Simon's Cat

I've been familiar with the animated short series Simon's Cat for several years. Not from it's home on YouTube however. There's an annual film festival devoted to cats that shows at the Carolina Theater in Durham. It's a yearly fundraiser for feline rescue and the folks behind Simon's Cat donate a short or two for the event. The cartoons are hilarious and very well animated. I had no idea that there was a comic strip series about Simon and his perfect pal- until now!

I completely understand that this book was published in 2009; AFTER the animated series debuted. But I'm still excited to find Simon's Cat in another medium in which I can enjoy the exploits of the white fluff ball known simply as 'Cat'. 

Simon Tofield has 4 cats of his own. The quartet are his inspiration for the main character; especially Simon's buddy Hugh. After reading this book, I'm wondering if Tofield might have secretly put some cameras in my house because I can totally see my cats, especially teeny tiny Harley, doing some of the things Simon's cat does. 

There's one multi-panel strip where Simon puts a brand new collar on his cat. The kitty acts very appreciative. But it's soon revealed that Cat will be adding his new neck-ware to a cache of discarded collars. After reading that short, I am convinced that's what Harley has done with the half dozen or so collars we keep buying her, only to soon go missing. 

I'm not really sure if I could say that I've read this book. There's no words. Not even a meow, bark or birdy tweet. It's like if you listened to an audio book. Without reading any words, have you really read the book? So with the first collection of Simon's Cat strips, I guess I looked at it instead of having read the book.

If you're like me, you might not like seeing animals hurt. I can't recall how many times I get attached to an animal in comics and graphic novels that I find myself making sure that the pet makes it to the end safely. I just can't stand to see animals harmed senselessly or violently. However, you may find yourself a little shocked with some of Cat's antics.

As funny as his attempts to hunt fish, mice and birds are, he is a natural born hunter, carrying out his natural instincts to hunt for food. And Simon really does like to consume. In fact, I would argue that Cat's appetite rivals that of the ultimate fat cat, Garfield. However, a few of the kitty's actions borderline on cruel; like the single page illustration of Cat burning ants with a magnifying glass.

Killing for food is a-okay with me. Killing for the fun of it is just beyond the pale. Being that Simon Tofield is from the United Kingdom, maybe ant holocausts are considered funny. But here in the States, such actions are considered a gateway drug to becoming a psychopath or serial killer.

Maybe some of these jokes don't translate well with American readers. There was a couple of gags that I just didn't understand no matter how hard I tried to figure them out. But I enjoyed this book enough to give another volume a read in the near future.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.