Project Gutenberg 2009-02-19 Public domain in the USA. 126 Slesar, Henry 1927 2002 Leslie, O. H. Mitchell, Clyde Jarvis, E. K. My Father, the Cat Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "My Father, the Cat" by Henry Slesar is a whimsical short story that was likely written in the mid-20th century. The narrative blends elements of fantasy and humor, centering around the peculiar relationship between a human son, Étienne, and his father, an extraordinary talking cat named Dauphin. The storyline explores themes of identity, societal norms, and the complexities of love, particularly in how Étienne navigates his relationship with his fiancée, Joanna, while keeping the true nature of his father a secret. The story unfolds as Étienne, raised by his cultured cat father after the death of his delicate mother, prepares to introduce Joanna to his family's estate in Brittany. As the couple arrives, Étienne grapples with revealing the truth about his paternity, fearing that Joanna, a lively woman from the American Southwest, may react poorly to the revelation of having a cat as a father. The narrative builds tension as the dinner unfolds, culminating in a humorous yet poignant moment when Joanna unknowingly treats Dauphin as a regular pet. Ultimately, the tale explores the weight of secrets and the unexpected, juxtaposing the ordinary with the fantastical in Étienne’s life, and challenges readers to consider the nature of love and acceptance. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 74.9 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Short stories Fantasy fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Humour 42163 2025-08-11T13:01:48.388849 text/html 38217 2021-01-04T18:45:11 text/html 97386 2025-08-11T13:01:51.809900 application/epub+zip 96183 2025-08-11T13:01:49.877823 application/epub+zip 75260 2025-08-11T13:01:48.884833 application/epub+zip 192591 2025-08-11T13:01:53.348797 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 185502 2025-08-11T13:01:51.254851 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 121032 2022-09-13T07:03:56.224984 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 35933 2025-08-11T13:01:48.164839 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 35806 2021-01-04T18:45:11 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 53112 2009-01-19T19:31:00 application/octet-stream 87635 2009-01-19T19:31:00 application/octet-stream 83582 2009-01-19T19:31:00 application/octet-stream 75559 2009-01-19T19:31:00 application/octet-stream 77379 2009-01-19T19:31:00 application/octet-stream 76262 2009-01-19T19:31:00 application/octet-stream 381032 2009-01-19T19:31:00 application/octet-stream 83013 2009-01-19T19:31:00 application/octet-stream 25406 2025-08-11T13:01:53.486801 application/rdf+xml 11693 2025-08-11T13:01:49.377820 image/jpeg 3308 2025-08-11T13:01:49.130828 image/jpeg 36547 2021-01-04T18:45:11 application/octet-stream application/zip 14081 2021-01-04T18:45:11 application/octet-stream application/zip 94554 2025-08-11T13:01:48.396817 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia