The Mouse Butcher

by Dick King-Smith

On an island inhabited solely by cats, expert hunter Tom Plug hires himself out as provider of food to the aristocratic, but very hungry, Bampton-Bush family

Genres: Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Cats

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Dick King-Smith was born and raised in Gloucestershire, England, surrounded by pet animals. After twenty years as a farmer, he turned to teaching and then to writing children's books.

Dick writes mostly about animals: farmyard fantasy, as he likes to call it, often about pigs, his special favorites. He enjoys writing for children, meeting the children who read his books, and knowing that they get enjoyment from what he does.

Among his well-loved books is Babe, The Gallant Pig, which was recently made into a major motion picture, and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Dick lived with his wife in a small 17th-century cottage, about three miles from the house where he was born.

Reviews

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A childhood favourite that I've wanted to reread for the longest time, but could never seen to find a copy, until recently.

The story held up really well in some areas and not so well in others, but overall still a quick fun read. I can definitely see why I loved it.

[GoldGato · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of felines and their ability to outwit me on a daily basis. Respect. A novel about an independent kitty who must endure the resentments of a local moggy is right up my alley, particularly with its almost human-like social environment and caste system. As I write this, my own spoiled cat (once a moggy himself) is sound asleep in his McMansion, nearing his wake-up time for food and companionship. It really is a world of whiskers.

The protagonist of this story is Tom Plug, a black cat who was the mouser for the local butcher shop. But the humans no longer live on the deserted island, having taken their dogs and their professions elsewhere. Meanwhile, the remaining cats have taken on the titles of their previous owners. The cat who lived at the rich house is now Colonel Bampton-Bush, the farmer’s cats all have “Farmer” as their first names, and the church cat is now The Vicar. The humans are long gone but the cats endure, living off the mice and rats while remembering the days when they were pampered and fed the best of foods.

It was a simple four-course lunch. It was mouse for starters, with mouse to follow, then mouse, and mouse to finish.

Tom Plug becomes gainfully employed by other cats, providing them with food (just as a butcher would) in return for territorial access for hunting purposes. But all is not well on the island of cats. One cat, a mighty moggy, lives in an abandoned mine and is full of anger about how his life has developed. He is a cat who has lived alone and has refused to associate with the other felines. It will be an almighty battle for the island as the Great Mog disrupts Tom Plug’s world and the human-less paradise the cats have come to appreciate.

It's easy to categorize this book as a middle-grade book, but I loved it as an adult read. I certainly believed the characters and the descriptions of their personalities. Dick King-Smith, the author, had been a farmer for twenty years before he decided to start teaching and writing. I was already a fan, thanks to his most famous work, The Sheep Pig (aka “Babe”), so I’m happy to have added this title to my collection. I also liked the fact that his explanation of the island’s human absence is brief and at the beginning, so it doesn’t skew the animals’ stories. The illustrations are by Margot Apple, black & white drawings of the feline shenanigans. Altogether, a very nice treat.

Book Season = Spring (catnip and cream)

[Rusty Ray Guns · Rating 5 out of 5]

So flipping goooood

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite cat stories.

[Cally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those books I read over and over as a child and for good reason.

The story focuses on an island left uninhabited, save for the animals, specifically cats. All the humans have fled (this is loosely explained in the first chapter as a sort of economic crisis in which the island's tourism boosts unexpectedly and depletes the island resources in such a short span that the inhabitants are forced to leave).

The story features the butcher's former cat, Tom ("the Mouse Butcher"), as the protagonist and life on the island now that the cats have been forced to sustain themselves. Amidst it all there's budding romance, a lurking villain, and a fun cast of characters who develop throughout the story.

There's so much to love about this book I don't even know where to start. The main conflict is thrilling once the book settles in and the way the story is told feels almost fable-like. The villain is truly scary and the main character is definitely someone you love to root for.

Almost the entire cast of characters, of which there are quite a few, are given backstories and have complete arcs within the story.

The book is a very fast read and lots of fun. It can be gory and unnerving at times (the story does feature death and fighting) but all that's said feels necessary to the story and adds to the thrill.

The resolution is something I fawned over for years as a child. Everything is wrapped up so nicely and not only do all the characters end up getting exactly the ending they deserve but it presents a great opportunity to reflect on how far the characters have come through the novel.

Five stars. Ten out of ten. Highly recommend.




I consider this book to be a regular classic and I'd highly recommend anything else written by Dick King-Smith (especially A Mouse Called Wolf, School Mouse, Pigs Might Fly/Daggie Dogfoot, Mr. Ape, Martin's Mice, Titus Rules). Almost all of his novels center around talking animals and the societies they create. Some of his more popular works are Babe and Water Horse (both of which have movies you may be familiar with).

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like cats and enjoyed reading this book about a bunch of cats left to their own devices after all of the humans left. The plot revolves around the hero cat named Tom Plug the Butcher ( as he lives in the shop where the butcher used to cut up meat) and how he has to fight the Monster of Hobb Hole. At first I had no idea what the monster would be, so I was a bit surprised to find out it was another cat. I guess I should have guessed it but I didn't. The Monster is a cat with lots of injuries and emotional problems because of those injuries. The villian is quite intelligent and has a lot of psyical strength, which makes him a good foe for the story. This is meant to be a kid's story I believe, like "101 Dalmatians" but if you look at it just right it's a bit sad too. Sad that the humans abondoned their cats on the island when they left and sad that the Monster lived his life alone and festering anger down in his Hole ( a deep hole in the ground where the humans had been mining ). The book also features a nice bit about facing your fears. It's also a fun little read, which is why I picked it up the day I saw it.

[Shanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the people had mysteriously left an island, leaving cats and small critters behind. The cats have taken over, yet still associate themselves with the identities of their former human partners. Tom Plug was the butcher's cat and a good hunter. He contracts with a wealthy aristocat to hunt for them. Meanwhile, back in Hobbs' Hole, there's a sad, mangy, mean cat who had a terrible life and who wants revenge, even if it is misplaced. The things that happened to Great Mog were ghastly and cruel. I felt sorry for Great Mog and wanted things to turn out differently for him. I enjoyed the cat's perspective of the story.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-moving book about cats taking care of themselves after the humans left. I wonder what happened to them but there isn't much of an explanation. Perhaps it is based on St. Kilda in Scotland's Outer Hebrides. It was evacuated in 1930. I would recommend reading this first before giving it to a child. It makes me think of a video game in book form because the cats can be violent hunting for food. Beware the Monster of Hobbs' Hole! It is also about friendship, family, surviving, and overcoming obstacles.

[Basir Naz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely on the darker end when it comes to supposed children’s books. Had fun with this one.

[Laura Morrigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that really captured my imagination as a child. It is set on an island where all the humans left at one point (I forget why- war? A storm?) and left the cats behind. They continue to live in the town, and, I think, have taken on their owner's roles- butcher, etc. Tom (I think that was his name) is The Mouse Butcher. He catches mice better than any other. When the cats of the rich person's mansion, who do not know how to catch mice ask his help to learn, he agrees and soon has feelings for the beautiful female one. But there is danger lurking. It is called the Monster of Hobb's Hole...

[Hilary Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have literally had this book since my age was in the single digits and never took the time to read it. For a children's book though, the story was kind of brutal and at times a little graphic. In the end though, it was pretty cute (it's the same author who wrote the story that turned into the movie "Babe"). Upon reading it though, they never really explain why all the humans leave the island, and (because I like dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels) I wanted to assume that there was a nuclear holocaust and everyone died. But it was okay.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is yet another example of the kinds of books young Kirsti read; preferably with talking/inteligent animals, and no humans whatsoever. In fact, that really isn't that much different from some of what I still read today and reflect upon. Although I don't remember the details of this particular book, I do own it and can peruse it at my leisure. I obviously liked it enough in 2011 to grant it five stars, and I imagine that's what I'd go with today too so I'll leave it be!

[Ashleigh Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good read for cat lovers. I liked the characters, the story wasn't bad, and the setting - where cats have assumed the titles if not the roles of their owners - was cool. It's a decent little book, much like Dick's others, and one of my favorites of his.

[Uneequ Acosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

its cool and cute

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

(No review written at that time.) Read late 2009 [appx. 12/31/09]