Consider the Cat.... My Wild Cat by Isabelle Simler

For I will consider my cat Geoffrey.
For there is nothing sweeter than his peace at rest.
For there is nothing brisker than his life when in motion.
For he is an instrument for the children to learn benevolence upon.
For every house is incomplete without him and a blessing is lacking in the spirit.
--Christopher Smart (1722-1771)

MY CAT IS A WILD ANIMAL.

He flops flat, but balanced perfectly, on a tiny table,
and plops down to flatten a potted plant.

Antennae ears up, he surveils, yet spares, a fancy plate of sweets.

He saves a place in an open book with his whole body, a bookmark with a tail.

He snoozes on the sofa... and rests and warms himself, fitting himself to every curve of the radiator.

He sees in pastels and excels in night vision, vanishing, merging with darkness when there is danger.

His hearing and vision are keen... His stalking is patient... And his attack is sudden and sharp.

HE TAKES ME DOWN WITH A SINGLE LEAP.

Cats have been described scientifically, not as simply domesticated, but as self-domesticated. They chose to live with us and still cannot be compelled without their will, and the fascination with the uniqueness of cats is told in blank verse, made humorous juxtaposed with the illustrations of a cat doing what cats do, and with informative footnotes in Isabelle Simler's My Wild Cat.

In apt poetic blank verse and simple but striking illustrations, Simler portrays the child's cat as it seemingly ignores him, napping and stretching, balking at the snaky garden hose and invading a boot, concealing himself inside a bag and behind a curtain, waiting for his moment to surprise the child with his POUNCE. Meanwhile, author Simler also provides encyclopedic footnotes for most pages with fascinating facts about the cat, Felis silvestre catus: "Cats can run at speeds up to 30 miles per hour, faster than any human on record." "Cats have a total field of vision up to 287 degrees wide." "A cat's flexible spine and sense of balance allow it to land on its feet."

Says Booklist, "Truly stunning artwork. For cat lovers, the art alone will delight. Every page is worthy of framing."