Robert Bernstein with Ted Geisel

Robert Bernstein, who worked with Ted at Random House for 32 years, once said: “While Ted is gone, he left Dr. Seuss behind him.” 

It is in that spirit that we address the “elephant (or in this case cats) in the room.”

As only Dr. Seuss could, he veered far afield of convention and seated each cat, as the French would say, on a porcelain “pot de chamber”—a necessity which served mankind well for 2,500 years. Then, in an ever so slight move towards modesty, Ted be-ruffled his cats, subtly suggesting some form of dress. We can almost see Ted chuckling to himself as he drew this “privy” pair—his love affair with fun and cheekiness entirely intact.