Let me state up front that this is not about hating on cats. If anything, I am defending the dignity of our feline friends. No, this cartoon is about comedy. Comedy in an age where publishers chase after viral websites, hoping to cash in on a zeitgeist while it's still hot. In a way, I can't blame them. Cats with tiny pancakes on their forehead are probably all that's keeping them afloat right now. If you can't beat 'em, though, at least you can insult them. Personally, my cynical cartoonist sensibilities make the post-ironic cutism of the LOLcats hard to stomach. (If you want a good cat book, see B. Kliban's sellout masterpiece, "Cat.")

One reader who wrote me a confused-sounding email in which he both complimented and insulted me, had this to say:

Why be mad at the cheezeburger cat book? Isn't it more fun to celebrate it than hate it?

No. It is more fun to hate it.

[PS: Some commenters seem to think I'm "jealous" of the cat books. Right now, on the "Stuff on My Cat" website, there is a photo of a cat hugging a stuffed rabbit with the caption "You're nobody till some bunny loves you." No, I'm not jealous of that. I think "disappointed in humanity" is more like it. Somebody has to say it!]