You were going to get up, but the cat has settled on your lap. Your tea is going cold somewhere out of reach, one leg has started tingling, and you are asking another person to pass you things rather than disturb somebody who has slept for most of the afternoon. Naturally, you still consider yourself in charge.
It is an arrangement many cat lovers recognise. You make the plans, the cat makes a small adjustment, and somehow the entire evening now revolves around keeping that adjustment comfortable. Nobody remembers signing anything. There may have been a purr involved.
Oh Erik – How to Train Your Hooman takes that familiar suspicion and gives it a title. The joke is that cats have been training their people all along, while the people congratulate themselves on how well everyone is getting on. It belongs to Oh Erik’s Fun Cat Books range and is presented as an entertaining read with plenty of catitude.
Your Progress Has Been Noted
The appeal starts with the reversal. We spend plenty of time talking about what we teach our pets, then find ourselves opening a door because a cat is looking at it. The cat may decline to go through. Apparently, the lesson concerned opening the door, and you have performed adequately.
Or consider the household member who announces that the cat will certainly not be allowed on the bed. A little later, that same person is sleeping at an angle to accommodate a creature who has somehow become much longer than expected. From the outside, the training seems to be going rather well.
Those everyday negotiations make the book’s premise immediately recognisable. You bring your own examples to the joke: the chair you surrender, the laptop you work around, the particular blanket that used to belong to you. There is affection behind the grumbling, which is why being described as a well-trained hooman can feel less like an accusation and more like being caught.
The title also makes the intended reading experience clear. This is a humorous take on life under feline supervision. Choose it for someone who enjoys laughing about their cat’s apparent authority; if they are looking for practical help with a behaviour concern, they will want a different kind of guide.
A Gift for Someone You Already Suspect
Think of the friend who cannot end a phone call without reporting what the cat is doing. Or the relative who claims not to spoil their feline companion, despite maintaining several preferred sleeping spots around the house. You probably do not need to explain this book’s title to either of them.
It could make a birthday present for an established cat lover, or a light-hearted welcome to someone newly sharing their home with a cat. For the latter, a note from you makes the intention clear: congratulations on your new companion, and good luck retaining your favourite seat.
The paperback measures 148 × 210 mm, giving you a compact book to wrap on its own or pair with a card. There is no need to turn it into an elaborate gift bundle. A personal message mentioning the recipient’s cat can do more than several unrelated extras, especially if you know exactly which household privilege has recently changed paws.
You might also buy it for the person who usually takes care of your cat while you are away. They have already received the instructions, located the preferred bowl and discovered which requests are negotiable. A little reading material about hooman training seems appropriate after that experience.
Of course, buying a copy for yourself requires no excuse. Leave it beside your usual reading spot and enjoy the title whenever you catch yourself arranging the cushions around someone with whiskers.
You can find How to Train Your Hooman in the Oh Erik shop. Settle down for a purruse when you have a little time, preferably with your drink already within reach. If the cat then sits on the book, you may have to negotiate access to your own training materials.
