By Misty DUPLESSIS

Glendale resident Frans Vischer has been bringing smiles to folks for years through his work as an animator.
After completing college in the 1980s Vischer’s first job was for Disney. And though his path took him away from the animation giant for some years, he recently returned to the Burbank studio. A father with three kids, he can also be found on the soccer field as a volunteer coach for AYSO.
Also an accomplished author, Vischer recently debuted his first picture book. “Fuddles” tells the story of a fat, pampered housecat cat who goes looking for an outdoor adventure after realizing that his life is short on excitement and heavy on routine.
The inspiration came from the family’s own nearly 30-pound cat named Felix who, just like Fuddles, is an indoor cat.
On Sunday, Vischer, along with his inspiration Felix, visited Once Upon A Time bookstore in Montrose to read excerpts from “Fuddles” and meet some of their younger fans.
“We had about three dozen folks at the signing enjoying Frans’ on-the-spot illustrations and stories,” said Palacios of the pair’s visit. “The star, though, was the guest appearance of Vischer’s own fat and pampered cat. The Fuddles-impersonator (real name Felix) roamed the store, introduced himself to the bookstore’s own pampered Kitty Mama, and generally made his presence known.”
There was also a Guess Fuddles Weight contest with guesses ranging from 5 lbs. to 125 lbs. (the correct answer was 27 lbs.).

  Between Friends, MAY 19, MISTY DUPLESSIS