The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat
A Novel
Susan Fromberg Schaeffer
- "I
- came
- into
- the
- world
- like
- everything
- else
- that
- is
- born,
- willy-nilly."So
- the
- wise
- old
- housecat
- Foudini
- begins
- the
- delightful
- story
- of
- his
- life.
- It
- is
- the
- tale
- of
- his
- orphaned
- kittenhood;
- of
- how
- he
- was
- rescued,
- cowering
- and
- spitting
- and
- hissing,
- from
- a
- damp
- city
- basement
- and
- lured
- into
- the
- lives
- of
- the
- couple
- he
- came
- to
- call
- Warm
- and
- Pest
- ("All
- cats
- like
- to
- make
- up
- strange
- names
- for
- things"
- ).
- It
- is
- the
- story
- of
- how
- Warm
- and
- Pest
- became
- "his
- people"
- ("Human
- beings
- must
- be
- excellent
- mousers;
- they
- have
- such
- patience"
- );
- of
- how
- he
- learned
- to
- tolerate
- and
- then
- to
- love
- "his"
- dog,
- Sam;
- and
- of
- his
- adventures
- at
- Cold
- House
- in
- the
- city
- and
- Mouse
- House
- in
- the
- country
- (he
- prefers
- Mouse
- House,
- for
- obvious
- reasons).
- With
- feline
- equanimity,
- he
- tells
- how
- he
- was
- saved
- from
- a
- racing,
- swollen
- river;
- of
- how
- he
- lost
- the
- most
- unlikely
- and
- dearest
- friend
- he
- had;
- and
- of
- how
- he
- gained
- a
- cat
- family
- of
- his
- own.
- And
- he
- regales
- us
- with
- news
- of
- the
- ghost
- cats
- who
- visit
- him
- in
- his
- dreams--the
- cats
- of
- Cleopatra
- and
- Freud
- among
- them--bringing
- him
- their
- ancient
- cat
- wisdom,
- which
- Foudini
- tries,
- none
- too
- successfully
- at
- first,
- to
- impart
- to
- Grace,
- the
- sleek
- and
- beautiful
- gray
- country
- cat
- new
- to
- the
- household.
- As
- Foudini
- sees
- it,
- Grace
- is
- desperately
- in
- need
- of
- his
- guidance,
- but
- being
- young
- and
- willful,
- she
- has
- other
- things
- on
- her
- mind
- .
- .
- .Yet
- even
- Grace
- comes
- to
- understand
- that
- Foudini
- M.
- Cat
- is
- well
- worth
- listening
- to.
- Warm
- and
- witty--and
- possessed
- of
- a
- surprisingly
- sophisticated
- narrative
- manner--Foudini
- is
- a
- cat
- with
- truly
- irrepressible,
- and
- irresistible,
- feline flair.
