Cat Fight: Mr. Pusskins and Little Whiskers by Sam Lloyd

Following up on her New York Times best-seller, Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story, author-illustrator Sam Lloyd picks up on the ongoing pussycat saga starring the irascible, but inexplicably beloved, Mr. Pusskins, the pampered pet of the ever-loving Emily.

In her brand-new book, Mr. Pusskins and Little Whiskers: Another Love Story, the perpetually petulant only cat, Mr. Pusskins, has his perfectly pampered life as Emily's adored pet interrupted by the least desired of all fabulous surprises from his mistress--a tiny white kitty with the disgustingly cutesy name of Little Whiskers.

"I'm sure you two will be the best of friends," smiled Emily.

"I'll leave you to play lovely games together."

Mr. Pusskins is overwhelmingly underwhelmed. Little Whiskers turns out to be no pussycat herself. Her idea of lovely games is to pounce on Mr. Pusskin's proud fluffy tail and wreck all of his special solitary time. The final indignity comes when Little Whiskers has a midnight yearning to practice piano--loudly and non-musically. When Mr. Pusskins goes to investigate, Whiskers zips into hiding and Mr. P. gets the blame from dear Emily, who sweeps him up and banishes him outdoors, where he hunkers forlornly in the rain against an overturned trashcan.

"You need to think about what you have done," she scolds righteously.

To make things worse, when Mr. Pusskins lurks longingly at the window, he spies Little Whiskers basking before the fire on his favorite hearth rug.

"That wretched kitten!" he fumes. Mr. Pusskins was FURIOUS!

But it appears that even coddled kittens have a conscience. Unable to enjoy the premier place at the fireside, Little Whiskers regrets his trickery. But how to set things right with Mr. P. and Emily? At last he has a plan.

"Little Whiskers leapt onto the piano.

"BOOM, CLUNK, BOOM!"

"Oh, good gracious!" Emily gasped. "Little Whiskers, it was you that played that terrible tune, wasn't it?"

"Miaow," admitted Little Whiskers.

With Little Whiskers' proper penitence, Mr. Pusskins is called back into the warmth of the fireside and affection of Emily, and the reformed Little Whiskers cuddles up to him as their mistress plays them both a love song on the much mistreated piano.


With tongue well in cheek, Sam Lloyd has created another feline melodrama in which Mr. Pusskins' hilarious facial expressions tell the tale of this humor-filled love triangle.

My review of Sam Lloyd's first Pusskins picture book, posted on March 12, 2007, can be found here.