Cattitudes: Irresistibly original, elegant, and humorous, Cattitudes features over 70 water-color illustrations that are certain to elicit purr-aise from cat enthusiasts.

by Victoria Roberts

Cat lovers will purr-aise this litter of sophisticated kitties, all dreamed up by one of the New Yorker’s star cartoonists and an author/illustrator of more than twenty-five books. Irresistibly original, elegant, and humorous, Cattitudes is a feline feast for the eyes featuring more than seventy watercolor illustrations. Delight in this eclectic collection of images, all cats of singular talent and endless appeal: they’re literary, artistic, ecclesiastic, acrobatic, and masochistic. There are beautiful cats, international cats, and bad cats and mad cats in need of a little therapy. Meet the languorous Henry (Miller) and Anais (Nin); the self-portrait-painting Frida Kahlo, with whiskers included; and cat choreographers Merce (Cunningham) and Martha (Graham), modern dance pioneer. Watch cats indulging in small pleasures, like playing with wool and walking on stilts. But no matter what they’re doing, these cats look marvelous—and they know it, too!
With a sense of wit, fun, and endless charm, this is a must for feline fans everywhere and a treat for anyone. But be warned: Not every creature in this book is declawed!

Genres: Humor, Cats, Animals, Nonfiction, Comics

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 28, 1995

Reviews

[indy(anna) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got Cattitudes as part of my Christmas present from my sister and I loved it so much. It is a book for a cat person and a book for those who aren't. There were several references in the book that I didn't get because I am not up to date on many of the world's quirks and quirky people. My favorite reference that was up my alley was one about Mozart. This book is so cleverly drawn that it makes me want to draw my own cat picture book.

I kid you not, after annotating most of Jane Eyre for school, I've been wanting to annotate all of the books I've read afterward. Is it an unhealthy obsession maybe? I also feel really bad if my annotations are bad and it ruins the pages, so I've resorted to using sticky notes and tabbing important pages with random thoughts.

[Debbie J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think of all the cat-themed books I’ve read, Cattitudes ranks as one of the most out there.

Drawings of kitties, for example, wearing pantyhose and receiving manicures, leg waxes, and breast and butt implants almost defy imagination. An illustration of a hairless breed with fresh hair plugs might indeed startle some readers. You can’t unsee it.

The images seem amusing, except perhaps for a series which features cats in costumes representing non-US world cultures. Cattitudes first went to print in the mid-1990s. Back then, treating other cultures’ traditional and historical clothing as novelties likely didn’t raise many eyebrows. Things have changed.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book only because of the title - Cattitudes. I adore cats and this is an adorable little cat cartoon book - a must read and have for cat lovers. Each page has cat watercolors depicting cats in costumes acting as a human counterpart or there abouts. Pages are numbered, the watercolors are on the small side.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully witty illustrations