The Rabbi's Cat

To start off, I think it's funny that the cat does not have a name. It reminded me Breakfast at Tiffany’s where the main character, Holly, has a nameless cat. I think this story is relatable because I believe that everyone has conflicts with religion. This cat interacts with different characters throughout the story, each on their own quest for religion and faith. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this is NOT a children's book. The cat even has a mistress in the story. Some characters are confused and bewildered like the rabbi, some are set in their ways like the father, and some are questioning the religion entirely like the Cat.

In addition to this not being a children's book, it's also a humorous one. This cat is born Algerian but it wants to be Jewish! As it was said in class, this is NOT a "Disney kitty". This cat is a foreign creature who's voice in written in cursive to symbolize that. The cursive is harder to read and used a lot less by the average person. The rabbi represents tradition and the cat represents modernity.

I understand the Cat's dilemma with religion as most people would. I think most people can agree that when we are young abstract ideas like religion are harder to grasp. This was a good example of how there can be such a closely connected group of people so many conflicting ideas about religion and faith.