By Bob Tedder • Bernard “Hap” Kliban’s “Cat” was published in 1975 and although he died young thanks to his widow, the internet and the enduring subject of this book, his legacy survives. However, before visiting the website first immerse yourself in this small book now available for perusal at the Speckled Paw.
Kliban was a cartoonist for Playboy magazine when his editor, on a visit to Kliban’s studio, noted his drawings of cats. She encouraged him to compile the works into a small volume which upon publication sold more than 500,000 copies and made the author a wealthy man.
The work has a patina of weirdness which demands pause and contemplation. The drawings, for want of a better description, are cartoons which often place cats in impossible situations while subtly commenting on their intrinsic nature. Some pictorial observations are straightforward. Who among cat owners has not had one of their minions curled up and sleeping in an improbable place; the top of a television, for example. Others Kliban depicts more humorously – a cat sitting on a chair arm gazing covetously at her owner’s necktie, which happens to be a rather large fish.
If you’re a cat owner this book will make you smile. If you happen to be an ailurophobe you are allowed the smug satisfaction of the many “I told you so’s” documented by Kliban.
This book is Kliban’s most recognizable work and I strongly encourage you to enjoy it as much as I have. More importantly, be aware this is only a small representation of Kliban’s genius for dark humor. So use the first cup of coffee and flip though “cat.” On your second cup, use the google machine and immerse yourself in Kliban’s world. You will not regret the baptism.