Kreativity for Kats: An Artist With Four Paws

Gummitch is no ordinary cat. He thinks deeply, studies his surroundings, remembers the grand ambitions of kittenhood, and has reached the uncomfortable realization that he may never become the extraordinary creature he once expected to be. Trapped indoors by two vicious neighborhood cats and increasingly bored with ordinary feline life, he needs something worthy of his remarkable imagination.

Then his water bowl begins turning up empty. His humans become convinced that something is wrong, launching an increasingly ridiculous campaign to give Gummitch water he will actually drink. Boiled water, salted water, bottled water, even carefully embellished offerings fail to solve the mystery. What they cannot see is that Gummitch has discovered something far more interesting than drinking. Fritz Leiber turns an everyday piece of cat behavior into a wonderfully funny glimpse inside the mind of an animal who sees possibilities his humans completely miss.

Kreativity For Kats first appeared in the April 1961 issue of Galaxy Magazine and brought back Gummitch, the extraordinary feline Leiber had introduced in Space-Time for Springers in 1958. The story was later included in collections devoted to Leiber’s cat fiction, including Gummitch and Friends.

Fritz Leiber was born in Chicago in 1910 to Shakespearean actors Fritz Leiber Sr. and Virginia Bronson Leiber. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1932, studied at General Theological Seminary, briefly considered the Episcopal ministry, toured with his father’s theatrical company, and appeared with him in the films Camille and The Great Garrick. He also corresponded with H. P. Lovecraft, who encouraged his early writing.

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Lydbog: 14. oktober 2026