Move Along, the Cat Wants Your Chair

A friend once loaned me a book of the best cat cartoons published in the New Yorker Magazine. Knowing how I feel about cats, she figured I'd get a kick out of it. She was right, of course. I remember cartoons of people squashed in the corner of a chair while several cats snoozed contentedly around them. There was one of a man, sipping a cocktail and reading a book in his favorite chair while a cat perched on the arm, staring at him. His wife was yelling something like, "Henry! Can't you see that the cat wants your chair?" Another showed a woman, anxiously bending over an obviously relaxed cat on a sofa inquiring, "Are you all right?" Still another portrayed a man sitting on the floor trying to read a newspaper while a cat stretched out on his easy chair. The reason I found them so amusing is because they were so true to life: No cat lover will jettison a pet cat from a comfy chair, no matter how uncomfortable it will make their own seating arrangement. It's just not done.

I'm guilty of this behavior too, just as you probably are. Three or four years ago, we went furniture shopping in order to replace a chair that was showing its age. I decided I wanted a "chair-and-a-half" so that I could have a cat sleeping next to me without my having to scrunch up to one side. I found exactly what I wanted in short order and it was immediately dubbed, "The Cat Chair". My plan didn't work out exactly as I'd envisioned it, though. Sure, the cats took to the thing right away, which was good. The thing was, they all took to it, at once! If you've seen the photo on my first post, you know what I mean. I get to sit in it a bit, but as soon as I get up for any reason, there are suddenly at least two cats on the chair, already fast asleep. Which means, of course, that I have to find another place to sit. Whenever I point this out to J., he usually says, "Well, you wanted a Cat Chair." Thanks a lot.

So the next time you feel silly for sitting cross-legged on the floor while the cat takes up all the best seating space, just remember you're not alone. And, hey! Get up, I think the cat wants your chair.

Book Pick: The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry. Not only is this an extremely funny send-up of noir-ish detective novels, it also delves into mind control and the ridiculousness of hierarchical organizations.
An added bonus is that the author is a graduate of our own University of MA at Amherst. Check it out.
Chat later!