“Cat ‘N’ Mouse” is a fun story that portrays the intense relationship between a cat and a mouse. This story reminds me of Tom and Jerry, a popular cartoon usually played early mornings when I was a child. The scenes in this story are clearly unrealistic.
“The mouse, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers, is sitting in his plump armchair, reading a book. He is tall and slim. His feet rest on a hassock, and a pair of spectacles rest on the end of his long, whiskered nose. Yellow light from a table lamp pours onto the book and dimly illuminates the cozy brown room.”
I personally liked how descriptive Millhauser is with his writing; however, it does become repetitious in the sense that they are continually fighting one another. But on the other hand, the constant and creative plots and escapes made by the cat and mouse keep the reader entertained.
“The cat enters on the left, disguised as a mouse. He is wearing a blond wig, a nose mask, and a tight black dress slit to the thigh. He has high and very round breasts, a tiny waist, and round, rolling hips. His lips are bright red, and his black lashes are so tightly curled that when he blinks his eyes the lashes roll out and snap back like window shades. He walks slowly and seductively, resting one hand on a hip and one hand on his blond hair. The mouse is standing in the mousehole, leaning against one side with his hands in his pockets. His eyes protrude from their sockets in the shape of telescopes. In the lens of each telescope is a thumping heart.”
One of the first things that stood out to me as well was how closely it reminded me of a Tom and Jerry episode and their relationship, as well as their personalities.