Project Cat

by Nellie Burchardt, Fermin Rocker (Illustrator)

"It's hungry!" Betsy exclaims, as the thin little cat runs to them, mewing. If only they could take the cat upstairs! But pets aren't allowed inside the housing project. Soon it will be winter and the little cat will freeze - unless Betsy and her friends can think of something quickly.

66 pages, hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhere on the east coast of the United States, a little girl named Betsy Delaney finds a stray cat on the grounds of her housing project. Since no pets are allowed in the apartments, she tries to care for it outside, but the weather is starting to turn, and she is concerned about how the cat will get through winter, not to mention the approaching hurricane. And what is she going to do about the rift the cat has caused between her and her best friend?

It's a tidy if boring little introduction to community activism dressed up with a kitty and some friendship angst, notable perhaps as a 1966 children's book with a BIPOC cast in the illustrations though no mention of race is made in the text.

[Kathleen Subbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betsy feeds and befriends a stray cat. She lives in a city housing project where pets are not allowed. She is worried about the cat being outdoors because the weather is getting colder, and the cat is soon to have a litter of kitties. Betsy and her friends petition the city council to get the rules changed at the housing project. Will any changes be made in time to save this cat?

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this old children’s book in our attic. Written in 1969 this story tells the story of children in “the project” finding a cat and coming up with a petition for the mayor to change the no pet rule in the housing complex. Determination and love for the cat made a big difference.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read part of this in a reader when I was a kid. I was quite excited to find it at a school library in a very old elementary school today.

[Manpreet Dhillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait to read this book to my daughters. This story may be about a little girl saving a stray cat but it felt so much more than that. You feel the character's confidence grow and with the help of her friends, she brings about a real change in her community.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to share one of my grandma’s books with my daughter

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids book about adopting a stray cat :)