Classic The Far Side Comics Focus on Feline Behavior

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Gary Larson loves cows. Readers of his comic strip The Far Side know that Larson adores bovine creatures. He often portrays them as adorable, simple-minded heroes in his drawings. Even when they are bad — like the strip where they plot to eat a farmer — they are drawn in a way that makes readers want them to eat the farmer.

Cats, however, can never be heroes.

In contrast to the flattering light given to cows, Larson’s cats are always villains or victims. They act as unruly, selfish pets, ruthless enemies of dogs and rodents, or targets for a comeuppance Larson seems to think they deserve. As a cat lover, perhaps I am reading too much into this. Still, I assembled these nine cartoons, one for each life of a cat, to present my case.

Larson would never portray cows like this.

9 What cats hear

This comic strip juxtaposes the things humans say to cats with what cats actually hear. It depicts a cat that remains completely indifferent to its owner demands. Having had more than one expensive couch destroyed by a bored cat sharpening its claws, I agree that cats can be defiant and indifferent. That behavior is usually just in comparison to dogs, which are very different creatures. Measuring any cat by dog standards means the cat will probably fail.

8 Bad cat

This comic portrays a cat that has killed and eaten a bird after using dynamite to blow apart the bird cage. The cat plays the unruly troublemaker to the shock of its owner. Despite committing such a crime, the cat rests on the couch completely unbothered.

7 Another cat, also bad

Look at the mangled condition of these cat owners to understand how Larson views cats. The cat has mercilessly attacked its owners and is about to do the same to their visitor.

6 Another level of bad

Humans, dogs, birds, and fish react in horror to the sight of headlights because they know they face danger from a cat that can drive a car. In this comic, a cat is not just an unruly pet. The cat operates like a Stephen King monster.

5 Poor pup

In another comic strip where cats drive, a quartet of gangster cats speeds away from a crime scene after riddling a doghouse with bullets. Once again, cats take the role of the villains in the story.

4 A vending machine for cats

Larson sees cats as the bane of existence for dogs, owners, and mice alike. This comic features poor mice stuck in a gumball machine awaiting death at the hands of a cat.

3 Poor kitty

Sometimes, instead of portraying cats as villains with the upper hand over dogs, Larson portrays them as victims of dogs. Even then, Larson puts his sympathies with the dogs rather than the cats, as though the cats deserve their horrible fate. One comic shows a clever dog in a human mask tricking someone into retrieving a cat from a tree.

2 Poor defenseless kitty

An owner in this comic strip takes his cat home after having it declawed, which is horribly inhumane. The dog is excited to welcome back the now defenseless cat. The dog remains cute in the drawing while the cat turns its back, leaving readers to imagine its expression. While the cat is the victim here, the comic still feels pro-dog due to the cute dog and the obscured cat.