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Cat Stories
Cat Stories brings together two centuries of literary homage to the fascinating feline by great writers of every stripe - from Edgar Allan Poe and Walter de la Mare to Damon Runyon and Doris Lessing.
Playful kittens and ruthless predators, beloved pets and witches' familiars - cats of all kinds come alive in these pages. Maeve Brennan and Alice Adams movingly explore what cats can mean to their humans; Patricia Highsmith imagines the intriguingly alien feline point of view; Kipling celebrates the independence of cats in his timeless tale, 'The Cat That Walked by Himself'. Cats flaunt their superiority in Angela Carter's bawdy retelling of 'Puss-in-Boots' and Stephen Vincent Benét's uncanny 'The King of the Cats', while humour abounds in stories by comic masters P.G. Wodehouse and Saki. The essential unknowableness of cats can inspire the most exotic flights of fancy: Italo Calvino's secret city of cats in 'The Garden of Stubborn Cats'; the disappearing animal in Ursula K. Le Guin's brain-teasing 'Schrodinger's Cat'; the cartoon rodent and his cartoon nemesis in Steven Millhauser's 'Cat 'n' Mouse'. In these and other stories, this delightful anthology offers cat lovers a many-faceted tribute to the mysterious objects of their affection.
Playful kittens and ruthless predators, beloved pets and witches' familiars - cats of all kinds come alive in these pages. Maeve Brennan and Alice Adams movingly explore what cats can mean to their humans; Patricia Highsmith imagines the intriguingly alien feline point of view; Kipling celebrates the independence of cats in his timeless tale, 'The Cat That Walked by Himself'. Cats flaunt their superiority in Angela Carter's bawdy retelling of 'Puss-in-Boots' and Stephen Vincent Benét's uncanny 'The King of the Cats', while humour abounds in stories by comic masters P.G. Wodehouse and Saki. The essential unknowableness of cats can inspire the most exotic flights of fancy: Italo Calvino's secret city of cats in 'The Garden of Stubborn Cats'; the disappearing animal in Ursula K. Le Guin's brain-teasing 'Schrodinger's Cat'; the cartoon rodent and his cartoon nemesis in Steven Millhauser's 'Cat 'n' Mouse'. In these and other stories, this delightful anthology offers cat lovers a many-faceted tribute to the mysterious objects of their affection.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
November 10, 2019
I am decidedly a cat person. A collection of stories about our feline companions should have been right up my street. And if not for the number of stories with poor outcomes for the cat, I probably would have loved it. But the sheer number of cat deaths, often in gruesome or unjust ways, far outnumbered those which captured the quiet bond between a human and their cat. Or rather, a cat and their human.
I think it's important to go into this book with the knowledge that this book isn't therefore ideal for animal lovers who find those kind of things difficult to read about; if you routinely avoid similar scenes in a popular David Attenborough documentary then you won't have the stomach for this. What's worse, the deaths genuinely have total apathy surrounding them, with the humans/owners not really caring about the loss of their pet for the most part. I can't relate and I'm sure someone picking up a collection of stories about cats is probably adoring of their pet and wouldn't appreciate this either! I was looking for a celebration of what cats bring to our lives, but that wasn't to be the case.
The majority of the stories are very dated, the newest having been written in 2008 but the oldest dating back to 1928 I believe. Whilst I like that this means we have a real scope of cat-based literature across decades, some of which have actually been translated, it also means that the majority of the writing is a more archaic approach. This is purely personal preference, but that's not my cup of tea and I found it difficult to not think of some of the stories as deliberately purple in prose (Rudyard Kipling's story was almost nonsensical, in contrast, which I also didn't enjoy and had expected to love).
The few stories which I did enjoy were fantastic and resonated with me and the lives of my own cats over the years. I liked that there was appreciation for the lesser-chosen Black Cat, that cats were shown to love their owners and not just be entirely ambivalent towards them (because cat owners will know that there are anomalous cats who love us dearly) and that there are unique personalities in certain cats if you are fortunate enough to find a special one. The first story in this book actually encompasses all three of those things superbly and perfectly conveys the magnitude of loss one might feel to lose a beloved cat.
Not a bad collection, but not really what I think people who are likely to pick this up are really hoping to gain from it.
I think it's important to go into this book with the knowledge that this book isn't therefore ideal for animal lovers who find those kind of things difficult to read about; if you routinely avoid similar scenes in a popular David Attenborough documentary then you won't have the stomach for this. What's worse, the deaths genuinely have total apathy surrounding them, with the humans/owners not really caring about the loss of their pet for the most part. I can't relate and I'm sure someone picking up a collection of stories about cats is probably adoring of their pet and wouldn't appreciate this either! I was looking for a celebration of what cats bring to our lives, but that wasn't to be the case.
The majority of the stories are very dated, the newest having been written in 2008 but the oldest dating back to 1928 I believe. Whilst I like that this means we have a real scope of cat-based literature across decades, some of which have actually been translated, it also means that the majority of the writing is a more archaic approach. This is purely personal preference, but that's not my cup of tea and I found it difficult to not think of some of the stories as deliberately purple in prose (Rudyard Kipling's story was almost nonsensical, in contrast, which I also didn't enjoy and had expected to love).
The few stories which I did enjoy were fantastic and resonated with me and the lives of my own cats over the years. I liked that there was appreciation for the lesser-chosen Black Cat, that cats were shown to love their owners and not just be entirely ambivalent towards them (because cat owners will know that there are anomalous cats who love us dearly) and that there are unique personalities in certain cats if you are fortunate enough to find a special one. The first story in this book actually encompasses all three of those things superbly and perfectly conveys the magnitude of loss one might feel to lose a beloved cat.
Not a bad collection, but not really what I think people who are likely to pick this up are really hoping to gain from it.
March 25, 2017
I've come to the decision that short story anthologies rarely work for me. In this case I made the mistake of assuming "cat stories" mean "stories for cat lovers," which was not the case. There were two stories in here, specifically, that demonized cats, which would most likely really annoy a cat lover. And for the most part, these stories were just meh for me. I liked the first story best, and then it was down hill from there. On a positive note, this was a well made book, with smooth pages and a comfortable feel in my hands as a little hardback. If only I had been as impressed with the content.
April 13, 2018
I love these Everyman short story collections, and was very much looking forward to Cat Stories. Of course, every anthology of this kind has mixed inclusions, and I enjoyed some stories far more than others. I don't think, upon reflection, that I have ever had so few favourites in a book of this kind; I only ended up really enjoying three of them ('Tobermory' by Saki; 'Broomsticks' by Walter de la Mare; 'Ancient Sorceries' by Algernon Blackwood). On the whole, and to my surprise, the stories in this collection were rather negative toward cats. Still, Cat Stories is a strong and markedly interesting collection of tales, and I will definitely be seeking out the rest of the Everyman books.
January 31, 2012
Delightful! And maybe a splash of sad. And a heap of weird. But every story made me want to run home and give my Taco a hug.
August 9, 2022
A nice, varied collection of stories about cats, including fantasy, science fiction, and mystery, spanning the last two hundred years or so.
March 4, 2020
Such a lovely collection 💕
Edit: I was really confused about this books negative rating so I just read some of the reviews. Some of them seem to be negative on the basis of "I don't like anthologies of short stories" which is odd, but the vast majority seem to be cat lovers who think that these stories paint cats in a negative light.
Here I have to wholeheartedly disagree. My favourite stories in this anthology were the ones that explored the wildness of cats, their independence, the balance of the bond and love with their human and their wild nature. Sure, if you want to keep thinking cats are all lil furbabies there to be your pets and nothing else these stories are going to be rubbish. But I loved that they explored the psychology of cats and, to be honest, the way they outsmart us humans.
Obviously I didn't love all the stories. But it's a solid collection for any genuine cat lover!
Edit: I was really confused about this books negative rating so I just read some of the reviews. Some of them seem to be negative on the basis of "I don't like anthologies of short stories" which is odd, but the vast majority seem to be cat lovers who think that these stories paint cats in a negative light.
Here I have to wholeheartedly disagree. My favourite stories in this anthology were the ones that explored the wildness of cats, their independence, the balance of the bond and love with their human and their wild nature. Sure, if you want to keep thinking cats are all lil furbabies there to be your pets and nothing else these stories are going to be rubbish. But I loved that they explored the psychology of cats and, to be honest, the way they outsmart us humans.
Obviously I didn't love all the stories. But it's a solid collection for any genuine cat lover!
December 31, 2017
Being the cat lover that I am, Elizabeth gave me this book for Christmas. It is a book of short stories about cats and their masters and their nemeses written by famous authors. Don’t read it cover to cover like I did—too many damned cats! It would be better enjoyed story at a time.
I particularly enjoyed two stories—one by Doris Lessing, An Old Woman and Her Cat, and the other by Algernon Blackwood, Ancient Sorceries. The Lessing short story is about an old gypsy like woman who won’t leave her decrepit home because she would have to leave her cat. Ancient Sorceries has a spell binding quality to it.
It was pleasing to read about cat traits that others find as fascinating as I do. M
I particularly enjoyed two stories—one by Doris Lessing, An Old Woman and Her Cat, and the other by Algernon Blackwood, Ancient Sorceries. The Lessing short story is about an old gypsy like woman who won’t leave her decrepit home because she would have to leave her cat. Ancient Sorceries has a spell binding quality to it.
It was pleasing to read about cat traits that others find as fascinating as I do. M
January 1, 2019
Took me ages to read. As a cat lover I expected something a bit more „fluffy“ and heart warming. A few of the stories were just hateful if you are a cat lover, most of them were sad or awful.
February 8, 2020
Got this cute book as a gift for Christmas 2018!
I'm on page 64 - 'Lillian' is my favourite story so far.
I plan to continue it but not sure when...
I'm on page 64 - 'Lillian' is my favourite story so far.
I plan to continue it but not sure when...
February 18, 2013
My boyfriend bought me this little collection of short stories as a Christmas present. He knows me well - I am a big cat lover, and the idea of a book dedicated to stories about cats was perfect for me. Although I am not generally a fan of hardback books, this series by Everyman Library is small enough to cart around with you in your bag without taking up too much room. Handy for bus journeys!
I liked the fact that there was a real diversity in the stories presented here. There were some very traditional stories, some dark and ominous, some light-hearted and comedic, and some fantastical. A story for every mood really!
My personal favourites were 'The Islands' by Alice Adams, 'Ming's Biggest Prey' by Patricia Highsmith, 'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe (a favourite before even reading this), 'The Price' by Neil Gaiman, 'Ancient Sorceries' by Algernon Blackwood, and 'Puss-in-Boots' by Angela Carter. As you can probably tell from my picks, there's a mixture of very well-known authors, and not so well-known authors, which I think is fantastic as both a selling point, and a gateway to new delights.
If you're a cat lover, I can't see why you wouldn't want to pick this up. It's definitely an entertaining little treat.
I liked the fact that there was a real diversity in the stories presented here. There were some very traditional stories, some dark and ominous, some light-hearted and comedic, and some fantastical. A story for every mood really!
My personal favourites were 'The Islands' by Alice Adams, 'Ming's Biggest Prey' by Patricia Highsmith, 'The Black Cat' by Edgar Allan Poe (a favourite before even reading this), 'The Price' by Neil Gaiman, 'Ancient Sorceries' by Algernon Blackwood, and 'Puss-in-Boots' by Angela Carter. As you can probably tell from my picks, there's a mixture of very well-known authors, and not so well-known authors, which I think is fantastic as both a selling point, and a gateway to new delights.
If you're a cat lover, I can't see why you wouldn't want to pick this up. It's definitely an entertaining little treat.
January 6, 2017
Para la gente que le gustan los gatos y los cuentos, éste es el libro perfecto. Una recopilación de short-stories escritas por autores como Italo Calvino o Edgar Allan Poe entre otros.
Dividido en tres partes: los humanos y sus gatos, los gatos y sus humanos y gatos extraordinarios. Los primeros cuentos son en su mayoría anécdotas y recuerdos de gente que ha tenido gatos en algún momento de su vida, la segunda parte son anécdotas contadas desde el punto de vista felino sobre la vida con los humanos que "eligieron" acompañar o seguir y la última parte trata de cuentos fantásticos sobre gatos extraordinarios como El Gato con Botas entre otros. Una excelente adquisición para todo lector de buen gusto.
Dividido en tres partes: los humanos y sus gatos, los gatos y sus humanos y gatos extraordinarios. Los primeros cuentos son en su mayoría anécdotas y recuerdos de gente que ha tenido gatos en algún momento de su vida, la segunda parte son anécdotas contadas desde el punto de vista felino sobre la vida con los humanos que "eligieron" acompañar o seguir y la última parte trata de cuentos fantásticos sobre gatos extraordinarios como El Gato con Botas entre otros. Una excelente adquisición para todo lector de buen gusto.
March 9, 2013
A very nice collection of stories about cats. I like that there's a mix of human and cat perspectives as well as a mix of realistic and fantastic stories. There were a few I wasn't too fond of, but overall I enjoyed this collection, and found the final story to be particularly intriguing. I might have to check out that author's other works at some point, and reading the Neil Gaiman story has served to remind me that I really need to read more by him.
March 22, 2015
Næsten hele vejen igennem var jeg sikker på, at bogen skulle lande på en 4/5'er. Desværre bragte den sidste tredjedel af novellerne ikke samme glæde, som de to første dele af bogen. Alligevel vil jeg anbefale samlingen til alle, der holder af katte - der er virkelig nogle perler imellem disse historier!
November 9, 2012
There were some good ones and some weird ones, but I did enjoy most of them due to the role of the feline in all of them. Meow.
September 24, 2012
Such a lovely book for cat lovers! Also introduced me to some great authors, as it is an anthology of short stories.
October 18, 2020
This is an aesthetically lovely volume, acquired for me from my husband, who shares my love of felines, real and literary. (We have an entire bookshelf of books about cats). The stories run a gamut from lovely to ridiculous to humorous to horror to outlandish, written by authors famous---Damon Runyon, Doris Lessing, Saki, P.G. Wodehouse, Rudyard Kipling, Patricia Highsmith, Edgar Allan Poe, Neil Gaiman, Stephen Vincent Benet, Ursula LeGuin---and others less familiar.
I've read several unflattering reviews, most of which lament that these are not the cutesy, Chicken Soup for the Soul-type stories. If that is your fare you must look elsewhere. But if you are looking for exquisite and challenging writing, this one's for you.
I've read several unflattering reviews, most of which lament that these are not the cutesy, Chicken Soup for the Soul-type stories. If that is your fare you must look elsewhere. But if you are looking for exquisite and challenging writing, this one's for you.
January 3, 2021
This is an anthology of stories about cats written in the past 200 years. There are horror stories, romance stories, fantasy stories, comedy stories. Some about wild cats, others about domestic cats and their humans, or humans and their cats.
Obviously as with any collection some pleased me more than others, but I have a special soft spot for Rudyard Kipling’s tale of cavemen and cats judging the animals who willingly went to a life of servitude. It made me laugh.
Also making me laugh: the reviews saying they didn’t like this because it paints cats in a bad light. It does not. I adore cats, and I found it very true to their nature: cats are a**holes.
Obviously as with any collection some pleased me more than others, but I have a special soft spot for Rudyard Kipling’s tale of cavemen and cats judging the animals who willingly went to a life of servitude. It made me laugh.
Also making me laugh: the reviews saying they didn’t like this because it paints cats in a bad light. It does not. I adore cats, and I found it very true to their nature: cats are a**holes.
September 27, 2018
Good stories by good writers however, unlike the recurring subject of these stories there isn't a lot that's warm and fuzzy. The longest story was just tedious. The last was just stupid. Generic readers will probably enjoy this anthology; cat lovers need not bother. What was the editor thinking when she collected the stories for this book?
September 17, 2020
Two stars out of five represents the number of stories I enjoyed compared with those I didn't like. Too many poor stories, in other words, and the best one, The Price, by Neil Gaiman, I already had beforehand. However, a few good ones in there so not a complete loss. I hope the Ghost Stories collection by the same publisher is better.
June 9, 2017
Some of these stories were great. Some of them were really bad. I especially didn't care for the 60-page story towards the end of the book and it was so long!
Definitely not all of the stories are meant for cat-people which is what you think a collection of "Cat Stories"' audience would be...
Definitely not all of the stories are meant for cat-people which is what you think a collection of "Cat Stories"' audience would be...
December 28, 2020
I'd love to give it a 4 just because a few stories were marvellous (e.g., Poe, Le Guin, Calvino). It generally was a pleasant read and the quality of print and book binding was great. But some stories were quite odd, cruel, sad and, to be honest, a bit boring.
October 14, 2025
This was kind of disappointing. There weren’t many stories that had real substance. Probably the one I enjoyed most was The Cat Who Walked Alone” by Kipling. Not as good as the previous anthology in the same series “Stories of the Sea”.
August 17, 2017
An excellent collection that runs the gambit: realism to fantasy, charm to horror, hilarity to tragedy.
March 28, 2019
My actual rating a 4.5/5, a nice collection of bittersweet tales of and about our loved furballs. Deducted .5 as I liked most of the stories, but not all.
January 18, 2020
This book is an interesting collection of cat stories from the macabre, fantasy, science fiction and reflections about the presence of the pet in our lives.
December 25, 2021
Loved it! A great collection of stories.
December 25, 2022
Overall a neat collection of short stories, focusing on both usual and unusual cats. Good for cat lovers.
May 7, 2024
Enjoyed so many of the selections. Damon Runyon's . 'Lillian", Puss-in-Boots, Edgar A Poe's :The Black Cat and the quirky 'Space Time for Springers' were worthy reads. Must admit others were not. I love cats, so read to explore on basis of that love and think cats are underserved by this collection
July 31, 2024
This book is shamelessly anti-cat
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews