Wain's profession expanded to manufacture futurist ceramic cats, more Cubist in style, after the demand for his work fell off during World War I. This new oeuvre piqued the artist's interest since it provided a fascinating, natural way of addressing his favorite subject. Wain subsequently said of this time frame that he never knew what he was going to do from one minute to the next. It was the manifestation of an emotion, and he was taken aback by it all. His paintings and sketches got more abstract as well. The typical Wain cat began to be replaced by dynamic, richly patterned images, leading spectators into a new, lively universe where cats became frenetic and sharp, sometimes dissolving into kaleidoscopic forms. Perhaps his curiosity about electricity, which was still little understood by the broader population at the time, prompted these vibrant patterns.