In this moving dramatic monologue, Samuel Johnson celebrates the life of his favourite cat, Hodge, Robin Saikia perfectly captures the essence of Johnson and the spirit of the age. Johnson tells us how he came to like cats and how he came to own Hodge. He also gives a spirited account of his adventures in London coffee houses, his friends and enemies, and his passion for liberty and the rights of animals. There is an explanatory Introduction, and five appendices with relevant excerpts from the work of Leigh Hunt, Christopher Smart, Susan Coolidge, Percival Stockdale and Jeremy Bentham.