A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

“What part of meow don’t you understand!?”

By Jimmy Johnson

From 2004, here’s one for the Cat People. Well, the first 24 hours of The Arlo & Janis Summer Art Show and Sale was a big success. Thank you! About half of the cartoons have been sold already. Among the remaining offerings are some of my favorites. No, I’m not going to tell you which ones, but I am not surprised. For the 34 years I’ve been drawing Arlo & Janis (come July 29), I have often been flummoxed by the taste of my readers. Strips I think are terrible will be well received, and the ones I believe are touched by genius might very well be met with a shrug. But I don’t care! Your opinion is as good as mine. If you haven’t been to the art show and sale already, please come visit. All the artwork still is visible, including the ones that have been sold. It doesn’t cost anything to look!

 

 

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48 responses to ““What part of meow don’t you understand!?””

  1. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    I’ve used the term “little buddy” to describe my various cats for the last 30 years. My wife got home before me the other day and as soon as the car pulled into the garage, the cats woke up and ran to the door to greet me. Often I will sit in my love seat and all three cats will draped themselves around me. Sometimes they can be quite annoying!

  2. Luther Munford Avatar
    Luther Munford

    The wall at my office at Butler Snow in Jackson is decorated with two of your cartoons, one about an open meetings suit and another about open records. I continue to enjoy them, and Arlo and Janis is a real bonus. My wife and I feel like you must be reading our mail. Keep up the good work.

    1. Jimmy Johnson Avatar

      Are you talking about editorial cartoons!? I thought I’d destroyed all of them. Seriously, thanks for the message. And the encouragement.

  3. James Pollock Avatar
    James Pollock

    Jimmy, you seem to have two copies of “The Young and the Stupid” in your sale catalog, on two different pages. One is showing as sold, and the other is still available. (I’m afraid that one you intended to add is not being shown).

    1. Jimmy Johnson Avatar

      I must have looked at those pages 100 times, and that eluded me. Thanks for the help. I’m headed there now with my tool box.

  4. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    I have not owned [or, “been owned by”] a cat for about 18 years, more or less, so you current owners will have better knowledge about this.
    When a cat is intrigued by a sound of unknown origin, doesn’t it point its ears toward the sound in an effort to locate same?

    1. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

      If my cat is ignoring me and I call his name, he will turn his ears around without moving his head.. Darndest thing.

  5. James Pollock Avatar
    James Pollock

    “When a cat is intrigued by a sound of unknown origin, doesn’t it point its ears toward the sound in an effort to locate same?”

    If the cat perceives a possible threat, the tendency is to fold the ears down to protect them. YMMV.

  6. sandcastler™ Avatar
    sandcastler™

    Do I detect a tip of the brush to Monet in today’s post?

  7. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Is that JJ “Outstanding in his field”?

    1. Old Bear Avatar
      Old Bear

      internet glitch

  8. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Is that JJ “Outstanding in his field”?

    And that he is!

    Just saw a city bans the use of gender specific pronouns.

    1. TruckerRon Avatar

      Berkeley CA, of course. They’re going to redo all official documentation.

      https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/19/us/berkeley-gender-ban.html

      1. Old Bear Avatar
        Old Bear

        The dumbing down of America.
        .
        A girl would be confused by the word Chairman?
        I was going to say if she was confused by that the job is not for her –
        but I fear there are people in that position that would be confused.
        .
        And the lawyers will muddy the waters with “they” and “their”.

  9. TruckerRon Avatar

    Yesterday Jackie asked, “Rather than cheer me I came out of the circus tent sadder than I went in. Where are the clowns? Send in the clowns..”

    They’re clearly on the city council of Berkeley.

    1. Mark in TTown Avatar
      Mark in TTown

      So will they be known as city council things? That’s gender-neutral and not human-centric.

  10. Charles Brubaker Avatar

    Just bought an original from you! A long-time reader of the strip, so this is an opportunity I can’t pass! And the strip you posted is a delight, but it has Ludwig in it.

    For what it’s worth, I’m a 29-year old cartoonist who still inks traditionally (although I do roughs digitally with tablet, which I print out for inking). There’s something “zen” about inking traditionally that I think suits me well. Although my lettering are done digitally, like how you do it.

  11. emb Avatar
    emb

    Ran across this in today’s Delancey Place email. Elaine & I visited München’s Alte Pinakothek [sp.?] in the ’80s. Don’t remember this; maybe just passed by thinking “another romanticized Jesus.” [JJ added that umlaut!]
    M.A.P. is where I got fascinated by still-life technique [no, I do not paint]. Those exquisite reflections on bottles are just little daubs of white paint. Marvelous!

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Portrait_(D%C3%BCrer,_Munich)

    Peace,

  12. Rick Drury Avatar
    Rick Drury

    Jimmy, I’m still waiting for two pieces (and the book) from your 2016 kickstarter campaign. Any update for me and your other very patient fans?
    -Rick Drury

  13. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    I’m going to try something here, if it works, you will have access to a great read. If it doesn’t work, this is all you will see. https://www.facebook.com/david.weber.5621/posts/2607337155966571

  14. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    It worked, sorta. You can read it all without logging in to FB. Just click no, and keep scrolling down till you have seen it all.

    1. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
      curmudgeonly ex-professor

      I always cringe at that JFK statement. To do something because that something is difficult is the height of illogic. One does something – or tries to do it – because that something seems worth it; that benefits will accrue therefrom.

      This is not a political statement.

  15. Ghost Avatar
    Ghost

    After this, I’m seriously considering offering free, personalized instructions to our female customers in how to properly don and wear a swimsuit.

    https://ruinmyweek.com/tweets/immodest-swimsuit-upside-down/

  16. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Ghost, did you see the story about the Englishwoman who bought two swimsuits from an online retailer, one black and one white. When she got into the pool wearing the white one, her friends got quite a show. She complained to the seller, and the customer service rep asked her to send a video illustrating the problem. Instead she took stills of the suit lying on her hand, once dry and once wet, to show what happened. They gave her a refund, but noted that suits were designed for posing at poolside, not actually wearing to swim in. Maybe you could get in a stock of those?

  17. emb Avatar
    emb

    Falco peregrinus at breakfast. Perhaps the youngster.

    https://explore.org/livecams/birds/falcon-nest-cam

    Peace,

  18.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    c x-p: And I, whenever my candidate Adlai Stevenson referred to “an ever-expanding economy” or when his successful opponent said “nucular.” Think “the Decider” said that, too.

    Peace,

  19. Ken from Framingham Avatar
    Ken from Framingham

    Jimmy, I remember the strip you’re using for the background image on your art sale, and I wasn’t surprised that you’d be a Degas fan, too! I saw a huge exhibit of his work at the MFA in Boston a few years back.

  20.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Keep a joyful contenance, it confounds your critics and. Infuriates your enenies.

  21. emb Avatar
    emb

    Today’s [Mon.] A.Word.A.Day is “solecism,” which we “9 Chickweed Lane” fans will remember a pre-teen Edda scolding mother Julie for last Friday or so.
    Peace,
    Yesterday’s 0701 “Anon.” was emb.