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Description
Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
Rebecca van Laer and her partner purchase a home and move in with their senior cats, Toby and Gus. Their loved ones see this as a step toward an inevitable future-first comes the house, then a dog, then a child. But what if they are just cat people?
Moving between memoir, philosophy, and pop culture, Cat is a playful and tender meditation on cats and their people. Van Laer considers cats' role in her personal narrative, where they are mascots of laziness and lawlessness, and in cultural narratives, where they appear as feminine, anarchic, and maladapted, especially in comparison to dogs.
From the stereotype of the 'crazy cat lady' to the joy of cat memes to the grief of pet loss, van Laer demonstrates that the cat-person relationship is free of the discipline and dependence required by parenting (and dog-parenting), creating a less hierarchical intimacy that offers a different model for love.
Table of Contents
2. The Cat's Pajamas
3. Cats in Families
4. Cats with Jobs
5. The Ninth Life
6. Kitten Season
7. Cat Friends
8. The Tail End
9. Cats Forever
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
Product details
| Published | 02 Oct 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 152 |
| ISBN | 9798765114636 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 1 b&w illustration |
| Series | Object Lessons |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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Cat is a poignant and playful meditation on cats ... What sets Cat apart is its delightful blend of memoir, philosophy, pop culture, and even fiction, with charming made-up feline histories. Few cat books are as artful, honest, and intimate as this one. Anyone who has experienced the cat-human bond will find something to love in this literary gem.
Rain Taxi
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A little book chock-full of all things feline.
Best Friends
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For anyone who's ever watched a cat nap in sunlight and felt something stir-a reading experience both gentle and sharp.
Chronogram
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Cat is a quick but deeply satisfying read. It's not just charming, or informative, or funny, or well-researched - it's also beautifully written, with lines and paragraphs that sing with their own music.
Hippocampus Magazine
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Van Laer's keen eye captures the ineffable charm of our feline friends and investigates humankind's relationship to cats with great insight and tenderness. A stirring and deeply profound look at what it means to love and lose, and a must-read for cat people and the cat-curious alike.
Gina Chung, author of Sea Change and Green Frog
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Rebecca van Laer's feline marvel is at once cozy and mind-expanding. If you've never felt a connection with cats before, you will after reading this brilliant book.
Henry Hoke, author of Open Throat
ONLINE RESOURCES
Bloomsbury Collections
This book is available on Bloomsbury Collections where your library has access.

























