Look What the Cat Dragged In
Penny Padgett, a cartoonist in Philadelphia, thought her biggest challenge was meeting a deadline. Then she met Godfrey. This isn't just any cat; Godfrey is charming, affectionate, and utterly devoted. He follows Penny everywhere, a purring shadow, and insists on sleeping by her side every night. What could be more ideal for a self-proclaimed cat person?
But ideal soon turns infernal. Penny's gentle illustrations twist into grotesque, disturbing art. Her quiet home becomes infested with a creeping horror. Violent nightmares plague her sleep, and her health begins to unravel as if a malevolent entity is systematically dismantling her mind and body. Penny may love felines, but she’s about to discover that Godfrey is no ordinary companion. He might be the architect of her darkest fears.
- Penny - Cartoonist
- Dean/Chester - Penny’s boyfriend
- Popcorn - Penny’s cat
- Margo - Penny’s friend
- Angie - Margo’s grandmother
- Greg - Penny’s friend
- Tarquin - Penny’s book editor
- Evelyn - Dean’s client, the Priestess
- Barnabas Godfrey - Evelyn’s great-grandfather, famous artist
- Dr. Horace Bellamy - Godfrey’s veterinarian, Hierophant
- Tamir - Dr. Bellamy’s assistant
- Mrs. Mendoza - Penny and Dean’s neighbor
- Penny falls into a depression after Popcorn goes missing.
- She is supposed to be working on her fourth Penny and Popcorn comic book but is too depressed to do so.
- Dean and Penny attend a party at Evelyn’s house.
- Penny finds a black cat in the library, and Evelyn tells her he is named Godfrey after Barnabas Godfrey.
- Penny agrees to watch Godfrey while Evelyn is away on a two-month vacation.
- Godfrey’s food consists of foul-smelling bags of blood, meat and gristle.
- Godfrey’s litter box is full of foul-smelling black sludge.
- Godfrey starts killing animals and leaving them in the house for Penny to find.
- Penny keeps hearing music at night but cannot find its source.
- Penny finds bugs around the house and in Godfrey’s litter box.
- Penny starts losing weight, getting breakouts and feeling generally unwell.
- Penny starts drawing comics she has no memory of creating, and they are much darker and eerier than her usual comics.
- Godfrey drags home and eats something that looks like a person’s intestines.
- Greg notices a tattoo on Godfrey’s skin. When he tries to take a closer look, Godfrey scratches Greg’s eye, badly injuring him.
- Mrs. Mendoza is found brutally murdered in her home.
- Penny reads a story about a woman named Sarah Bloom in a book about Barnabas Godfrey. Sarah believed a demon called Abraxas lived at Godfrey Manor and moved between human and feline hosts.
- Penny fears Abraxas is inhabiting Godfrey and plans to inhabit her next.
- Penny finds a secret door in the basement and discovers Tamir behind it playing music.
- Dean is part of a coven with Evelyn and Dr. Bellamy that worships Abraxas. He is actually a 53-year-old man named Chester, whom Abraxas gave a new name and body.
- Dean helped the coven lure in Penny to be Abraxas’ next host.
- Penny falls under Abraxas’ spell and willingly agrees to become inhabited by the demon.
- A ceremony called Palingenesis will allow Abraxas to inhabit Penny.
- Greg visits Penny and notices that the symbol on Godfrey’s bowl matches the one he saw on the cat.
- Greg fears it is an occult symbol and insists they call Angie, who knows a lot about the occult, but Penny refuses.
- Penny spends the night at Godfrey Manor before the ceremony.
- Margo, Angie and Greg sneak into Godfrey Manor, where Angie tries to expel the demon with her prayers.
- The Priestess stabs Tamir in the head, killing him.
- The Priestess threatens to do the same to Margo if Angie doesn’t stop praying, so Angie stops.
- Penny arrives at the ceremony, where the Hierophant cuts open Godfrey and Abraxas emerges in his true demonic form, only six inches tall.
- Popcorn is tied to the altar, and Penny must kill him to complete the ceremony.
- Seeing Popcorn snaps Penny out of the hold Abraxas has on her.
- Penny frees Popcorn from the altar, and Popcorn and Godfrey rip Abraxas apart.
- Penny, Popcorn, Godfrey, Margo, Angie and Greg escape the manor.
- Penny finds a new place to live and takes Godfrey and Popcorn with her.
- Penny and Greg start dating.
- Greg starts veterinary school.
- Evelyn, Horace and Dean are never seen or heard from again.
- Penny writes a memoir about her experiences.
- Penny starts writing her fourth Penny and Popcorn comic, introducing Godfrey and Dr. Greg.
Look What the Cat Dragged In was a very up-and-down read for me. Whenever an interesting development made me think the story was finally picking up, it was followed by long stretches where little seemed to happen. This kept repeating throughout the book, making it difficult to stay invested.
I enjoyed the writing and found the premise interesting, but the execution fell short. Several twists felt over the top and came out of nowhere, while various plot holes left me wondering whether certain details would ever be explained. Even when they didn’t affect my understanding of the overall story, they were distracting enough to pull me out of it.
I also struggled to connect with the characters, who felt flat to me. Penny was particularly difficult to root for because her reactions didn’t always feel realistic. She ignored too many major red flags, and when she finally started questioning things, she didn’t pursue the most logical course of action. These decisions made it difficult for me to take her seriously.
Despite the strong writing and interesting premise, the story ultimately fell short of my expectations.
If you like horror, over-the-top twists, and stories full of secrets, then you may enjoy this book.
- Tamir - Dead - Killed by Evelyn
- Godfrey - Alive - Living with Penny and Popcorn
- Popcorn - Alive - Living with Penny and Godfrey
- Greg - Alive - In veterinary school
- Penny - Alive - Back to writing her comics
- Dean - Unknown - Never seen or heard from again
- Evelyn - Unknown - Never seen or heard from again
- Horace - Unknown - Never seen or heard from again
- Loss of a parent
- Loss of a pet
- Gore
- Murder
ISBN: 9781250895875
Publication Date: October 13, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
