Bother that cat!

Mog by Judith Kerr.

Mog the Forgetful Cat
written and illustrated by Judith Kerr.
Collins Picture Lions, 1975 (1970).

The very first picture book by the late author, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, was published in 1968. Two years later came Mog the Forgetful Cat which curiously also featured a tiger, if briefly; but while the tiger story was about a transgressive big cat, the very first book in the Mog series focuses on a lovable family pet getting into unforeseen scrapes.

Kerr’s tale features Mog as the feline who inspired the phrase, “Bother that cat!” The phrase – I’m guessing – is euphemised from “Bugger that cat!” though it was changed to “Drat that cat!” in US editions (Drat! of course itself being a euphemism for Damn!).

Mog’s name is short for ‘moggy’, meaning any domestic cat. By the end of the story we understand the reason for the repeated use of the exasperated expression: Mog is indeed very forgetful. Those who have owned moggies may well be familiar with individuals who are just like this.

A much-missed pet.

Mog forgets she’s eaten her dinner, why her leg is up in the air, how to get back in the house, why adults are annoyed if her tail obscures the television screen. When one night, after she’s eaten, the cry “Bother that cat!” rings out yet again and Mog finds herself outside in the dark, she believes she’s very unloved and neglected. “And they haven’t even given me my supper,” she thinks forlornly.

But who’s that man in the kitchen with a torch, a striped shirt and a mask? Perhaps he’ll feed her. After he drops his bag and wakes the Thomas family – naturally he’s so shocked by her sudden appearance at the kitchen window he’s also moved to say “Bother that cat!” – Mog’s forgetfulness is found to come in useful, and she’ll find part of her reward will involve … more feeding.

Judith Kerr’s picture book (it was dedicated to “our own Mog”) is close to perfection. With their simple outlines the individuals in the coloured illustrations are easy for a child to identify and the humans – especially the children Debbie and Nicky – to identify with. Mog in particular is full of character, eliciting a range of expressions such as cats are known to be capable of, but the policeman and even the burglar (who, in a most British way, is politely offered a cup of tea after his capture) are drawn showing recognisable but suitable emotions.

This beloved classic from the late author – she died in 2019 in her nineties – is one of several titles with a cat theme issued in what’s sometimes seen as a Golden Age of picture books. Our own children were brought up on them, and even some of our grandchildren; different as the books are one from another, their blend of whimsy, domesticity, repeated phrases, visual variety, and strong feline personalities seems to have easily appealed both to the young audience and to this adult reader.

But back to Mog. Some studies have identified five personality traits exhibited by moggies – extraversion, dominance, impulsiveness, compatibility, and neuroticism. I wonder which trait the Thomas’s cat was presenting?

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#ReadingTheMeow.

Reviewed for Reading the Meow, this is also the third in my #20BooksOfSummer.