How To Live with a Calculating Cat

by Eric Gurney

Book by Eric gurney

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Animals, Cats, Childrens, Comedy, How To

128 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1962

About the author

Eric Gurney (1910–1992), Canadian-American cartoonist and illustrator.

Reviews

[Ilse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waking up in the morning alongside a bundle of fluffy, purring black and white joy named Bella tickling my nose, the feline mood she put me in seemed the purrfect moment to read this brief and charming little book on the quirks and sophisticated nature of the house cat, the felis domestica calculata Eric Gurney’s sprightly illustrations and William Nettleton’s tongue-in-cheek text are a fine tribute to their shrewdness, their habits and lack of habits, their ability to outwit and use to their own ends both their big ugly humans and the poor pooch. Every cat lover will recognise these cunning feline ways, and acknowledge the superiority of the feline on their clumsy human masters. Never forget who will be the real master in the house when you consider taking such a hairball in! While the cat-lit I have read so far rarely did justice to the real furry thing, this witty treatise was a wonderful and amusing interlude which brought a few smiles and giggles to a grey and rainy weekend, just like the real feline cheering me up every day.


(***½)

[Jan-Maat]

This is a useful and practical book about cats. Pointing out that cats come in many shapes and sizes, handy advice on how one goes about acquiring a cat and how not to administer them vitamins, other topics illustrated in this handy guide: the cat who ran its house as a series of toll booths and the history of cat-human relations. Silly and joyful, good for a chuckle or three, unless you really don't like cats.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, extremely witty book on the ins and outs of cat behavior. Hilarious and so true!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and simple book on what to expect from cats in a house. Funny at places, with humorous cartoons. Although no puss owns me yet, i did enjoy reading the book. :)

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book and quick and easy read for any cat lover. The book was originally published in 1962. The humor is dated by today's standards, but it is still quite enjoyable.

[O · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chyba zbyt wiele oczekiwałam. Taka książeczka do przeczytania raz. Śmieszna tylko momentami. Zawiera czarno-białe obrazki. Polecam przeczytać w wersji papierowej, ponieważ w podczas czytania jednej części przydaje się możliwość szybkiego zerknięcia na poprzednie strony. Jednak nie uważam, że jest to pozycja, którą warto trzymać na swojej półce (chociaż tytuł mi się podoba ;) - idealnym wyjściem jest wypożyczenie na chwilę. :)

(ebook)

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://eruditefeline.wordpress.com/2...

First Read: 1986/1987?
Second Read: January 10, 2015 - January 11, 2015.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a fun and somewhat tongue-in-cheek historical account of the evolution of the domesticated cat, along with a how-to guide for humans caring for them.

The chapters are short and most pages include black-and-white cartoonish illustrations highlighting the behavior of these wonderful furry felines.

I discovered this book in a used book sale at our local library and had to buy it for our oldest daughter, who loves our kitties (almost) as much as I do.

I was fascinated by the format and was impressed by the fact that not too much has changed in almost 60 years, except for the far greater emphasis on spaying and neutering animals today.

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Loved it!

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I took my favorite 88 year-old friend out to lunch today and she had this book laying on her coffeetable. I begged her to borrow it! I'll be up tonight until I finish it! It's absolutely hilarious and adorable. It was first published in 1962 and my friend's copy is an original edition. I have to get my own copy! My dear husband says he remembers reading it as a kid. It's part comic book, part story book. Any cat owner, fancier or even cat-hater will love it--a very drole look at feline domestica calculata.

[Bella Paglia]

I really like this book!!!

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parents owned this book when I was a girl. I always enjoyed the artwork inside, but never read the contents until now. It is a cute, humorous, easy to read book... and I still love the artwork. Highly recommend for cat lovers.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book while thrifting - what a great little find.

Some of the jokes have dated, but really an entertaining little read.

[Zachary · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute, not great. The writer's dry tone was interesting reflection of 60s humor ... and very Dave Barry-ish.

Amusing quote:
"If you recklessly decide to give your cat a bath, change your mind and don't. If you still insist ... get some soap ..., draw a tub of water brought carefully up to cat-body temperature, a towel or two, iodine, sutures, gauze, a bottle of brandy, and a pair of chain mail gauntlets. You might also notify your next of kin if you are the type to plan ahead."

[Ellice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cat literature seems to be its own healthy genre these days, but it's good to know that examples such as this book showed up as early as the '60s. This is a cute and amusing "guidebook" to living with cats that will ring true to cat lovers. The pen-and-ink illustrations are well-done and funny. A light, quick, witty read for cat people.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Eric Gurney. I think he's a hoot! Gilbert will always be my special favorite though.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't a clue where I got this 1962 comedic paperback from. I was cleaning out my home office and found it buried under a pile of assorted things that my wife and I had been throwing into the room indiscriminately. The book is only 141 pages. So, before taking it to a used book shop or a thrift store, I figured 'what the heck' and gave this book a quick read.

How to Live With a Calculating Cat reads like a parody manual for new cat owners. From the history of cats to how to name them; proper feeding techniques to how to integrate them with the family dog- there's a wide range of topics that first time cat lovers would need info on.

Peppered heavily throughout the advice are illustrations that highlight the author's points in hilarious fashion. These cartoons are just as funny, if not more hilarious than the expert satire written in prose. Some of the artwork is done like those informative illustrations found in textbooks- only with a humorous slant. But a good half of these sketches are similar in the type of humor you'd see as filler material in the pages of Reader's Digest; only the subject matter of all of these lampoons are feline.

The author and illustrator of this work is Eric Gurney. Some of you might be familiar with the name. That's because Eric illustrated a number of Random House Beginner Books such as The Digging-est Dog and The King, The Mice and The Cheese, which he wrote with wife Nancy Gurney. Unbeknownst to many, Eric Gurney was also behind a large chunk of our childhood as he was the story writer behind such Disney classics as Bambi and Pinocchio.

How to Live With a Calculating Cat was an enjoyable read. I got a few chuckles out of the prose parts of this book. I laughed a lot at the cartoons as many of those jokes reminded me of my 45-years plus as a cat lover and owner.

This book must have been a hit because a sequel was issued in 1978. That book lists a Nancy Prevo as providing the text. I checked to see if Nancy Prevo was the same Nancy who wrote those children's books with Eric Gurney. She wasn't. Instead, Nancy Prevo was the second wife of Eric Gurney. (BOTH NAMED NANCY!) Prevo probably went by her maiden name in order to not cause a licensing conflict with the works Eric Gurney created with the previous wife Nancy. But that's mostly speculation.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book came out in 1962, and it very much shows in the style of both art and humor. The drawings reminded me of the "educational" cartoons of the time period, using anachronistic jokes to try and talk about a subject. The writing is just causally full of so many -ism's its depressing. For example:

The Egyptians called the cat felis caffre, and we may laugh at them for making this small animal a god, but our own ancestors called him felis cattus, and made him out to be a devil.

The idea of just assuming anyone reading this book couldn't possibly be of Egyptian descent and must be of Northern European heritage was gag inducing.

The book tries to be funny, and probably was to some, back in 1962.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an orphaned book at the side of the road. Like a box full of kittens, it was hard to ignore and not want to take it home. I ended up reading this fairly quickly. It is a light humour book with some fun drawings.

I enjoyed it as it took me back to the days when this type of thing was more prevalent. It is also poking fun at the whole cat thing but you can tell this guy is a cat owner.

[MICHAEL G SOLIDAY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny

Anyone who has the privilege of being owned by one of our feline masters will enjoy this book. May we all have a good laugh as we deserve such after a hard day which our cats have a way to ease our troubles.

[Ren · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a quick read but not as funny as I'd hoped.

[Robyn Penedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

funny and pretty true of the feline nature.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute quick humorous read on living with a cat.

[Yanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, but very funny :)

[Sandie Herron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Advice still as pertinent in 2020 as it was in 1962. Funny, true, and useful!

[Mari-Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of funny bits 😺

[Mells324B21]

I laughed out multiple times
Delightful book

[CarolynAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 star
cat lovers will enjoy

[Meghan Bohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A favorite from my childhood, which absolutely explains a lot. First re-read in decades. Enjoyed it, but passed it on to the Little Free Library next door.

[Giovanni García-Fenech · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is just meh (written by William Nettleton, whose name is only mentioned in an acknowledgment), but Gurney's drawings are lovely and worth the price of the book.

[D. T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mildly amusing, slightly informative, and chock full of charming comic illustrations. I read it multiple times as a kid, and reading it now was a walk down memory lane.