When cats are awake, the world stays the same--stable and predictable. Food and toys are in their places, and softwarm laps await. But when cats go to sleep, anything can happen--and does! Their black and white world blooms into extravagant color. The fishbowl becomes an ocean, and they can dance on the heads of sleeping dogs. The artwork in this book was heavily inspired by Marc Chagall, Henri Rousseau, James Whistler, and Leonardo da Vinci. Full color.

When Cats Dream was inspired by a real cat named "Tomato". "Tomato was a wonderful cat who used to keep me company at night while I was working on my books. But unfortunately, in the fall of 1990, Tomato got sick and died. My friends and I were heartbroken. Shortly after Tomato's death however, something strange happened: Tomato began to visit us in our dreams at night. The dreams that my friends and I had were very peaceful and comforting dreams. Tomato would come to us and crawl into our laps as if to say 'good-bye.' He seemed to be telling us, 'Don't worry about me-- I'm in a wonderful place now. Please stop being so sad.' Those dreams helped us get through a very hard time." — Dav Pilkey But even after Dav stopped being so sad, he found that he could not stop thinking about the dreams. He thought about cats and dreams and the dream world, and he knew there was a story in there someplace. So one night in the spring of 1991, Dav sat down and wrote When Cat Dream.

1. It took Dav only about 15 minutes to write When Cats Dream. 2. When Dav wrote about the dream world, he used real images and scenes from his own silly and bizarre dreams. These included such things as flying, swimming with the fishes, and losing his socks in the sea. 3. Dav loves dreaming so much, he keeps a "dream diary" by his bed. In the afternoon when he wakes up, Dav writes down all the dreams he can remember. So far, two of Dav's books have been inspired by dreams: When Cats Dream, and The Moonglow Roll-O-Rama. Dav has also gotten jokes from his dreams (mostly visual gags), many of which have appeared in the "Dumb Bunnies" books. 4. Below is a list of the great works of art which inspired some of the illustrations in When Cats Dream: Page 8: ("But when cats go to sleep, everything begins to change..."). This illustration was inspired by "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1: Portrait of the Artist's Mother" (1871), by James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903). Pages 14 and 15: ("When cats dream, someone always has left the back door open, and no cat is afraid.") This illustration was inspired by "I and the Village" (1911) by Marc Chagall (1887-1985). Pages 22 and 23: ("Out in the deep jungle there are lots of cats, stalking. And swinging from vines..."). This illustration was inspired by the following paintings: (Exotic Landscape (1908), Forest Landscape with Setting Sun (1910), and The Dream (1910). All three paintings by Henri Rousseau (1844-1910). Pages 24 and 25: ("And while they are there, some grass reaches up to tickle the pads of their feet, and cats must go home..."). Part of this illustration was inspired by "Le Champ de Mars" (1955) by Marc Chagall (1887-1985). Pages 26 and 27: ("When you are a cat who dreams, the whole world smells like you. The other cats sing songs about you..."). Part of this illustration was inspired by "Paris Through the Window" (1913) by Marc Chagall (1887-1985). Page 30: ("And after a time, they can find another softwarm lap to be in..."). This illustration was inspired by "Mona Lisa" (1503?) by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).

• Behind the Pages • Dav Pilkey's Puzzles o' Plenty