This is the first time I have read a book by Colette, and I came to it expecting 'Gigi' to be the standout, having been a famous film. However, that slight tale of the social advancement of a young girl in Paris didn't offer much beyond some nicely written descriptive passages and a few smiles.
'The Cat' on the other hand, was a brilliant novella-length work about a love triangle between a man, his new wife, and his beloved Russian Blue cat. It is by turns painful, funny, and melancholic. The insights into the start of a married life between the young, rich and slightly bored couple, getting on each other's nerves almost immediatenly, are delicately presented, and the story manages to be very touching despite presumably being intended as a light, comic piece. I would in fact say that 'The Cat' is a mini-masterpiece and well worth an hour or two of anyone's time.