The Cat in the Coffin: Book Review & Helpful Hints/Cat Analysis

The book and the presence of my cat lying on the desk and keyboard, trying to sabotage my typing, inspired me to write a cat analysis and some helpful hints about cats in addition to my book review.

The wording and imagery in this book is beautiful. Imagine a cute Japanese young girl named Momoko and the beautiful, fluffy, white cat Lala that follows her as she walks and skips through the barley fields around her home. The cat follows her wherever Momoko goes. Momoko's mother passed away when she was a baby, and now she lives with her loving father Goro and the housekeeper Masayo.

Masayo loves both Momoko and Lala and works hard all day to care for them, and soon is like a member of the family. Momoko is soon confiding in Masayo and is happy that the cat Lala likes Masayo. Momoko tells Masayo that Lala likes her, and that she does not trust anyone that Lala does not like. When Lala runs away from Chinatsu, Goro's new girlfriend, Momoko also keeps her distance from her father's new girlfriend. Masayo is happy that Lala purrs when she pets her, and the cat trusts her enough to let her pet its soft, white, fluffy belly.

Masayo is attracted to the handsome father Goro. Masayo used to wear makeup, but when Goro tells her he likes her without makeup, Masayo obediently stops wearing her lipstick and focuses on being the most reliable and humble servant to Momoko and Goro. Masayo feels that everything is perfect at the home until Goro's new girlfriend Chinatsu arrives.

It is soon announced that Chinatsu and Goro are engaged. Chinatsu visits more and more often and tries to bond with Momoko, but Momoko prefers to spend time running in the barley fields with her favorite companion, the cat Lala. Momoko confides to Masayo that she sees Lala as her mother. Is it possible that her mother has been reincarnated and her spirit is now living in the cat Lala?

It is clear from the title that the cat's fate is not good, so I feel that I am not spoiling the plot by adding that the cat's demise causes the house to fall apart. Masayo witnessed what happened and tries to hide the truth, but eventually tells Goro and Momoko. One of them takes revenge and the family is never the same afterwards. The true details about what happened to Momoko's mother are revealed.

If you look at the photo below, displayed at the Tokyo Ja La La Cat Cafe, you can see a cat lying on its back exposing its belly. If you have a cat yourself, you may know that cats do not let anyone touch their stomach unless they truly trust them. This is vital to a cat's survival because all of their vital organs are exposed in this position. As the main character Mamayo discovers, the cat truly trusts her when it allows her to pet its belly.

The cat at the Ja La La Cat Cafe was trained to lay on its back like this for photo opportunities. Most cats, unless they are the rare, super friendly and attention loving cats, will not trust everyone.

The girl in the photo brought fish as treats to the cats and poses while her father took the photo. As most cat owners know, if you want to get your cats all in one place at once, they will not respond to commands. You must provide an incentive! Otherwise the cats will ignore you or find a hiding place to sleep until feeding time!

See the paw as a doorknob at the Ja La La Cat Cafe!

Have a favorite sweater? Hide it and do not wear it around your cat, he will scratch it up when you least expect it, accidentally get a claw stuck in it, or leave so much cat fur on it washings and rolls and rolls of lint brushes are required constantly!

Have a purse or backpack? Do not leave it open! Like this suitcase, the cats will get into the contents or use it as a sleeping bag!

Have new furniture? I hope you got the cats declawed or do not expect it to be around long! This is now their favorite scratching post!

Like to Eat? Do not leave your plate unattended to answer the phone! The cat will eat the food off your plate and may break dishes in the process!

Cats are sensitive and do not wound their pride!

Cats are inquisitive and want to know what's going on constantly!

My favorite cat story... I was taking a bath and lit a candle and placed on the sink. How relaxing... My cat Moo used his paw to pry open the door, jumped on the sink to see what's going on, knocked over the candle breaking the glass candle holder, slipped, and fell through the air right into the bathtub, shrieked his kitty meow and then ran away to hide while I cleaned up the mess, lucky no one was hurt and no fire! The cat had to take a nap to cool off and regain his pride!