The story of Katlandia began with a real tabby kitten from the Pasadena Humane Society. He chose me, not the other way around. I wanted to name him Freddy. He had another idea: Billy.
Billy developed a keen fascination with the cellar. I had no idea what he did down there, but when I opened the door, he bolted down quick and disappeared. Not surprisingly, he was back for dinner like clockwork every time.
One day, I decided to follow him. He scurried down ahead of me and by the time I reached the bottom, he was gone. Nowhere. And then a word popped into my head from nowhere: Katlandia.
What if there was another world down there — a world of cats? What would it look like? Would cats have jobs? Live in cities? Would they have the same problems as humans, or would they find a way to transcend them?
LOG LINE: When a Watch Cat leads a young British girl into a secret feline kingdom on the brink of civil war, she must defeat a ruthless princess who has turned the boy she loves into a monster—or lose him, the kingdom, and her beloved Watch Cat forever.
Another footnote about the story. Louis Wain’s Cat art has always fascinated me — his anthropomorphic cats became the emotional touchstone as I set out to build Katlandia.
It took more than 25 years to bring the story Billy told me to the page. I promised him I’d tell it to the world.
Cats keep their promises.