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Feline Frolics #5
The New Boy
"So there we were, driving along with an earth-box, a bag of turkey, and, squalling his head off on my knee in Sheba's basket, the new boy." The Toveys are no strangers to disaster, particularly the Siamese-related kind, but when their beloved Solomon dies unexpectedly, they're faced with a completely new type of problem—do they find another cat to replace the one they've lost? The animals always win in the Tovey household and this time is no exception. It is with the interests of Solomon's (very audibly) grieving sister Sheba at heart that Doreen and Charles set off in search of Solomon Secundus, affectionately known as Seeley. Joined by a host of endearing characters, Seeley ensures he's living up to Solomon's standards in just the amount of time it takes to fall in a fishpond. This is an enchanting tale that will tickle your funny bone and tug on your heartstrings.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
36 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Doreen Tovey
21 books34 followersDoreen was born in Bristol on 24 October 1918. At this time a flu epidemic was raging and her mother died from this leaving her two week old daughter to be brought up by her Grandmother, as her father, being an engineer, was away from home for long periods of time.
It was this upbringing that introduced Doreen to a variety of pets, as Grandmother was an inveterate rescuer of anything in need.
Together with her Aunt Louisa they shared a house with cats, dogs and an owl called Gladstone whose perch on the bathroom door dictated that the use of this room was a swift one as no heat could be kept inside with the continually open door.
Doreen went to Grammar School and passed her matric (as it was called then), she would have loved to go to university but knew her grandmother could never have afforded it.
After a couple of boring jobs she joined Imperial Tobacco and was with them for many years. Starting as a typist, then a secretary and, when they discovered that she could write, in their public relations department.
It was here that she met Rene, who was in the Accountants Department. They met on the staircase one day and six months later Rene went to war in the Royal Navy.
Rene came home on leave and they were married in Bristol by special licence on a Monday afternoon and spent a two-day honeymoon on a farm and Rene went back to war.
She spent most of the time Rene was away with her Aunt Louisa who made life quite fun for Doreen after the austerity of her Victorian grandmother, who loved her dearly but had set ideas how a young lady should be brought up.
Two and a half years later Rene was on his way home. His convoy coming via the Cape to avoid the still roaming enemy submarines, the war was still on and he was sent to London where Doreen was transferred to be with him. He was then posted to a shore station in the West Country and Doreen and Rene set about to find their dream cottage. They rented a very dilapidated ex public house with an earth closet, the dream cottage put on hold, both back working in Bristol for their old firm, Doreen now as their statistical librarian, writing reports that were read by the Board. A job normally only considered for a man.
After a couple of further moves, a Georgian relic and a happy period in a farm, they found the perfect place at Rowberrow, Somerset. They had also found a baby squirrel, which had fallen from its drey and Rene refused to climb the thirty feet necessary to return the little bedraggled mite to its nest. So Blondin became part of the Tovey family and unwittingly the reason Doreen and Rene got their first Siamese cat, Sugieh.
Blondin was a hoarder and the cottage soon became infested with mice looking for Blondin’s nuts and pieces of bread that he had stuffed under cushions and carpets for his rainy day. Whilst the mice had plenty to eat they did not cause too many problems but when Blondin caught a chill and died, their supply died too and they took to eating anything and everything. Doreen decided to get a cat and having seen a neighbour’s Siamese out for a stroll one day on a rather fetching collar and lead, decided that a Siamese would be the answer, she could also have a litter and maybe raise the Tovey finances.
Sugieh produced a litter of four kittens. Doreen decided that one’s fortune was not going to be made that way and when Sugeih died whilst being spayed (a far less straightforward procedure in the mid 1950s than it is today), decided to keep a sealpointed boy called Solomon and his bluepointed sister Sheba.
The antics of these kittens, a donkey called Annabel and the following Siamese inmates of The White Cottage were to bring Doreen world wide recognition of her books and writings, starting with ‘Cats In The Belfry’ published in 1957. The Canadian Government sponsored her and Rene on a trip to the Rockies to write about the Canadian Wildlife, with special focus on Grizzly bears. This trip can be read about in ‘The Co
It was this upbringing that introduced Doreen to a variety of pets, as Grandmother was an inveterate rescuer of anything in need.
Together with her Aunt Louisa they shared a house with cats, dogs and an owl called Gladstone whose perch on the bathroom door dictated that the use of this room was a swift one as no heat could be kept inside with the continually open door.
Doreen went to Grammar School and passed her matric (as it was called then), she would have loved to go to university but knew her grandmother could never have afforded it.
After a couple of boring jobs she joined Imperial Tobacco and was with them for many years. Starting as a typist, then a secretary and, when they discovered that she could write, in their public relations department.
It was here that she met Rene, who was in the Accountants Department. They met on the staircase one day and six months later Rene went to war in the Royal Navy.
Rene came home on leave and they were married in Bristol by special licence on a Monday afternoon and spent a two-day honeymoon on a farm and Rene went back to war.
She spent most of the time Rene was away with her Aunt Louisa who made life quite fun for Doreen after the austerity of her Victorian grandmother, who loved her dearly but had set ideas how a young lady should be brought up.
Two and a half years later Rene was on his way home. His convoy coming via the Cape to avoid the still roaming enemy submarines, the war was still on and he was sent to London where Doreen was transferred to be with him. He was then posted to a shore station in the West Country and Doreen and Rene set about to find their dream cottage. They rented a very dilapidated ex public house with an earth closet, the dream cottage put on hold, both back working in Bristol for their old firm, Doreen now as their statistical librarian, writing reports that were read by the Board. A job normally only considered for a man.
After a couple of further moves, a Georgian relic and a happy period in a farm, they found the perfect place at Rowberrow, Somerset. They had also found a baby squirrel, which had fallen from its drey and Rene refused to climb the thirty feet necessary to return the little bedraggled mite to its nest. So Blondin became part of the Tovey family and unwittingly the reason Doreen and Rene got their first Siamese cat, Sugieh.
Blondin was a hoarder and the cottage soon became infested with mice looking for Blondin’s nuts and pieces of bread that he had stuffed under cushions and carpets for his rainy day. Whilst the mice had plenty to eat they did not cause too many problems but when Blondin caught a chill and died, their supply died too and they took to eating anything and everything. Doreen decided to get a cat and having seen a neighbour’s Siamese out for a stroll one day on a rather fetching collar and lead, decided that a Siamese would be the answer, she could also have a litter and maybe raise the Tovey finances.
Sugieh produced a litter of four kittens. Doreen decided that one’s fortune was not going to be made that way and when Sugeih died whilst being spayed (a far less straightforward procedure in the mid 1950s than it is today), decided to keep a sealpointed boy called Solomon and his bluepointed sister Sheba.
The antics of these kittens, a donkey called Annabel and the following Siamese inmates of The White Cottage were to bring Doreen world wide recognition of her books and writings, starting with ‘Cats In The Belfry’ published in 1957. The Canadian Government sponsored her and Rene on a trip to the Rockies to write about the Canadian Wildlife, with special focus on Grizzly bears. This trip can be read about in ‘The Co
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 22, 2015
Ainda bem que este livro é pequeno porque a escrita da autora não nos prende, a história é banal e nem é centrada no novo inquilino... 1/4 do tempo ela ensina-nos o que um apicultor não deve fazer, 1/4 do tempo ela fala do gato antigo e do que ele costumava fazer, 1/4 do tempo ela fala-nos dos vizinhos e 1/4 do tempo do novo gato... apenas 140 páginas que me custaram bastante a ler, o livro não me cativou, achei-o bastante chato e aborrecido.
February 25, 2021
I got this book in a subscription box called Feline and Fiction and was excited to read something outside my comfort zone but I really really struggled with it. I really liked the way she wrote the cats voices, it was fun and funny and kinda tragic at times. But as a whole I didn't get on with the book. I found it very disjointed and didn't enjoy the way it went off in tangents (3 chapters on bee keeping???) but the thing I really didn't like was the constant comparisons between seeley and Solomon. Let Seeley be his own cat!
March 1, 2008
Only for TRUE siamese lovers......these books are adorable!! The writer's "cat voice" and her British-isms are wonderful!! You will laugh and shed a few tears along the path of her books. You will also want to own a siamese and move to England!!!
April 5, 2019
Cats!
More mayhem with Doreen and Charles ' household full of humour and love. Solomon the black Siamese has died and they get a new kitten to keep Sheba company. The many misadventures and fun keep the story flowing fast, I loved reading about new mishaps with Charles 's beekeeping . Fun read!
More mayhem with Doreen and Charles ' household full of humour and love. Solomon the black Siamese has died and they get a new kitten to keep Sheba company. The many misadventures and fun keep the story flowing fast, I loved reading about new mishaps with Charles 's beekeeping . Fun read!
October 18, 2021
What's not to like about a Siamese kitten and his exploits. Seeley is introduced to the household as a replacement for the well loved Solomon whose death was devastating. His assimilation into the village includes facing up to dogs, getting to like horses and getting Sheba, the older Siamese, to like him.
A must for all Siamese owners
A must for all Siamese owners
July 1, 2019
The topics are a bit scattered, but this one is focused on getting Sheba to accept a kitten after Solomon dies and putting up what today we would call a catio. It is best to start with Cats in the Belfrey.
November 24, 2019
Get out the Kleenex
This book been brought tears. It also brought new joy.
This is a wonderful series, so very glad I stumbled across it.
This book been brought tears. It also brought new joy.
This is a wonderful series, so very glad I stumbled across it.
January 16, 2025
só dou 3 estrelas pq é sobre gatos!
foi bue entediante, a escrita é chata e irritou-me bue a constante comparação do gato novo ao gato antigo
foi bue entediante, a escrita é chata e irritou-me bue a constante comparação do gato novo ao gato antigo
February 12, 2025
3,5* um livro fofinho para quem gosta de animais
January 28, 2015
2,5
This book is such a light read. Very heartwarming and surely will make anyone smile, anyone who likes cats at least.
The writing is very simple and colloquial. Very short sentences and paragraphs, so even a more inexperienced reader will fly through the pages without even noticing it. It’s a good summer read, or good for reading in between “heavier books”, those with dense plots or that delve into cumbersome themes.
It’s the perfect book to offer to a cat lover. That’s probably why I enjoyed the book, but not love it. The writing isn’t anything extraordinary, but the fact that the story reminds me of my own cats (present and past) is determinant to make me feel some sort of connection with the author and understand exactly what she means when she narrates the stunts and prowesses of her cats.
This book is such a light read. Very heartwarming and surely will make anyone smile, anyone who likes cats at least.
The writing is very simple and colloquial. Very short sentences and paragraphs, so even a more inexperienced reader will fly through the pages without even noticing it. It’s a good summer read, or good for reading in between “heavier books”, those with dense plots or that delve into cumbersome themes.
It’s the perfect book to offer to a cat lover. That’s probably why I enjoyed the book, but not love it. The writing isn’t anything extraordinary, but the fact that the story reminds me of my own cats (present and past) is determinant to make me feel some sort of connection with the author and understand exactly what she means when she narrates the stunts and prowesses of her cats.
August 22, 2016
This is gentle reading for cat lovers. There does not appear to be a real story however on many occasions this is the real benefit of reading isn't it? A little mental holiday without the effort of deep thought. Not in the category of Derek Tangye and the Minack series but enjoyable nonetheless. To me the last line is the best in the book. All is in place in the household, new cat, new regime. The writer looks quietly alone at the burial plot of her previous cat (Solomon) and simply whispers 'oh Solomon'. All people who have lost a pet (the word 'pet' itself is offensively minimalistic) or a person whom they love will relate to that quiet and overwhelming emotion.
August 20, 2014
Gosto destas histórias com animais, e este livro, com história de um gato, e a sua capa, em particular, que acho bem interessante e chamativa, fizeram com que me decidisse a comprá-lo e a ler. Mas a história achei banal, o modo de escrever da autora não me agarrou e no final é um livro que não me deixa muitas saudades. Gostei de ler sobre as tropelias dos felinos mas se a história fosse contada de outra maneira talvez conseguisse agarrar mais os leitores. pelo menos a mim não funcionou, ainda bem que o livro é de poucas páginas e se leu num instante...
April 19, 2010
Reread.
Sweet but suspect. The author sets out to replace her dead Siamese cat as closely as possible. She researches genealogy and picks a kitten based on how likely he is to grow up exactly like her last cat. In a word, ewww. on the other hand, Tovey had a genuine love for animals and a fine comic sense. Certainly worth a read.
Sweet but suspect. The author sets out to replace her dead Siamese cat as closely as possible. She researches genealogy and picks a kitten based on how likely he is to grow up exactly like her last cat. In a word, ewww. on the other hand, Tovey had a genuine love for animals and a fine comic sense. Certainly worth a read.
December 19, 2007
It is many years since I read Doreen Tovey's earlier books, and while I remembered that I enjoyed them, I hadn't remembered just how funny her books are. Now I have been reminded, I will be looking for more of her titles.
February 13, 2013
all Doreen Tovey books are fabulous!! and Fun and full of laughs
February 16, 2013
Good book for cat lovers.
June 16, 2013
Anyone who loves animals (particularly cats & even more particularly Siamese) should read everything Doreen Tovey has written. Funny, joyful, sad and utterly compelling. All of them.
August 17, 2013
Love Doreen Tovey's books. They are so light hearted and entertaining - and I love cats!
Read
July 20, 2017This is a a book probably only a few unique people could love --and I did. Tovey described the cat's behavior so true to life that I could 'see' the cats. It made me chuckle, if not purr!
November 15, 2017
3,5* um livro fofinho para quem gosta de animais
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews