Have You Fed the Cat

Michele Coxon (author)

Koala Books, Australia: 2004

ISBN: 086416023

Genres: animals, picture books

When Sam came to live with Rose and Charlie, he was a tiny kitten, very cute and entertaining. Somehow, as they get older, however, Rose and Charlie lose interest in Sam, and he feels that the only time they pay attention to him is if he has to be fed.

Sam, being an intelligent cat, decides that he should ask for food more often - to get more attention. In fact he asks everyone for food - Mum, Dad, Rose, Sam, the cleaner, who all fall for his tale of how hungry he is.

His beautiful long fur conceals his increasing girth - until the day he cannot fit through the cat flap. Now Sam definitely has everyone's attention. Once they work out how many times a day he's been getting fed, the family work together to get Sam fit again. Rose and Charlie are allotted the task of getting their overweight cat fit again by playing appropriate games, which remind them just how much fun Sam can be, and how beautiful he is. In the end, everyone is happy. Sam is back to his slim and beautiful self and he once more has the right kind of attention from the children he loves.

This is definitely a story for cat owners, as they will be able to relate to Sam's importunate nature and his convincing ‘nobody has fed me' wail. The illustrations are wonderfully detailed and capture the incredible range of expression that a cat can convey with its eyes and body.

Great fun, and a must for all cat lovers.