Cat Tales

by Herbert S. Rolfes

Cat Tales is a whimsical and imaginative collection of illustrated short stories where cats take center stage in thought, in history, at work, and even in famous lives. From birthday parties and bookstore adventures to the companions of Cleopatra, Lincoln, and Shakespeare, these tales celebrate the mystery, humor, and charm of our feline friends. A perfect read for cat lovers and story enthusiasts alike.

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2025

Reviews

[Sadie E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for a review copy

This is a very cute read. There’s not a single line of dialogue in this entire book but I didn’t notice.

You can tell the author loves cats. This is the kind of love that understands the emotional drama of a cat staring at a wall for hours and then rushing off in some crazed fervour. But after a certain point the specific cats start blending together. The cats lack distinct personalities to really set them apart from the previous stories.

I still enjoyed the stories, though. Some are heartwarming while others are spooky. Some are hilarious and others are just adorable.

The cover and artwork is all AI. I have a silly little AI profile pic of me and my blue tongue skink (I spent too long making sure it got the lizard right!) so I’m not really in a position to judge, but it does make me a little suspicious of the rest of the book. I can’t explain why but it adds this tiny layer of 🤔 to an otherwise lovely experience.

[Alyssa Snow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whimsical, certainly. But I have a couple issues: 1) this book doesnt have any illustrator credit, which, in this day and age, is a red flag for any images contained. 2) parts II-IV were so masculine forward it was almost laughable? It felt deliberate bit also made it incredibly lackluster. Part 1 was definitely my favorite and I would probably use it to try to explain to non-cat owners what cats are like.

It would have been much better for this to be a fully illustrated comic, and I would recommend the author looking into this option.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review!

[The Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review has me purring with delight, even if I had to tap into my inner kitten to fully enjoy it! Cat Tales is an absolute treat for anyone who finds joy in the whiskers and wonders of our feline friends.
​I’m giving this a 4.5-star review! ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
​The Review:
This was such a cute read! If you are a cat lover, this book is essentially a must-read; it captures those quirky kitty behaviors we all know and love perfectly. The stories are lighthearted and charming, making it a great pick for a low-stress reading session.
​The Good:
The illustrations and the overall "vibe" of the book are incredibly cozy and sweet. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to curl up with your own cat and a warm drink. The variety of "tales" ensures that there’s a relatable moment for every type of cat owner.
​The Not-So-Good:
At times, the narrative felt just a bit childish. While the simplicity is part of its charm, some of the dialogue and plot points leaned a little too heavily into a younger reading level for my personal taste

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Cat Tales is a collection of vignettes from Cats' PoV collected by Herbert S. Rolfes. Released 20th Sept 2025, indie published, it's 231 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats.

This is a whimsical collection, written by an author who is clearly fond of feline companions, and who is writing for a cat friendly audience. They're sweet (possibly saccharine) and it's not entirely clear if the incidental illustrations are AI generated or not (there are no artist credits and they appear to be AI generated or enhanced (see cover art)). Sample texts were run through AI detection and came up as human written.

It's a cute book full of short cat-centric anthropomorphic stories.

Three stars. Potentially a good choice for bedtime story-time or story circle.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Princess Fuzzypants here: Being a Maine Coon cat I do gravitate, naturally, to cat stories. I wanted to love this book. I did. But I found some of the stories inconsistent. There were ones I felt nailed us kitties and some that did not meet my exacting standards. After all, I am a cat.

There were many good tales told from our purrspective. Some were happy. Some were sad. I think the part of the book with which I had the most difficulty was the one about famous people’s cats. There were a number of stories based on true cat lovers but they missed the boat when they included ones like Napoleon who was known for his fear of us. What I did like about that section however was the kiss with history. The event that was happening was not explicitly named but the reader would know the event.

So, as I say, there were good parts and so so part. For that I give it four purrs and one paw up.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 out of 5, DNF about 50% sampled
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
The blurb suggests that this is a collection of short stories told from the perspectives of cats - some cats in real life, and some cats imagined as anthropomorphized characters. I was looking forward to an E.B. White sort of cat's-eye-view musings, but was disappointed.
The stories are fine, but they're stories ABOUT cats, not told by them, or even imagining what their motivations are. The 'cats with human jobs' stories seem to have even less feline content. I didn't care for the random (AI?) illustrations either - they didn't add anything and they didn't really mesh with the text.
Just not for me.
Some judicious editing to polish the stories; a blurb that actually represents the contents of the book; and some copyright free photos of actual cats or no illustrations at all would help elevate the tone of this book.

[Mary Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty cute little book of short stories all centered around cats - full of very short stories, they deal with stereotypical "cat things" like chasing squirrels, their superiority to dogs, and basking in the warm sun while other stories are imaginings of a cat's life if it belonged to a famous person or if a cat had certain jobs like barista or librarian. The cover art style is replicated throughout the book. This would be a great gift for a cat lover or anybody who wants to see the world through the eyes of a cat, even for just a little while!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC ebook edition!

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Cat Tales by Herbert S. Rolfes from the author via NetGalley. This book has already been published.

Cat Tales by Herbert S. Rolfes is exactly what the title suggests. It is a collection of short stories told from the perspective of cats. The book is broken up into different sections including cats of famous people and cats with occupations. I really liked the pet store cat. Each story is fairly short. They appropriate for most ages. You don't have to read them in order. You can read whatever tickles your fancy for the moment. If you like cats and wish they could talk, give this a read. It was very fun, and the illustrations are super cute.

Bonus points for being about cats. That's enough to earn extra points.

[Michelle Parent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun palate cleanser. I enjoyed that it's a collection of short stories centered around cats, making it easy to pick up and read whenever I had a moment. I especially loved the stories featuring the cats of famous figures like Sherlock Holmes, Abraham Lincoln, and Tesla's cat. Overall, a charming and entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Herb Rolfes for my ARC copy and honest review.

Published September 23, 2025.

[Maree Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute, whimsical collection of stories about cats.

I love that it is broken up into sections - Cats In Thought, Cats Of Famous People, Cats At Work and Cats In Occupations.

I often wish that I could communicate with my two cats, Ebony and Lily, so it was wonderful to read these stories told from a cats perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and Herb Rolfes for granting me access to an advance copy of this book, even though it has already been published. All opinions are my own.

[April Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC from NetGalley - This book was really cute and was a bunch of short stories based off of silly things cats do. Although I love cats I felt like these were stories to read to a little kid more than a sit down book for an adult. I would definitely consider this more of a children’s book but i DNF it. I’m not sure about the stories I didn’t get through but even though I put it down it’s something I would return to with a child.

[Hayley Eisner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love cats so I thought this would be the perfect read for me. The first part was entertaining and intriguing but after that it just felt very repetitive and some of the stories were too short, so I stopped reading about halfway through.

Th am you NetGalley and Herb Rolfes for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a cute take on the lives of cats and the many famous and not so famous owners.

Thank you to the publisher for the gift of receiving and free eBooks.

[Denice Langley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining stroll through life illustrations seen through the eyes of cats. Any cat lover would love to "read" this.

[Kayleighreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book full of short stories about cats if your a cat lover your going to be obsessed with this.