Cicero's Cat by Bud Fisher

It took some time to figure out the headline here. 

Cicero is Mutt's son -- of Mutt and Jeff fame. Mutt and Jeff are credited to Bud Fisher. But Bud Fisher had a good number of assistants, and it's unlikely he created Cicero's Cat. Besides, I pulled this strip from a MUTT AND JEFF comic book from Harvey Publications -- specifically volume 1, number 147, September 1965.  Bud Fisher had been dead eleven years by then. Regardless, the strip is copyright its respective holders, living, dead or feline. 

And it was more than likely drawn by Al Smith.

In 1933, Cicero's Cat began as a topper to the Sunday Mutt and Jeff newspaper comic. The character was also featured in the Mutt and Jeff comic book which Harvey published from 1939 to 1965.

Oh -- one more thing before you peek at the scan below -- Note the cameo of Mutt in the opening panels, relaxing in an easy chair, with his bow tie, fez and white gloves. Love it.

Here is one of the best gags I have seen in a time, from the final year of the comic book. Spend a moment with these nine panels. I'll post more anon ....

The cat, referred to as "she," had the ungainly name of Desdemona. She also had her own 2 issue solo comic book series from Dell Comics. Here's a scan from Comicvine:

Four-Color Shadows has a complete Cicero's Cat story here. 

Easily Mused has many 1943 one-page strips from the Mutt and Jeff comic book here.