This is a timeless and humorous take on the secret life of cats, turning the classic proverb 'When the cat's away...' on its head. Martha may think her cat Lionel sleeps the day away while she is at school, but she is quite mistaken. Lionel is a worldly-wise cat with a jam-packed schedule. He busies himself during the day by catching up on his current affairs, weightlifting, cooking and enjoying some letter-writing. Furthermore, Lionel seems to be the 'cat's meow' to the feline ladies in the neighborhood, squeezing in time to paint their portraits, impress with his pianoforte and play doctors and nurses! Bruce Ingman won the Mother Goose Award for this delightfully arch tale of a cat's secret life.