May I recommend a book to you?

This is my copy of Jennie, by Paul Gallico, who also wrote the more famous The Snow Goose. This beautiful book has coloured my view of cats ever since I read it as a child.

At the start of the story Paul is run over by a car and loses consciousness. When he comes round he has mysteriously been transformed into a cat. Since he has been a human boy all his life, he doesn’t know how to behave. Luckily, homeless cat Jennie teaches him what to do with his new body. My favourite piece of advice she gives him is, “When in doubt, wash”.

If you observe any cat who is trying to recover its poise after an undignified moment, you will notice that a quick lick of the paw or shoulder solves everything.

Jennie was published in 1950 and my hardback copy seems to have been purchased in Paris.