Feral

by Bev Cooke

She lives in fear―of the two-legs, of the noisy, massive trains that scream in and out of the station, of cats and rats and dogs and the dark of the tunnels. She lives in the subway, where the hard shoes kick her ribs, where shrill voices beat her ears, where she subsists on the garbage of the humans. But the little cat walks alone.
   Until she meets Candlewax, a street kid exiled from the subway tunnels, and Katherine, a student photographer who loves her on sight. From these two she learns that trust can banish fear and love provides a home wherever you are.

Genres: Young Adult, Cats

197 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Born in the last century, lived in Canada all my life, moved to the west coast when I was in my twenties, married with two grown kids, a husband, two cats and a garden.

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

FERAL by Bev Cooke is about life below the streets. Subway platforms and hidden tunnels where the trains roar is the setting for this story of survival.

Little Cat was born in the subway and through sheer wit has somehow survived. Much of the story is seen through the eyes of this little survivor. She waits patiently in her safe hidey-hole watching the action around her. She knows when the crowds come and when it is safe to venture out. At certain times of the day there are precious castoffs that dull her hunger pangs when she doesn't have enough energy to hunt for mice. Her one friend, Candlewax, treats her kindly and sometimes shares what little he has. Life is hard, but she has learned to cope.

Katherine, a subway regular, sees Little Cat and is immediately taken with her. Fascinated with the cat's ability to live in the hostile environment, Katherine wishes she could be Little Cat's rescuer. Disappointed when her mother says no to bringing home the stray, Katherine comes up with the idea of using the cat as the focus of a school photography project. She visits every day, bringing healthy food, hoping to change her mother's mind by providing nutrition and future vet care for Little Cat. She herself lives in the dark shadow of poverty and gangs, but she finds a place in her heart for the tough little kitten.

In a parallel struggle, readers follow the life of Candlewax. He is a runaway foster kid who survives by sneaking into a nearby church to sleep and stealing candles that he later sells in the subway. Jorge, his buddy and protector, died and Candlewax is left to fend for himself. A gang leader named Big would like to use Candlewax's knowledge of the hidden tunnels to further his drug trade and battle a rival gang. Candlewax knows that becoming involved in the gang lifestyle will only lead to trouble or worse.

Bev Cooke presents a way of life most readers have only heard about through documentary programs dealing with the plight of the urban homeless. Life is rough and unforgiving at best. The two viewpoints presented here reveal the harsh truth of a world given little attention by most.

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is most definitely not a kid's book. I don't know who decided it was, but they were wrong. Just because it's written from a cat's perspective does not mean it's for kids. Kid's books don't talk about gangs and turf wars, and they don't say words like fuck and shit. I've read this book multiple times and I enjoy it every time. It's a fun ride.

[TheSaint · Rating 3 out of 5]

I put off reading Feral thinking that "bad things happen to nice kitties." But the character of Little Cat didn't actually send me heading for the tissues. I think it may have had something to do with anthropomorphizing the MC. I can't think of a book that purports to have animals speak in English to express their thoughts that really makes me suspend my disbelief.
Even so, I think this one will be popular with teenage cat lovers.

[sylas · Rating 1 out of 5]

um. WHOA. this book is TERRIBLE. i read 40 pages and only made it that far because i was at the gym and desperately needed something to read. it's bad. it feels racist. it's poorly told. i don't recommend it. in fact, i almost put it in the recycle bin on my walk home from the gym.

[grieshaber.reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book for the sophomore inquiry unit (homelessness) but certainly not riveting reading. Told in 3rd person limited - the subway cat's POV. Odd and confusing. Worked better once I got used to it.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the dreamy, descriptive yet somewhat vague, present-tense writing style the author utilized. Even though by the end, the importance of the cat's perspective kind of fades beneath the less interesting gang conflict.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot convoluted and hard to read

[Relyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

i give it a little bit less than a 5 star. in my opinion i did not like so much how it ended. But it was a fantastic book. I felt that i was a scardey cat.