Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for June 18, 2021

Cat, a tonic.

It’s amazing how they know when you need some cat time

Swell. The freakin’ cat on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (so far) this week. I don’t even bother to read the strip on cat days or Gene days.

It’s OK. We still include you in our circle.

One of our cats could tell when my wife was feeling ill and would jump on her and purr like crazy!

If my wife was feeling fine then Meh!

At some point every day, each one of our 3 cats will come to me for affection like this at least once

I know some people don’t think cats are affectionate, I think the problem is the people

Is this in reference to Rose is Rose today?

Awww, sweet Luddy

Indeed. My cat wanted to be with me all the time. She loved me unconditionally, but she didn’t beg for affection. She presented herself to me as the gift she really was. I miss her a lot.

Remember this tidbit, Arlo!

Oh heck, dogs will do that every day. Whether you need it or not.

Ludie the comfort cat.

Awesome. Our cat Skip does this with me, only facing the other way. He hops up on the couch next to me and flops over, head towards my knees, and goes ‘belly up’ like that, and expects/needs to have his one back leg inside my arm (so my hand can stroke his side/belly)

They’re easy. He can crank out a half dozen, meet his contract, and then go fishing along the Gulf Coast or in the Biloxi Marsh. Wouldn’t you?

More janis in the bathtub

And in that last frame, we have a fun celebration of National Turn the Kitty Upside Down Day—a holiday that seems to happen many many times a year around our house!

My Harpo gives me cat head-bunts when I really need them

Love to see Arlo getting some kitty-love.

Cats rule, dogs drool.

I don’t mind more Luddie—it’s nice to see people enjoy their pets.

Why so glum chum?

The anthropomorphic side of me thinks that my cats could tell when I was feeling down and would pick those times to come tuck in with me and purr. The more objective side of me thinks that those were times when I was in a comfortable chair and not moving so much so would be a warm spot to settle. Either way, it helped.

They also have quite the radar for knowing when someone (ahem me) is severely allergic to them. “Oh this guy is an eye-sweller/sneezer let me roll along his ankles and hop up on his lap!”

I beg to differ. I am not a cat person, but I like to see the author play with the personality of the cat. Today’s strip illustrates the fact that cats are not totally selfish. The problem with Gene is that he lives elsewhere and can’t regularly interact with Arlo and Janis. I say bring Gene and his wife back to where Arlo and Janis live. Introduce Gene’s in-laws. Explore the normal generational conflicts: grandkids—Who’s right when the kid does wrong? The normal ups and downs of child-rearing. Arlo’s tendency to sentementalize versus Gene’s practicality. Which set of parents are winning the Grandparents’ Derby? Does Gene’s wife really know how to cook, clean a house and raise kids? How do the in-laws get along in everyday family and social situations? Are Arlo and Janis able to get along with Gene’s in-laws and the reverse? What if the in-laws are in a situation where they are forced to rely on each other? I can’t recall ever seeing Arlo and Janis’s parents. Now that Gene is married, we could see what their parents have to say about what kind of parents and in-laws Gene’s parents are.

I LOVE the cat days. Luddie is my favorite part of this strip.

I love today’s strip!

Not really, that cat just knows everyone needs and occasional cat nuzzle.

I think this strip has lost its funny.

They can; they really can. However, sometimes they don’t act upon it. Because they are cats.

my little cat Mischief just died…she was 21 years old