The author and his wife, have turned their home into a dream house - for cats. They've built over 100 feet of elevated cat walkways, and they've let their imaginations run wild with cat-related decorating ideas.
Somewhere in San Diego, nine cats, one canine, and two humans live in bliss, without a fur- or dustball in sight. In the colorful house that Bob (BobCat) Walker and his wife, Frances Mooney, have designed for pure feline pleasure, this peaceable kingdom is in constant, fetching flux.
Cats into Everything, Walker's follow-up to
The Cats' House, records the endless fascination the stars of the show exert. From litter habits to excessive ear licking, no subject is taboo. The couple even went so far as to place a camera, set to flash every 13 minutes, over their bed in order to record nocturnal comings and goings. Suffice it to say that on average two people and five pussycats tossed and turned, though one photo features seven cats. (The heavy occupancy rate leads us to suggest that the authors invest some of the profits from this book in a king-size mattress.)
Walker's finest innovation is photographing from the ground up. Somehow, BobCat gets his charges onto large sheets of glass and snaps away, turning quotidian activities like eating, stalking, and sleeping into an art that may not be high but is definitely hilarious. The full-page photo of Denise, left front paw smooshed against the glass, her gaping mouth in search of maximum kibble, is only one among the book's many laugh-fests. And the next spread, three tabbies lapping up milk, is even more entertaining. Of course, there's a thin line between doting and dotty--one this menagerie more than occasionally toes. But underneath all the silliness lies a serious aim, as Walker writes: "It is our hope that Cats into Everything will encourage others to look into their own relationships (animal and human) and devote more 'quality' time before it's too late." Mission mirthfully accomplished. --Kerry Fried
