old-possums-book-of-practical-
cats-giveaway/
i love cats!
i love cats more than dogs..
cats have alot of dignity…
their very mature..
once i found a cat that was hungry.. so i was feedimg it allot.. after when she finshed it came to me..
i first thought it was going to run away..
then it sudenley started to love me..
it was jumping at me..
my uncle also have a cat..
evrey time when he sleeps it just come and jump at his back and sleeps with him..
cats are very mature and civilized more than dogs..
and theire very very intellegent species..
Hi Muhannad :) Thank you for the stories.