Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for February 01, 2023

Tommy is a conscientious reporter, sticking his microphone under there so everyone can hear her reading!

Of course it is. The PBH is for all cats, especially Sophie’s.

Lady Jane is quite the storyteller. And artist.

much to love here. first, the mayor’s friendly, white beard. but give it up for her traveling suit and matching purse and suitcase! not to mention that gorgeous pillbox hat!not just an artist, but she was a fashionista as well!

I absolutely love this.

What a wonderful story.

Oh no I’m going to cry aren’t I?

I spy … purple kitty feet wallpaper. Love how the little touches keep the big loop going.

All stand and cheer for Freddie Quinn.

The new house has old history…perfect!

I think it’s true. She WAS at the very beginning of Freddie’s animal shelter. With two other gentleman cats. Angus? Carl? Who?

Translation from cursive:1: April 11th. I was the mayor’s cat. Loved and well cared for. He was very kind.2. He died, and his children had no room for a little cat. (Traveling suit) (My suitcase).3. The town eccentric has taken me in. She already cares for two older gentlemen cats, but assured me her house is big enough.4. Her name is Freddie Quinn.

This is going to be one of the best arcs in BCN ever, of course it is really hard to make a top 10 arc list isn’t it between the arcs like this. Just to name a few faves: when Tommy was found, when Beatrix was found, this past Halloween arc with the “escapees”, the Halloween arc when Tilly gets reunited with Freddie, the arc with Jules, young Baba Mouse and senior Angus, the Robber Mice escaping the lab, the Leprechaun, The trunk in the attic dilemna where Elvis had to join forces with Tabitha with an assist from the RCO to save his friend etc…….. There are too many to count but this is gonna be a top for sure! Awesome.

Ms. Quinn is a saint.

Little Lady Jane, knew she’d be a comfort to a scared new comer, someday! Love the drawings!

I love the microphone sticking in under the cabinet. It makes it quite an event. “And now, live from beneath the furniture, we have a touching history moment.”

It’s the standard set-up. The heroine has lost her family, and is all alone in the world. She is taken in by a kind person (since it’s Freddie, we know this person really is kind) and begins life in a new place. At first she concentrates on getting used to her new surroundings, but then she begins to notice things that are a bit odd.

She finds a key that doesn’t fit any door in the house. She finds a picture of a distinguished looking man in slightly old-fashioned clothes. But the next time she looks for it, it has gone, and everyone denies any knowledge of it. (The housekeeper exchanges Significant Glances with the gardener.)

She hears a sound like sobbing at night, but they say it is just a noise from the plumbing. One day, while she is in the garden, she glimpses a strange face at one of the upstairs windows, but when she goes upstairs, she cannot even find the room.

(Am I throwing out spoilers here?)

The cellar is surprisingly small for so large a house.

Lady Jane’s illustrations are beautiful. I love her writing style, so evocative of the time she lived: “traveling suit,” local “eccentric,” “two older gentleman cats.”

Fie on children with no place for a little cat.

Traveling suits, train cases, white gloves, and pillbox hats. The good ole days.

What a lovely portrait of Freddie. No wonder she is Lady Jane coming from such a high office. It looks like those wonderful folks who replied to my comment yesterday might be right: Carl and the unidentified sea captain could very easily be the two older gentleman cats.

Panel two gave me visions of sweet Lady Jane standing all alone at the railway station, with no one there to pick her up. Thank Cat for “The Town Eccentric!”

Im an eccentric

“the town eccentric” – now there’s a title to aspire to!

A small detail but no one has mentioned it yet: the mayor is not dressed in a fancy suit, but a blue checked shirt and red suspenders (braces if there are any Britishfolk reading). This must be his at-home garb.

Meanwhile, Back on the Nile

Elvis-Anum: While you go to the No Longer Hidden Library, I’ll take a look at the scroll and see what Jamila writes.

Beatrixia: Fair enough. Then we can compare notes tonight after dinner.

Sometime Later

Elvis-Anum: This scroll appears to be in a rather old-fashioned script. No matter. If I can decipher Tengwar this should be easy.

Reading On

Ever since I was a kitten I have dreamt of becoming an Artisan in the court of the Pharaoh Almon-Joybar. My family has arranged for me to train in the finest artisan school in the world The Academy of Really Neat Stuff. But the school is in far-off Afar. I wish to follow my dream, but I still am afraid. I have never been out of Egypt.

Today I arrived at the Academy. The trip was nice enough. The camels Wednesday and Next Day were very kind. They tell me Afar is a very nice place, and I should have no trouble fitting in. I certainly hope so.

Meanwhile, at the No Longer Hidden Library

Beatrixia: Let’s start in the 930s, and see what we’ll find.

Ora Z: No problem. Let’s go!

Bea: Alright. You and I’ll gather what we can, and Soph and Violet starting reading and taking notes.

Sometime Later, back at the Palace

Bea: Elvis, we’ve brought back a few scrolls that mention Jamila.

Elvis: Did the Royal Procurers need to use their stealth to obtain them?

Agnes-Ata: No, silly. I used my library card.

If I had enough money, I could be an eccentric. As it is, I’m just weird. I’m loving Lady Jane’s story.

Chapter Five, Sylvia tells her story

“Now tell me about yourself, sweet, lovely Sylvia” queried Lady Jane.

Sylvia swallowed the bit of food she was feasting on, pausing to gaze out the window at the orange sky of sunrise. “I was the only offspring of the mayor of the town where I was born.” Sylvia began. “Our town was a poor one, the inhabitants were an unhappy lot. One night an impassioned clowder appeared at our door. They angrily blamed their troubles upon him, hissing vile, ugly, untrue things about him being the cause of all of their hardships. In the heat of their passion, violence broke out.”

“Freddie, my beau was visiting at the time." Sylvia continued, "He tried to defend father, but there were too many of them. I managed to make my escape through a broken window. I’ve been wondering these many weeks now, living the best that I can on what I can find, sleeping in sheds or any other place that would give me a bit of shelter. I have no place in this world, no skills, no possessions of any kind, and no prospects for my future.”

“Lady Jane” Sylvia continued. “Your kindness to me is overwhelming.” I know of no way that I could ever repay you for what you have done for me, but repay you I shall, I pledge this to you.” Tears welled in Sylvia’s eyes as she

Lady Jane sat looking at Sylvia, quietly contemplating the tale she had just heard. “Sweet, lovely Sylvia, you owe me nothing, but I may be in a position to provide some assistance to you." Lady Jane spoke soothingly. "Let’s go now and get you cleaned up and then we shall have a talk about your future.”

ALT TEXT:

April 11…I was the mayor’s cat. Love and well cared for. He was very kind.

He died, and his children had no room for a little cat. (Traveling suit – My suitcase)

The town eccentric has taken me in. She already cares for two older gentlemen cats, but assured me her house is big enough.

You know, it actually doesn’t surprise me that Quinn had a reputation for being the “crazy cat lady” at the time, but props to Quinn nonetheless—she certainly owned it.

Awwwwww. I always feel so sad for pets who outlive their owners. They don’t understand. No one can explain to them. It’s not their fault. There’s nothing they can do. Suddenly they’re no longer beloved family members, they’re “things” to be managed.

Poor Lady Jane. I know she’s going to be OK and so happy and loved, but she must have been so scared.

(And very very cute in her little traveling suit, of course.)

Ohhhhh boy. The onion ninjas are going to be putting in some overtime with this strip!

My eyes are now overflowing as we speak.

Goto the Breaking Cat news website, April 10, 2016.There’s the story!

Yay, more stories from the Freddie Quinn files!

I wonder if Scully and Mulder need to investigate.

Hey Georgia, do you think that you could change the font for when the cats are speaking? I love the comics, but sometimes I can’t make out the words.

whos freddy quin?

A friend is a mobile vet. She has a contract with a large retirement community. She’s helped rehome cats and dogs after deaths. So many older people have family who promise to take care of the pet, but they are happy to dump it or put it down instead.

Begone, Onion Ninjas!

She’s landing in a good place.

This is one of my biggest worries when one of my pets die and I think about replacing him/her. Will someone take them in. Guess I need to ask those questions now and adjust my trust accordingly.

So this is going to be a Freddie story then. Pass the popcorn. And not microwaved, thank you. Might also need a few boxes of tissues. And hope I don’t get almost driven away from the strip (again).

Has Nobody noticed the Mayor’s eyes?

The Mayor has Cat’s Eyes!

Georgia puts many wonderful and tiny details (Easter Eggs?) in her strips!

(⁠=⁠^⁠･⁠ｪ⁠･⁠^⁠=⁠)

It’s just dawning on me now that the portraits look like they were drawn with colored pencils. A unique and distinctive look for this narrator. I love it!

Water is leaking from the ceiling and is now all over my computer and keyboard and my screen is all blurry. I blame the snow and freezing temperatures for it.

ha! funny!

Lady Jane’s portrait of Freddie Quinn looks, in my opinion, amazingly like The Woman! (And therefore, like Georgia.)

Today I rescued another cat. That is 2 in two months. My housemate is keeping this one in her office with her. There are now an even dozen in the house.

Her traveling suit!!!!!! Little suitcase!!!!!! Klennix!!!!!!!!!!

OT

Awwwww!

The art on this blows me away ! Wow Georgia you’ve done it again! And the traveling suit! Awwwwwwww

Oh, a chance to experiment with a new art style. Looks like colored pencil =)