A housekeeper, Miss Tilly, who had been with him since kittenhood, looked after the place and prepared his meals.Many a cat has to catch his dinner before he can eat it, but Oliver was lucky. He was a bachelor without wife or kittens, and lived in an apartment in Manhattan.

I was lucky enough to find an edition that contained the original text, which opens: 'Oliver was a cat of middle-age, gray with tabby markings. The story is just as appealing, although readers should take note: apparently recent reprints have significantly reduced and revised the text, robbing it of much of its descriptive detail. The pink accents used on the kitty and bunny noses and ears make a nice contrast to the gray and white of their bodies. Clare Turlay Newberry's soft artwork, which looks like it was done in charcoal and pastel, skillfully captures the winsome appeal of both cat and bunny. Undecided as to what he should do - continue watching the amusing display? or pounce upon the unsuspecting creature? - he was surprised when Marshmallow, mistaking him for a mother rabbit, took matters into his own paws.This adorable picture-book exploration of an unlikely cross-species friendship was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1943 - the other title to be so distinguished that year was Mary and Conrad Buff's Dash and Dart - and it is not difficult to see why. Then one day, when Miss Tilly was late returning home, Oliver found a way out of his room, and encountered the happy hoppy little bunny at play.

Frightened at first by this leporine intruder, and then all-too-interested in his movements, Oliver had to be separated from tiny Marshmallow when Miss Tilly wasn't around to supervise. A solitary bachelor cat who enjoyed quiet naps and being waited upon by his human, Oliver was unprepared for the arrival of a small fluffy bunny in his Manhattan apartment.

Marshmallow newberry