Tom Gauld’s book Physics for Cats spins science into silly cartoons

The cartoonist Tom Gauld grew up reading his marine biologist grandfather’s old copies of New Scientist. Fast-forward to now and his second collection of science cartoons, Physics for Cats, is the compilation of years of cartooning for the scientific journal. “With my collections, I’m aiming for something a bit like Gary Larson’s The Far Side cartoon collections, which I discovered as a teenager,” says Tom. In Physics for Cats, Tom plays with physics, philosophy, and silly hijinks featuring comical cats and catastrophising humans.

Tom’s world-building is not just funny, but thoroughly researched, pulling from the world of science and his own life. In a panel featuring the International Space Station, an astronaut’s pet cat floats in the black expanse and it reads ‘In? But I just let you out!’. The scene is inspired by a real-life scenario of Tom’s cat “scratching at the door to be let in despite having a cat flap”.

The resignation of the cat owner – a mixture of love and disgruntlement – is very relatable, and the mundane, amusing scenario is then spun into an unexpected environment, made all the more convincing by Tom’s research. “I hope all the complicated details on the station subtly suggest that letting the cat back in will be a complicated pain in the arse for the astronaut,” says Tom. Fun fact, the cat’s spacesuit is inspired by Tintin’s dog Snowy in Hergé’s 1953 Explorers on the Moon.

Despite this humour, a sense of seriousness is important. Scientists, quite rightly, care a lot about their work. Discovery is a dedicated journey and, often, an insular one. Taking heady concepts, abstracting them into digestible terms, and crafting quick quips is an important practice to bring the silly into the serious, making it more accessible for all. And, in Tom’s eyes, science and cartoons have a lot more in common than you might think: “making funny, small cartoons like these is a bit of a science in itself,” the illustrator says.

Physics for Cats’ aim is, ultimately, to alleviate. Tom can’t help but beam when scientists get in touch to use his cartoons and he’s delighted when students share pictures of his work pinned to professors’ doors or noticeboards. The pursuit of joy is at the heart of his work, and it’s a message well received.

Tom Gauld’s book Physics for Cats is available for purchase through Canongate in the UK and Drawn and Quarterly in the US/Canada editions.