Prrriti M'Reau[1] is an orange cat who, when she first appears, is the resident mouser in the kitchen of an unnamed British submarine. This particular sub happens to be the one that evacuates (among others) Krosp and Martellus from the self-destructing dome of the Queen's Society. And so, Ms. M'Reau meets Krosp, and affectionately recognizes him as her king. This annoys Krosp more than anything else, but Martellus sees an opportunity, and latches onto her.
A Prrretty Smart Kitty![]
Eventually Martellus is given a lab by Hadrian Rakethorn, and successfully alters Prrriti in two ways: first, physical contact between the two of them allows him to remain healthy without contact with Agatha, cf. Agatha's Wasp eater. Second, he uplifts her intelligence, producing a demanding and arrogant gal with lightning-bolt patterns on her forehead. He hands Prrriti's post-op recovery and etiquette training over to his sister Seffie; how successful Seffie was with the latter remains to be seen. It's not been explicitly stated what Martellus hopes to gain with the uplifting; see below for speculations
And so inevitably Prrriti and Krosp meet again ✣ for the first time. There is an instant mutual attraction, but, well, they're cats. HISSSSS!!
After a further off-screen argument, Krosp and Prrriti separate and she accompanies ✣ Martellus as he stows away on Gil's Europa-bound airship. En route, she gets some grooming from Seffie, and offers political advice to her creator.
When everyone converges on Mechanicsburg, Prrriti and Krosp do start talking to each other, and even share ✣ a meal of Norville's tasty sandwiches, though they are still a long way from being overtly friendly.
She and Martellus join a covert team which boards Castle Wulfenbach, in an attempt to find out what's going on when the vessal is commandeered by unknown individuals.
Long Time, No Name[]
It is a very long time after we meet this gal before someone finally asks her ✣ what her name is, a fact that she herself grouses about when it does happens; it's thus possible that the name is self-selected. "Rita" was used here on the Wiki as an interim moniker. The GG website referred to her as "the Empress", presumably because she is the counterpart to King-of-all-cats Krosp. Also, given Martellus's ongoing situation and the comments he's made about Krosp, and to Krosp about the Swartzwalders (his control of whom was lost to Krosp), it seems likely that Prrriti's other ultimate purpose is indeed to subvert Krosp. Conversely, it should be noted that initially Prrriti displays great antipathy towards the idea of spending more time around her potential target.
The Future?[]
For the 2023 holiday season, the Foglios teamed with PipsMountain to create a set of four advent-type dice calendars, one of which depicts a Yule-time meeting ✣ of the Mechanicsburg Guild of Monsters. Among the guests at this soiree are Krosp and Prrriti, arriving as a pair and both wearing clothes; exactly how canonical this scene actually is remains to be seen.
There was no comic on Wednesday, 12/27/2023. The image in place of a comic is Krosp and Prrriti, ✣ in an embrace, watching Agatha play with their kittens. Also, Prrriti is wearing purple, which was a color associated with royalty, starting in Classical Antiquity. The association lasted until the invention of synthetic dyes in the 1850s. Still no word on whether the pairing is canon.
Possibly relevant outside information[]
The lightning bolts in her hair resemble the iconic hairdo sported by the Bride of Frankenstein in the classic film of the same name. Prrriti's first post-uplift appearance, lying bandaged on an angled slab, is likely to be another reference to the 1935 film.
The fact that Prrriti's last name, M'Reau, is close to "Moreau" from The Island of Doctor Moreau, the classic early science fiction novel by H. G. Wells, seems unlikely to be a coincidence, given the themes of animal experimentation and uplift in the book.
Prrriti may be a feline pronunciation of Preeti.
Supergirl adopted a stray cat named Streaky with orange fur and lightning bolt marks on his sides. He was given superpowers when exposed to Kryptonite she had chemically altered.
References
- ↑ Or possibly the name is intended to be Priti M'Reau. At this point, immediately after cat's name has been revealed, it is not yet clear whether the triple 'r' is a canonical part of the spelling of the name or an attempt to portray a feline accent.