Today marks the first day of the new academic year – and is thus deserving of a particularly Happy Monday. Even in adulthood, the start of September is evocative of deep-rooted nostalgia: new pencil cases, fresh academic diaries, the underlying anxiety of post-holiday reunion. And, according to Cat High: The Yearbook, our feline companions are preparing for their own version of a new school term, complete with the scholastic accoutrements ordinarily associated with humans. Originally published in 1984, the book is a pre-Photoshop production and thus every single image was painstakingly produced and shot by Terry deRoy Gruber before being carefully handcrafted and collaged into its final form. It was worth it.
Cat High introduces us to characters like the rebellious Spike Latigo (suspended for smoking in the litter box) and Hobie Cat (Saturday night activities include: dancing hand in hand on the edge of the sand by the light of the moon), alongside some of their favourite school subjects, clubs and extra-curricular activities. An exploration of high school conventions, presented through a collaged, feline perspective, it is the perfect start to the school year.
Cat High: The Yearbook is available now, published by Chronicle Books.
