Judge — August 18, 1888 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of "No Cat's-Paw" cartoon from Judge, August 18, 1888 This political cartoon depicts a **Monkey and a Cat** in an anthropomorphic debate. The Monkey requests the Cat's paw to retrieve chestnuts from a fire, while the Cat refuses, saying "I'm not that kind of kitten." This references the classic Aesop's fable where a monkey tricks a cat into retrieving roasted chestnuts, burning the cat's paws while the monkey eats the nuts—a metaphor for being manipulated into doing dangerous work for another's benefit. The cartoon likely comments on **English-American political relations** (text visible on papers suggests colonial/trade tensions). The "fire" probably represents a dangerous geopolitical situation, with one nation refusing to become the other's unwilling tool. The satirical point: don't let others exploit you under false pretenses.