A Cat

Rating:
Summary: The Ironic Cat
Review:

Leonard Michael's book about cats is a perceptive insight look into the nature of cats. He sees cats in a fanciful way, relying more on his imagination then the concrete facts of feline life. Cats are examined more like a dream than a reality. Being a cat lover, I can understand his feelings. When you're with your cat, it's time to be yourself, be in your own world without the clamor of responsibilities and the constant interruption of your peace and quiet. It is very much like being in a space where you see like a child or understand things emotionally like in a dream. Michaels captures this feeling from your cat's perspective. "When a cat shuts its eyes, you disappear."

The sparseness and concise observation of "A Cat" is reminiscent of the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tsu. I do find that cats are like sages, sitting in meditation on life, able to put life in perspective better than humans are. We are inferiors in our efforts to sort out the essentials despite our supposedly superior intelligence. "To be as quick as a cat you must not think."

Michaels investigates the irony of a cat's love of privacy while it seems so receptive to affection at the same time. I think he's given me personal insight into why I love cats. I like their ability to be close but it's such a personal closeness that it has more a sense of aloneness than loneliness.

I feel comfortable with this book like I do with a cat, although perhaps a little cumbersome in comparison. Michaels says it best, "Compared to a cat, we're big, slow, blundering figures. When we lie down, our gross earthen nature must make us appear something like rocks and trees to a cat. Therefore, it feels free to walk on us."

An extra added treat are the wonderful line and brush drawings.

> River

Rating:
Summary: cat philosophy
Review: A wonderful collection of thoughts and meditatations on the mystery of being as incarnated by the cat. Michaels' words take you from the simple pleasure of holding a cat to quotes from Chekov. Lerner's outline gesture drawings suggest the inner mystery of the cat.

Rating:
Summary: A cat book for philosophical cat lovers
Review: The collaboration between text and illustration make this delightful book an extraordianry success on many levels. It is both humorous and thought-provoking, ironic and poetic, wry and sublime. Lerner's spare, minimal drawings are as eloquent as Michael's words. I would like to buy a dozen to give as gifts if only it weren't so difficult to find!

Rating:
Summary: If you know and love cats this book will infuriate you.
Review: This book is out of print/stock and I believe it should remain so forever. I have read many books about cats and have shared my life and loved many feline companions of the heart. The customer review board justly does not not favor revealing ending or significant plot developments, but, really, to convince cat-lovers of the absurd "aphorisms" in this book, I need to quote at least one or two of these astounding one-liners: "A cat refuses to be trained"; "You stroked a cat and heard its purring, but it gazes at you in that tragic way and gives you no credit for trying." and "When a cat shuts its eye you disappear." Really, the text make me think the writer had maybe SEEN a cat, but had never lived with one. In the context of these banal cat myths, the line drawings become irrelevant to someone who really lives with and loves cats. PLEASE, if you love cats or want to give a gift to a cat lover, don't waste your time and money hunting down an out-of-print copy of this book - you will be more than annoyed, you will, I predict, be extremely irritated.

Rating:
Summary: A Charming Book
Review: This is a charming book, wonderfully witty and engaging text, beautiful drawings that capture the moods and inner life of every cat I've ever met. I'm planning to give it as Christmas presents to every cat-lover I know. Really a treat!

Rating:
Summary: Cat-egorically Terrific
Review: This short book makes you feel like you have nine lives. From the beautiful minimalist drawings to the quiet eloquent words, it is a great and affordable gift. It appeals not only to cat lovers but to animal (and people) lovers everywhere. Every page brings a gentle and touching surprise.

Rating:
Summary: Cat-egorically Terrific
Review: This short book makes you feel like you have nine lives. From the beautiful minimalist drawings to the quiet eloquent words, it is a great and affordable gift. It appeals not only to cat lovers but to animal (and people) lovers everywhere. Every page brings a gentle and touching surprise.

Rating:
Summary: The *kayters* review
Review: This was a precious book that I bought to go with our small What Dogs Do coffee table book. I decided to read it because it was so short and I wound up really enjoying it and even reading one of the observations out loud to my husband because it reminded me so much of our cat! This is not a novel or a wonderful work of literature, but the thoughts and observations about all things feline are wonderfully on the mark! Anyone who shares life with a cat will be sure to appreciate this cute little book.