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Zen for Cats
From one of America's favorite humor writers comes a new age take on the feline psyche.
- GenresHumorCatsNonfiction
96 pages, Hardcover
First published November 18, 1997
94 people want to read
About the author
Henry N. Beard
61 books39 followersHenry N. Beard (born ca. 1945) is an American humorist, one of the founders of the magazine National Lampoon and the author of several best-selling books.
Beard, a great-grandson of Vice President John C. Breckinridge, was born into a well-to-do family and grew up at the Westbury Hotel on East 69th Street in Manhattan. His relationship with his parents was cool, to judge by his quip "I never saw my mother up close."
He attended the Taft School, where he was a leader at the humor magazine, and he decided to become a humorous writer after reading Catch-22.
He then went to Harvard University from which he graduated in 1967 and joined its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon, which circulated nationally. Much of the credit for the Lampoon's success during the mid 1960s is given to Beard and Douglas Kenney, who was in the class a year after Beard's. In 1968, Beard and Kenney wrote the successful parody Bored of the Rings.
In 1969, Beard, Kenney and Rob Hoffman became the founding editors of the National Lampoon, which reached a monthly circulation of over 830,000 in 1974 (and the October issue of that year topped a million sales). One of Beard's short stories published there, "The Last Recall", was included in the 1973 Best Detective Stories of the Year. During the early 1970s, Beard was also in the Army Reserve, which he hated.
In 1975 the three founders cashed in on a buy-out agreement for National Lampoon; and Beard left the magazine. After an "unhappy" attempt at screenwriting, he turned to writing humorous books.
Beard, a great-grandson of Vice President John C. Breckinridge, was born into a well-to-do family and grew up at the Westbury Hotel on East 69th Street in Manhattan. His relationship with his parents was cool, to judge by his quip "I never saw my mother up close."
He attended the Taft School, where he was a leader at the humor magazine, and he decided to become a humorous writer after reading Catch-22.
He then went to Harvard University from which he graduated in 1967 and joined its humor magazine, the Harvard Lampoon, which circulated nationally. Much of the credit for the Lampoon's success during the mid 1960s is given to Beard and Douglas Kenney, who was in the class a year after Beard's. In 1968, Beard and Kenney wrote the successful parody Bored of the Rings.
In 1969, Beard, Kenney and Rob Hoffman became the founding editors of the National Lampoon, which reached a monthly circulation of over 830,000 in 1974 (and the October issue of that year topped a million sales). One of Beard's short stories published there, "The Last Recall", was included in the 1973 Best Detective Stories of the Year. During the early 1970s, Beard was also in the Army Reserve, which he hated.
In 1975 the three founders cashed in on a buy-out agreement for National Lampoon; and Beard left the magazine. After an "unhappy" attempt at screenwriting, he turned to writing humorous books.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 19, 2017
This was cute! If you're a cat owner, looking for something quick to read and light humor I reccomend this book.
April 11, 2017
Enlightening
March 7, 2023
This is so cute!
February 6, 2022
A quick, amusing read.
September 15, 2015
I've had this book for a long time and I've skimmed through it many times, but I've never really made it all the way through it until now.
The illustrations that go along with Henry Beard's New Age catisms are perfect.
If you are cat fan, this is a great quick read. Even if you aren't a cat fan, it is super fun.
The illustrations that go along with Henry Beard's New Age catisms are perfect.
If you are cat fan, this is a great quick read. Even if you aren't a cat fan, it is super fun.
October 23, 2025
Re-read this recently before sending it to a cat-owned niece. For me, not as clever as Beard's French for Cats and Advanced French for Exceptional Cats (written, of course, as Henri de la Barbe), but amusing, for sure. (I wish the illustrations didn't make the felines look more like dogs than cats.)
February 22, 2021
Delightful and there is an actual zen basis.
June 15, 2015
If you love cats and are in need of a good laugh, try reading Zen for cats. It won't disappoint, I promise. The book is great fun and it should at least make you chuckle, if not laugh out loud :-).
A quick quote (from 'Zen problems'): "Since birds eat worms, and you eat birds, do you eat worms?"
Or, from 'The Law of Cause and Effect': "It is perfectly proper and dignified to beg—Buddhist monks do it all the time."
And what to think of the description given in 'The Toy Ceremony'? So very true and so very recognizable... ;-)
A quick quote (from 'Zen problems'): "Since birds eat worms, and you eat birds, do you eat worms?"
Or, from 'The Law of Cause and Effect': "It is perfectly proper and dignified to beg—Buddhist monks do it all the time."
And what to think of the description given in 'The Toy Ceremony'? So very true and so very recognizable... ;-)
May 17, 2010
Maybe I was just sleepy, but this book just seemed stupid.
August 14, 2016
Cute. Having some exposure to Zen philosophy makes it more easily appreciated.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews