Letters from a Cat

What if your cat could write? Letters from a Cat presents itself as a collection of actual correspondence from a rather opinionated feline named Pussy. The little girl who owns him is away from home, and Pussy takes it upon himself to report on everything she's missing: his battles with the dog, his disdain for the new housekeeping arrangements, his philosophical musings on the nature of milk, and his profound loneliness without his beloved mistress. The letters swing from indignant to affectionate to quietly heartbroken, capturing exactly the way a pampered Victorian cat might view his world. The book includes a biographical preface that tells of Pussy's life and eventual death, adding a layer of bittersweet nostalgia to what might otherwise be simple children's amusement. Helen Hunt Jackson, better known for her activist novel Ramona, reveals here a lighter touch and genuine fondness for animal characters. The result is a peculiar artifact: part children's entertainment, part Victorian pet culture portrait, and entirely charming in its insistence that cats have plenty to say if only we'd listen.