NPR Driveway Moments Cat Tales: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go

NPR Driveway Moments

by National Public Radio, Scott Simon (Performance)

These NPR “driveway moment” stories featuring our feline friends will have you curled up in your seat, purring. Mischievous, mysterious, content, curious, and full of attitude, these stories mirror the personality of these creatures that dwell in our homes and our hearts.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Cats, Animals, Short Stories, Pets, Essays

120 pages, Audio CD

First published September 18, 2012

Reviews

[Sheri]

A haphazard collection of stories of and about cats. These facts, musings, and cute anecdotes aren't bad for a short listen while multitasking, but I was hoping for more charming and endearing stories and less scientific and factual information. At the very least, an organized course would have established a better connection and let me know what each section's stories would relate so I could adjust my expectations and thoughts accordingly.

[Sarah Johnson]

If you like cats it's an entertaining and short listen. If you don't like cats, there's something wrong with you anyway.

[Beckiezra]

Part of me feels like this shouldn’t even count as an audiobook since they’re all just radio pieces stuck together because they mention cats. The first time through I was mostly forcing myself to listen just to get another book on the shelf, but relistening I was able to appreciate how touching some of the stories were. An interesting listen for cat or NPR lovers, but not anything to regret missing.

[Kim]

I like NPR radio and cats, so I enjoyed this two hour audio collection of previously aired cat related stories. Not all are humorous or have happy endings, but they were all interesting. Some stories are about house cats, some about wild cats, some about science involving cats.

[Lizzy]

Cute and educational

[Sheila]

Delightful and interesting. Love cats & NPR.

[Katie]

An collection of NPR radio snippets mentioning cats. I listened to this audiobook. If you love cats, it’s a cute happy little collection to listen to. I wish the collection was more tied together however.

[Lindsey Lawntea]

This is a compilation of NPR stories relating to cats. I saw it in my recommended on Libby and figured I could listen to it while cleaning. Some of the pieces are heartwarming stories from cat owners, some about the science behind cat behavior or Big Cat conservation, and others about the funny things cats (and their human companions) do. It's good for a commute or doing chores around the house, if you're someone who is really into cats.

I would have rated this much higher if it had not included the stories from neglectful or abusive owners - such as the woman who wished cats would go extinct so she could stop owning them (maybe just don't own them, lady!), or the neglectful woman who had 23 cats and they got eaten by an owl - and the story of an elderly male lion captured for trophy hunting. These stories just completely ruined the peaceful, warm mood of settling down for a story about cats. Yes, in any animal collection there will be stories about cats who passed away and the memories their owners have of them, or even the gut-wrenching story about a girl in war-torn Iraq who shares her love of cats online to escape her traumatic daily life (I looked her up and was relieved to see she is still blogging about cats to this day). But those at the least were stories about people who love cats and cared for them, stories that belonged and were heartwarming to listen to. Ultimately, there are some good stories in here that are worth listening to, and they're all pretty short.

[Billye]

NPR Driveway Moments Cat Tales: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go brought all kinds of new knowledge and emotions that I did not expect. I chose this title because of the subject matter and the reliability and quality of NPR content. I expected to be entertained in a sort of Garrison Keeler kind of way. This collection of stories does contain some of that folksy brand of humor. However, it goes way beyond that and offers the reader a full spectrum of experiences and facts. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to spend some quality time away from their ordinary routine. This is not a happy book, although some moments will make the reader laugh out loud. The interviews and performances fully enhance and support the material in the best way.

[Everett]

Pretty far out there and goofy. If you are a cat lover you might find it endearing. If you are not you probably will find it boring. It did make think of the pros of a cat president though :) Definitely some laugh out loud moments with tear jerker moments mixed in there. I gave it a 3 because I don't think it was NPRs best production I've heard so far.

[Faranae]

This "book" suffers from the usual NPR excessive musical interludes and that often tedious "NPR voice". Also, some of the stories weren't really about cats (one was, ultimately, about dogs...). It was okay as interruptible reading while sorting stuff for an estate sale.

[Scott Martin]

(Audiobook) Really for the cat person in your life. These collection of cat tales run the gauntlet from funny house cat to the serious struggles of big cats in the wild. Can be a good work to listen to for relaxation/sleep or for entertainment.

[IllegallyBlind]

I feel like this probably shouldn’t count as a book but it was on Libby and is on goodreads, so 🤷🏻‍♀️ nothing notable here, and very dated. I’ve been a crazy cat lady since I was a toddler, and even I can’t give this any more than a generous 2.5 stars.

[Martie]

too cutesy, did not finish

[Cheryl Tallent]

cute stories

[Terry]

Great collection of reports from NPR around the subject of cats. Entertaining snippets for the road trip.

[Jackie]

These are always too short. Some fun stories, some that are sad and many that taught me new things about cats ...

[Laura Porto]

A wonderful combination of stories and why I LOVE NPR. Odd that I have Mike Pompeo to thank for reminding me what true bad asses journalists are.

[Linda]

Truly enjoyable 😀

[JoAnn]

So glad I discovered this 'driveway moments' collection. Enjoyable. Engaging.

[Shaunda]

A sweet collection of NPR's stories about cats. Who doesn't love listening to Scott Simon?!

[Jaclyn Ann]

I loved the cat tales told!

[Kathleen]

Stories both touching and humorous!

[Lagobond]

I love NPR and I love a good animal story, but this was terrible. A poorly edited collection of random cat trivia and banal anecdotes, interspersed with shrill sound effects of cats in various states of annoyance, plus a sprinkling of jazz which I found equally jarring.

I finally gave up on this horrifying mess after some woman's cheerful story about her childhood -- which featured, to put it bluntly, parental neglect along with utter indifference and callousness toward cats, which the narrator seemed to think was love? I guess someone out there might find this uplifting, but that someone is not me.

[Abigail Yeazell]

I liked this recording because I love cats! Some of the storytellers were not the best and that is why I did not give it 5 stars!

[Dale]

Published by HighBridge Audio
Duration: about 2 hours.

Every installment of HighBridge Audio's NPR Driveway Moments series is composed of collections of stories that aired on NPR. In this case, the common theme is cats. The stories aired from 1984 to 2011 and cover everything from lions to mock YouTube videos of cats running for Congress to the origins of the domestic house cat to cats being used in the fight against AIDS.

But, the heart of the collection are the stories about the connection between every day house cats and the people they live with. There are travelling cats, vacationing cats, a cat that lives in a hotel and several stories memorializing cats who have passed on.

All of the stories in the collection have first-rate production values but, as always happens in any collection, some stories are better than others. The cover of the audiobook promises "Radio stories that won't let you go" and some do that, but a couple of the stories were so maudlin (when brooding over cats that had recently died) that it was a relief when they ended.

But, if you are a cat person, this is a great collection for you.

Read all of my reviews NPR audiobooks by clicking here: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/searc...

[Niki]

This is a "must listen" for any feline enthusiast. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad (I only cried once - shut up!), this NPR collection features all kinds of short articles about all kinds of cats. While some of the stories are scientific - Why do cats purr? Why can't cats taste sweet things? - other stories are personal accounts of people who have been touched (or tormented) by cats. It's a tossup as to which is my favorite. The sweet story of inmates bonding over a garbage cat in need? The hilarious "White Cat Gift Shop"? Or the heart-wrenching obituary of Ms. Pudding? They were all enjoyable... and it entertained me at work for two whole hours!

[Cathy]

Here's an example of a book that is better read than listened to. Mainly because some of the narrators were so incredibly boring to listen to - emotionless and sounding like they were reading a dry textbook, not relating cute cat tales. There were only a couple of readers who were truly lively. I probably would've rated it higher if I had read it, and not have had to listen to those bad narrators dragging the stories down.

The cat tales themselves were cute, but never reached beyond the mediocre spectrum. If you want truly engaging animal tales encompassing everything from LOL humor to gut wrenching emotion, pick up anything by James Herriott instead.

[Jane]

This audiobook contains about 20 brief stories about cats. Driveway Moments are perfect for when you will only be listening for a few minutes at a time; I listened to most of this audiobook on short walks during my lunch hour. Each story is only a few minutes long. Driveway Moments: Cat Tales is funny, touching, and educational. Recommended for all cat and animal lovers.

[Cynthia Fry]

Several stories from different periods and different authors all in reverence or irreverence to the cat. There is a good selection from caricature, to scientific, to personal revelation. There were a couple tearing up moments.