The Cat Operator's Manual: 04/09/25

The Cat Operator's Manual by Queen Olivia III (2025) is a short, humorous but useful cat care book. It's written like one of those pamphlets that come with a new device or certain pieces of furniture. And instead of calling the cat a cat, it's referred to as the Cuddle Unit 5^TM throughout.

If you're like me an you've grown up with cats and lived with them for most of your life, you'll be reading this book for the humorous illustrations more than the how-to aspect. However, if I had a friend who was getting their first cat, I would give them a copy.

The author is Australian but the copy that's available here is published by Chronicle Books. God how I wish it still had the original Australian English. It's cute as is but it's lacking in peak cheekiness.

Some of the advice is very specific, probably to the author's actual cat or cats. For example, there's a note not to give adult cats milk because they are lactose intolerant (true) but there's a caveat that cheese is OK because it has less lactose. I've never in all my life met a cat who likes cheese (although I did live with a cat who liked strawberry ice cream).

Five stars

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