Cicero's Cat

Did You Know?

• It ran until 1972, outlasting the main Mutt and Jeff daily strip which ended in 1983.
• The cat's name was Desdemona, and she was the pet of Cicero, Mutt's son.

Syndicated success

The topper strip Cicero's Cat debuted on December 3, 1933, as part of the Sunday page of Mutt and Jeff. It was a pantomime strip, meaning it told its story without dialogue. The strip ran until 1972, long after the main Mutt and Jeff daily strip had ended. Its longevity made it one of the longer-running topper strips in American comics. The strip was drawn by Al Smith, who had taken over the main Mutt and Jeff strip and continued to produce the topper for decades. Cicero's Cat appeared on the Sunday page, which was a common format for topper strips at the time. The strip's silent, visual humor allowed it to appeal to a wide audience without relying on language or cultural references.

Characters and story

The strip centered on Desdemona, the pet cat of Cicero, who was the son of Augustus Mutt. Cicero had first appeared in his own topper strip on October 27, 1926, but the focus shifted to his cat on December 3, 1933. Desdemona was a pantomime character, meaning she never spoke or used words to communicate. The strip relied on visual gags and physical comedy to tell its stories. Cicero's Cat was a silent strip, with no dialogue or captions, relying entirely on the artwork to convey the narrative. The cat's adventures were typically simple and humorous, often involving everyday situations or interactions with other animals. The strip's lack of dialogue made it accessible to readers of all ages and languages.

Comic books and reprints

Cicero's Cat appeared in comic books published by Harvey Comics, which picked up the Mutt and Jeff comic book from Dell Comics. Harvey's version of the Mutt and Jeff comic ran from 1958 to 1965 and included Smith's Cicero's Cat. The strip was reprinted in these comic book issues alongside the main Mutt and Jeff stories. Harvey also published two short-lived spinoff titles: Mutt & Jeff Jokes and Mutt & Jeff New Jokes, which may have included Cicero's Cat material. The strip was not collected in any of the earlier reprint volumes from Cupples & Leon, which focused on the daily strips. Cicero's Cat remained a feature of the Harvey comic books until the series ended in 1965.

Motion pictures

Cicero's Cat did not appear in any motion pictures. The Mutt and Jeff film adaptations, both live-action and animated, focused on the two main characters and did not include Cicero or his cat. The live-action Mutt and Jeff comedies produced by Al Christie from 1911 to 1912 featured only Mutt and Jeff. The 1971 feature film The Weird Adventures of Mutt & Jeff and Bugoff, which compiled redrawn silent films, did not feature Cicero's Cat. The strip remained exclusive to the newspaper and comic book formats throughout its run.