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Classic Cat Stories
Cats, be they much loved pets or inscrutable creatures, lend themselves to stories and literary invention.
Classic Cat Stories is a beautiful anthology that includes fairy tales and fables from the likes of Rudyard Kipling and Charles Perrault as well as comic tales from Saki and E. F. Benson. Cats of course have always had a dark and mysterious side which is explored to chilling effect by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe in The Black Cat and H. P. Lovecraft in The Cats of Ulthar. But above all, we love them and you’ll find here stories about all kinds of cats that tug at the heartstrings and which celebrate their curious ways.
Classic Cat Stories is a beautiful anthology that includes fairy tales and fables from the likes of Rudyard Kipling and Charles Perrault as well as comic tales from Saki and E. F. Benson. Cats of course have always had a dark and mysterious side which is explored to chilling effect by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe in The Black Cat and H. P. Lovecraft in The Cats of Ulthar. But above all, we love them and you’ll find here stories about all kinds of cats that tug at the heartstrings and which celebrate their curious ways.
321 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2020
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270 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 11, 2025
I will never feel as though I've finished this book as all the stories are different and individually entertaining. There is a cat in each story but it's not always the main character and the cat doesn't always survive to the end.
There are some well-known stories in this collection such as 'The Cat that Walked By Himself' by Rudyard Kipling from the Just So Stories and the tale of Tobermory the talking cat by Saki.
In between are tales by famous authors such as Poe, Jerome K Jerome, Mark Twain, and Balzac and others by writers I'd never read before.
If you like cats in literature this is the book for you.
I adore the cover of this version of the book, especially the drawings of cats on a yellow background with a lightish blue spine.
There are some well-known stories in this collection such as 'The Cat that Walked By Himself' by Rudyard Kipling from the Just So Stories and the tale of Tobermory the talking cat by Saki.
In between are tales by famous authors such as Poe, Jerome K Jerome, Mark Twain, and Balzac and others by writers I'd never read before.
If you like cats in literature this is the book for you.
I adore the cover of this version of the book, especially the drawings of cats on a yellow background with a lightish blue spine.
January 10, 2021
Dogs have owners: cats have staff. If you know anything about felines, you'll recognize the truth in that. Here's a handsome little volume, perfect for anyone who enjoys short reads, with the best of the best in cat stories, from Saki's Tobermory to Kipling's The Cat Who Walked Alone. Purrrrrrrr . . . .
May 27, 2024
Who couldn't love a compilation of cat stories? This volume is peppered with language, situations and characters that will make you think and laugh, such as Saki's (otherwise known as British short story writer Hector Hugh Munro) 'Tobermory' where a distinguished scientist teaches a cat to speak only to find society is no match for a cat's truth-telling ability coupled with its sardonic wit. The collection includes cat classics like Rudyard Kipling's Just So story of how the cat kept his independence, 'The Cat that Walked by Himself', Perrault's 'Puss in Boots', and Poe's chilling, 'The Black Cat', as well as contributions from the likes of Honore de Balzac, and Mark Twain. As an interesting aside, the latter at one point had 19 cats, and wrote, 'If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.' (Kat Eschner, 'Mark Twain Liked Cats Better than People' Smithsonian Magazine, 2017).
This could well be a line from the collection. L M Montgomery's (Lucy Maud, author of Anne of Green Gables) 'Abel and His Great Adventure', made up largely of conversations in a garden between a teacher and an older man and his rescued cat, contains many pearls of wisdom: 'If you can sit in silence with a person for half an hour and feel comfortable, you and that person can be friends. If you can't, friends you'll never be, and you needn't waste any time trying.' They talk about people who keep cats then abandon them,'[they are] so thoughtless that they're cruel. It's the worst kind of cruetly, I think - the thoughtless kind.' And the brilliant, 'Do you think any man could keep mad if he sat and looked into the heart of a pansy for ten minutes?'
The best stories, in my opinion, are those where cats are not humanised but simply allowed to be CAT. A great example is 'The Cat' by Mary E Wilkins Freeman (American writer and feminist, noted for her short stories), set in a cabin in a remote forest. The cat here is accustomed to hunting and fending for himself every winter while his human companion takes an apartment in town. But suddenly the cat receives a guest, a homeless man who breaks into the cabin. The two keep each other company during the cold months. When spring comes, the man is gone. The cat's owner returns, forever oblivious of his cat's bond.
My favourite of the collection is 'The Yellow Terror' by W L Alden, whose central character, a ship's cat called Tom, aka The Yellow Terror, pounces fromt the page: 'Now thisyer Yellow Terror had been on the ship's books for upwards of five years when I first met him. [Captain] Smedley had him regularly shipped, and signed his name to the ship articles, and held a pen in his paw while he made a cross... The Yellow Terror had the general idea that the Medford was his private yacht, and that all hands were there to wait on him. And Smedley sort of confirmed him in that idea, by treating him with more respect than he treated his owners, when he was ashore... after I got to know what sort of a person the cat really was, I can't say as I blamed Smedley to any great extent... Tom... was far and away the best fighter of all cats in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Whenever we sighted land he would get himself up in his best fur, spending hours brushing and polishing it, and biting his claws so as to make sure they they were as sharp as they could be made. As soon as the ship was made fast to the quay, or anchored in the harbour, the Yellow Terror went ashore to look for trouble. He always got it too, though he had such a reputation as a fighter, that whenever he showed himself, every cat that recognised him broke for cover.'
Also of note is Compton Mackenzie's 'No 25 to be Let or Sold' where a group of children, fascinated with an empty house, are lead to its unlikely resident and feline companion. Mackenzie's portrayal of poverty in turn of the century London is touching and compassionate. Equally memorable is Walter de la Mare's 'Broomsticks' about a solitary woman in a remote house who will do anything for her cat until she glimpses some odd behaviour that makes her question his domesticity. De Mare's portrayal of the very reserved Miss Chauncy's futile determination to abolish anything 'wild' in her cat is wonderfully nuanced.
Finally, Stephen Vincent Benet's (author of the famous John Brown's Body for which he wono the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry) contribution about a music conductor with a tail brings a touch of fable as well as humour in a story whose title, 'The King of the Cats' is a nod to the Irish folk tale.
Although these are not contemporary stories (generally spanning British, European and American writers of the late Victorian early twentieth century period), the selection is well thought-out and the writing is thoroughly entertaining and enthralling. These are masterful story tellers. An interesting collection, well worth the read.
This could well be a line from the collection. L M Montgomery's (Lucy Maud, author of Anne of Green Gables) 'Abel and His Great Adventure', made up largely of conversations in a garden between a teacher and an older man and his rescued cat, contains many pearls of wisdom: 'If you can sit in silence with a person for half an hour and feel comfortable, you and that person can be friends. If you can't, friends you'll never be, and you needn't waste any time trying.' They talk about people who keep cats then abandon them,'[they are] so thoughtless that they're cruel. It's the worst kind of cruetly, I think - the thoughtless kind.' And the brilliant, 'Do you think any man could keep mad if he sat and looked into the heart of a pansy for ten minutes?'
The best stories, in my opinion, are those where cats are not humanised but simply allowed to be CAT. A great example is 'The Cat' by Mary E Wilkins Freeman (American writer and feminist, noted for her short stories), set in a cabin in a remote forest. The cat here is accustomed to hunting and fending for himself every winter while his human companion takes an apartment in town. But suddenly the cat receives a guest, a homeless man who breaks into the cabin. The two keep each other company during the cold months. When spring comes, the man is gone. The cat's owner returns, forever oblivious of his cat's bond.
My favourite of the collection is 'The Yellow Terror' by W L Alden, whose central character, a ship's cat called Tom, aka The Yellow Terror, pounces fromt the page: 'Now thisyer Yellow Terror had been on the ship's books for upwards of five years when I first met him. [Captain] Smedley had him regularly shipped, and signed his name to the ship articles, and held a pen in his paw while he made a cross... The Yellow Terror had the general idea that the Medford was his private yacht, and that all hands were there to wait on him. And Smedley sort of confirmed him in that idea, by treating him with more respect than he treated his owners, when he was ashore... after I got to know what sort of a person the cat really was, I can't say as I blamed Smedley to any great extent... Tom... was far and away the best fighter of all cats in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Whenever we sighted land he would get himself up in his best fur, spending hours brushing and polishing it, and biting his claws so as to make sure they they were as sharp as they could be made. As soon as the ship was made fast to the quay, or anchored in the harbour, the Yellow Terror went ashore to look for trouble. He always got it too, though he had such a reputation as a fighter, that whenever he showed himself, every cat that recognised him broke for cover.'
Also of note is Compton Mackenzie's 'No 25 to be Let or Sold' where a group of children, fascinated with an empty house, are lead to its unlikely resident and feline companion. Mackenzie's portrayal of poverty in turn of the century London is touching and compassionate. Equally memorable is Walter de la Mare's 'Broomsticks' about a solitary woman in a remote house who will do anything for her cat until she glimpses some odd behaviour that makes her question his domesticity. De Mare's portrayal of the very reserved Miss Chauncy's futile determination to abolish anything 'wild' in her cat is wonderfully nuanced.
Finally, Stephen Vincent Benet's (author of the famous John Brown's Body for which he wono the 1928 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry) contribution about a music conductor with a tail brings a touch of fable as well as humour in a story whose title, 'The King of the Cats' is a nod to the Irish folk tale.
Although these are not contemporary stories (generally spanning British, European and American writers of the late Victorian early twentieth century period), the selection is well thought-out and the writing is thoroughly entertaining and enthralling. These are masterful story tellers. An interesting collection, well worth the read.
June 28, 2021
3.5 El gato que caminaba solo - Rudyard Kipling
Leído para Clásico es leerte
Kipling nos muestra la domesticación de varios animales mediante este relato, en el cual, sin embargo, el gato quiere mantener su independencia y no quiere ser parte del grupo de animales que terminan al servicio del hombre y la mujer, pero si beneficiarse de ellos.
Es así cómo el gato va viendo que uno a uno los animales, antes salvajes, van abandonando esta vida y rindiéndose al servicio del hombre y la mujer a cambio de casa y comida y reconociéndose como amigos del género humano.
El gato, sin embargo, es el animal salvaje que se niega a dejar su independencia, un rasgo principal con el que asociamos a los gatunos aun en el presente. Kipling nos muestra que el gato caminaba solo desde hace mucho tiempo atrás, es un ser independiente pero que sin embargo tiene un fuerte vínculo con los seres humanos.
Leído para Clásico es leerte
Kipling nos muestra la domesticación de varios animales mediante este relato, en el cual, sin embargo, el gato quiere mantener su independencia y no quiere ser parte del grupo de animales que terminan al servicio del hombre y la mujer, pero si beneficiarse de ellos.
Es así cómo el gato va viendo que uno a uno los animales, antes salvajes, van abandonando esta vida y rindiéndose al servicio del hombre y la mujer a cambio de casa y comida y reconociéndose como amigos del género humano.
El gato, sin embargo, es el animal salvaje que se niega a dejar su independencia, un rasgo principal con el que asociamos a los gatunos aun en el presente. Kipling nos muestra que el gato caminaba solo desde hace mucho tiempo atrás, es un ser independiente pero que sin embargo tiene un fuerte vínculo con los seres humanos.
July 8, 2021
A bit confusing. Some stories felt like they were taken out of the middle of other stories and not finished properly.
December 27, 2021
Some interesting, some not so interesting classic short stories about cats and their humans. Suitable for children and adults, though interesting there is a disclaimer about the stories being in original format (other than language) about cultural insensitivities. Didn't notice any real issues, but as classic stories (ie old), there will be some olden issues. But, who doesn't like a puss in boots?
August 1, 2023
It is extremely difficult to honestly rate a collection of stories. As with Classic Dog Stories, I rated each story individually (if they had their own Goodreads page - some of them didn't). The one thing I didn't like about the whole collection though is the different genres. Some of the stories are pretty much fairytales and some of them are almost horrors and mysteries. It's hard to read the book as you honestly don't know what comes next.
Want to read
May 15, 2022doesn't really make sense for this to sit on my currently-reading shelf for ages since i'm just going to read a story once every while, so i probably won't finish this until in a few years lmaoo
July 18, 2022
Couldn't really finish this
March 15, 2023
If you love cats, mistery, horror, and a lot of prrrrr.
This s for you.
This s for you.
January 18, 2024
Preferiti: The Cat (Mary E. Wilkins Freeman), There arose a king e Puss-Cat (E. F. Benson), The White Cat (E.Nesbit)
May 3, 2024
I bought this while on vacation in Sicily, which is full of cats. It's a cute little collection, with some stories being more interesting than others, but, overall, I really enjoyed it.
March 6, 2022
3,5 stars.
March 12, 2023
3.5
Sometimes I felt like I was reading the most briliant, funny, beautiful short story about cats and humans an their relationships, sometimes it felt like starting a book in the middle of it, or cats were barely mentionned. But overall I really enjoyed it ! Some of the stories were amazing, and they went from thrillers with Poe, to poetry with Saki, to classical with Balzac ; sometimes it was as though the author had written the exact feelings you can have when you look at a cat. Plus, I discovered some amazing writers !
"He seems the incarnation of everything soft and silky and velvety, without a sharp edge in his composition, a dreamer whose philosophy is sleep and let sleep."
Sometimes I felt like I was reading the most briliant, funny, beautiful short story about cats and humans an their relationships, sometimes it felt like starting a book in the middle of it, or cats were barely mentionned. But overall I really enjoyed it ! Some of the stories were amazing, and they went from thrillers with Poe, to poetry with Saki, to classical with Balzac ; sometimes it was as though the author had written the exact feelings you can have when you look at a cat. Plus, I discovered some amazing writers !
Read
August 22, 20222.5⭐️
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews