2013's halloween cartoon was inspired by a weird cat calendar on my desk at work. It had been a useful tool that year, full of odd cat facts, but worded in such a peculiar way that this was the first thing I thought of. I think what they mean is that cats have the power to see ghosts, rather than identify them.
So, who were the cats Jones mentioned in this strip?
Humphrey - the Downing Street cat, chief mouser under Margaret Thatcher and John Major. Named after Sir Humphrey Appleby, the leading civil servant in the TV series "Yes, Minister".
Skimbleshanks - the railway cat, from TS Eliot's, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. You'll find him in act II of the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical.
Custard - a pink cat who lived next door to a green dog called Roobarb. Appeared in a 1970s children's TV show with the best theme tune ever.
Thomas - the full name of Tom, the antihero of the Tom and Jerry cartoons, though only the housekeeper ever called him that.
Mr Jinks - a later Hanna Barbera cat, this one starred with two mice called Pixie and Dixie. Mr Jinks and Pixie wore bow ties, while Dixie had a waistcoat. Why?
Prudence Kitten - a forgotten British Children's TV puppet from the 1950s. It predates me but I remember my sister having a Prudence Kitten book. She was a glove puppet of a kitten who wore a voluminous flowery dress, and I think she was a spin off from the Muffin the Mule show.
Felix - a black and white cartoon cat from the silent movies.
Angus - an eccentric persian domestic cat from the movie 'Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging', a British teen movie filmed down the road in Eastbourne and Brighton. Recommended.
Michael - of What's Michael by Makoto Kobayashi, the best cat comic ever.
Smith is a Siamese cat. All he wants is a quiet life, the standard feline existence of sleeping, eating and sniffing things, leavened with the occasional bit of pouncing. It’s a pity that none of his friends will leave him alone long enough for it to ever happen.
For older Smith comics from the olden times (say about 2010), visit:
https://tapas.io/series/Smith-Classic
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