Memoir for a Cat

Lately I've been thinking a lot about a book I read years ago. Make that decades ago. It was probably written in the 1970s, and I would have read it in the late '70s or possibly the early '80s. Anyway, I'm sure the book is probably still in my bedroom at my mom's house -- somewhere -- but rather than go dig through all my stuff and my mom's stuff that's stuffed into that room, I decided to turn to the internet.

First, I tried random Google searches and then I turned to Amazon. Of course, I'm not having any luck. I mean, even if the book is still in print, if the cover's changed, I'm not going to recognize it, and I'm not sure I'll recognize the title. Although I might. I do remember (some) things from decades ago better than I recall what I ate for lunch yesterday.

Hmmm. What did I eat for lunch yesterday? Oh right, it was Easter, and my mom brought over some turkey. Whew.

So, I'm going to tell you what I remember about this book and see if any of you remember it.

It's a pocket-sized paperback book. Non-fiction. It's kind of a memoir about this couple and their cat. I think the cat was black-and-white. I have no idea why I think that, and I could be completely wrong.

I remember that the author kept the cat's favorite "hairball goop" in a kitchen cabinet with a door that clicked when it was opened and closed. When the cat got lost, she went around the neighborhood mimicking the clicking sound, trying to get the cat to respond.

She had an old man neighbor, I think he had a poodle, and he complained about the cat getting into his ranunculus. Or maybe it was frangipani. Or both.

That's pretty much all I remember.

So, does it ring any bells with you?