title: Why Does the Cat Do That?
author:  Susan Bonners 
description: A house cat's behavior comes under scrutiny in this hybrid of storybook and nonfiction. Bob, apparently a teenager, arrives to house-sit for the Fosters and take care of their pet, Molly. On a typical spread, the left page is devoted to Bob's observations of Molly's seemingly odd behavior, while the facing page explains it (e.g., Bob offers an obviously interested Molly a piece of his chicken, but she ignores it?until he throws it toward her bowl; the author explains that cats' vision is attuned more to motion than to color). Among the topics Bonners (Hunter in the Snow: The Lynx) addresses are a cat's sleep patterns, sense of smell and demonstrations of contentment. The information is relayed efficiently but not compellingly. Although Bonners's watercolor renderings of Molly and other types of cats appear in washed-out spots, they are for the most part lifelike and relay a great deal of information. Unfortunately the jerky transitions of the fictional narrative, as well as its lack of real story, make this book primarily for cat watchers. Ages 5-9. <br />Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: For Marye and Mum
  
  Jessie
  ere’s an old lady outside vacuuming her driveway.
  I’ve seen old ladies do many things, but I’ve never seen an old lady do
  this.
  It’s 3 am. She’s across the road at Number 61. She drags a round vacuum
  cleaner on wheels, sucking up the sand in the cracks of her driveway as a
  �uﬀy white cat watches her from the veranda. It’s loud, like how a plane
  sounds as it’s taking oﬀ. I’ve been on six planes so I know.
  I wonder why Kay hasn’t woken up. Maybe she’s ignoring it. Maybe the
  old lady does this oen and the other adults on the street have decided to
  pretend it doesn’t happen. Adults do that a lot. Maybe I’m the only one who’s
  ever seen her.
  She turns the vacuum oﬀ, takes out a pair of glasses from the pocket of
  her nightie, and inspects her work. She turns the vacuum on again and
  shuﬄes back and forth, going over any spots she missed. Once she reaches
  the front door, she turns it oﬀ and pushes it inside. e cat �icks its tail and
  goes inside too.
  From the doorway