Lynn Hsu<\/a>, joined our panel of judges. Her drawing is set on a residential street where a realtor is showing to a potentially interested buyer a huge cat tower that\u2019s for sale. The realtor is gesturing toward the property and saying something. Hsu\u2019s original caption reconciles the disparate elements (cats and real estate) while highlighting the home\u2019s selling points: <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s open concept and practically new, as the previous owner was declawed.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nA few of you tried the same approach:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cIt\u2019s very pet friendly.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt is fully carpeted.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These entries work because cats are predators:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cFull disclosure. There have been several hundred murders here.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe neighborhood is very quiet, especially now that all the birds are gone.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt\u2019s the only neighborhood without a rodent problem.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt has great bones. Everywhere.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
That last caption is also a pun, and here are a few more:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cThe mortgage is fixed, too.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt comes with some strings attached.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThey are selling because this neighborhood is going to the dogs.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Like that last caption, the following entries explain why the property is on the market:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cThe owners are moving into the box it came in.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe seller downsized to a pile of warm laundry.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe previous owner just got too old and had to be put down.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe current owners just don\u2019t find it interesting anymore.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Like that last caption, the following entries all allude to the fact that cats often seem uninterested:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cShe might ignore your offer.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe sellers are completely ignoring me.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cMake an offer. Or feign interest, rub against me, and walk away.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cI\u2019ve had several interested buyers\u2026briefly.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe seller is highly unmotivated.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These two entries note that cats spend much of their lives napping:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cIt\u2019s a quiet neighborhood. You can sleep 23 hours a day.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe owner will sleep on your offer.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here are the month\u2019s best:<\/span><\/p>\nSex joke: <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s not that kind of cat house.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nIronic caption: <\/span>\u201cUnfortunately, the lease states \u2018no animals.\u2019\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nReference to an English proverb: <\/span>\u201cThe last owner spent their entire lives here.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nThis caption refers to cats\u2019 natural enemies: \u201c<\/span>No dogs allowed.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nI hate to criticize an entry on the grounds that it\u2019s obvious\u2014many of the best captions seem obvious once you\u2019ve read them\u2014but this one really is too predictable: <\/span>\u201cYou said you wanted something pet-friendly.\u201d<\/i><\/b> Still, it works.<\/span><\/p>\nBecause a couple of my fellow judges really liked this next caption, I won\u2019t feel too guilty about admitting that I did not: <\/span>\u201cThey\u2019re open to all offers. Lowball, highball, yarn ball, furball<\/i><\/b>.\u201d <\/b>I\u2019m not sure why it bothers me. It\u2019s clever, and it reconciles the disparate frames of reference, but it\u2019s too cute.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis entry refers to a very annoying cat behavior: <\/span>\u201cThe seller knocked our offer off the table.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nFinally, we have an entry that suggests the potential buyer might not need something as fancy as a cat tower: <\/span>\u201cOr would you prefer just a patch of sunlight on a rug?\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nCongratulations to CAROL LASKY, who submitted this month\u2019s winning entry: <\/span>\u201cThe seller is highly unmotivated.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nHere are the five runners-up:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \u201cFull disclosure. There have been several hundred murders here.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cIt comes with some strings attached.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe previous owner just got too old and had to be put down.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe seller downsized to a pile of warm laundry.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n
- \u201cThe neighborhood is very quiet, especially now that all the birds are gone.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Watch the Judging Process<\/h3>\n
For those of you who want to see how we made our selections, we recorded the process and that discussion<\/p>\n
![\"CartoonStock](\"https:\/\/www.cartoonstock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-08-at-10.25.42-AM-292x300.png\")
<\/p>\n