Sagwa and Her Literary Siamese Cat Family

Who hasn’t heard of Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat?

You haven’t?

Sagwa is one of only two children’s books written by Amy Tan, well-known for her books The Joy Luck Club and The Kitchen God’s Wife. Tan was born in 1952 and has been married since 1974 to the same man – despite misinformation that she’s had several husbands, all of which she denies on her official website! Her parents wanted her to become a doctor or a concert pianist – she became a fiction writer instead, winning an Emmy for Sagwa, which she co-produced and co-screenwrote.

Amy Tan raises money for literacy programmes with Stephen King, Dave Barry and Scott Turow by singing (and playing the tambourine) in Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band. She is also an advocate for lyme’s disease – carried by ticks - from which she suffered.

And she did have a favourite cat sharing the same name as our heroine, unfortunately no longer of this world.

The Story

It is set in 1900 under China’s Qing Dynasty in the house of a magistrate, where our Star and her family of mostly Siamese cats live.

Sagwa-Miao – which means Silly Melon in English – is the middle child of Mama and Baba Miao. She was born in the year of the Dog and got her Siamese markings by falling into an inkpot. She is an expert calligrapher, using her tail as a brush – and also is the best artist in her family. She lives with her family in the magistrate’s palace, where her daddy – Baba Miao – and mummy cat – Mama Miao– are official calligraphers. Both parents are cream-coloured Siamese with points.

Her sister, Sheegwa-Miao – which means Watermelon – was born in the year of the Rat. She’s a poor-quality red point with a folded ear and inferior markings, a little too trusting of all creatures.

Her older brother, cream-coloured Dongwa Miao, was born in the year of the Monkey and prefers martial arts practice and hobnobbing with the alley cats to quality time with his sisters.

These two naughty alley cats, Jet-Jet and Lik-Lik, like to bully the other, more gentle goody - goody kittens.

Nai-Nai is the paternal grandmother, she is actually a grey cat, a wise and patient storyteller, and Yeh-Yeh, the paternal grandfather, who loves strong-smelling food like tofu.

Don’t you just love these Siamese cat names? Perhaps you might like to name your Siamese kitten after one of these famous siamese cats, they are after all rather endearing characters.

Amy Tan's stories have been made up of some 40 cat cartoons, originally marketed as educational films for children on public service television.

All the stories stress such values as family, loyalty and useful life lessons that children can use throughout their lives. It also teaches them about diversity and living in China.

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