Book excerpt: Pooch Cafe‚ is creator Paul Gilligan's first syndicated strip, and this book collects the strips from its successful first year of syndication. When Poncho's beloved master Chazz marries cat lover Carmen and forces them to move in with her and her feline brood, Poncho's world is shaken to the core. Carmen's attempts to bribe Poncho with cheese cannot overcome his inexplicable but undeniable disdain for all things cat, and now that his home has become a haven for them, his only recourse is to seek refuge in the cafe, where he, Boomer, and his other canine pals pore over their top-secret plans to construct a giant catapult with which to hurl all the Earth's cats into the sun. As much as he dislikes kitties, he's equally passionate about his love for Chazz. Poncho will do just about anything to keep his position as man's best friend secure, including enduring the physical torments of Chazz's passion for biking, camping, and mountain climbing, which he can only get through with the help of classic Russian literature and a nice cup of tea. Pooch Cafe‚ captures the intensity of the human-dog bond in a way that will resonate with pet lovers everywhere.