Audubon Cat

by Mary Calhoun

Hilda the Huntress decides she's better at bird watching than bird catching.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Mary Louise Huiskamp Wilkins, also known as Mary Calhoun was born on August 3, 1926 in Keokuk, Iowa. She received a bachelor's degree in journalism for the University of Iowa in 1948. She was hired as a reporter for the World-Herald in Omaha, Nebraska after graduation. Her fascination with spirits and folklore of the 19th century led her to write stories about witches, elves, cats, dwarfs, and pixies. She has also published stories in Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty magazines. She worked at the Omaha World Herald before marrying fellow journalist Frank Calhoun. Her first book, Making the Mississippi Shout, was published in 1957. She wrote more than 50 children's books during her lifetime including the Katie John series, Julie's Tree, Henry the Sailor Cat, and Cross-Country Cat. She died on October 27, 2015 at the age of 89.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will have to unilaterally point out and say that really and for me on a personal and emotional level, the ONLY (and very minuscule at that) positive about Audobon Cat is Susan Bonners' accompanying artwork, which is delightfully lush and colourfully realistic whilst at the same time also maintaining an esoteric sense of emotionality (and yes, Susan Bonners' many bird illustrations are truly outstanding and absolute visual treasures in every way, and Hilda the cat is also wonderfully and mischievously drawn).

But indeed, Mary Calhoun's narrative, it and right from the very beginning of Audobon Cat has totally and utterly rubbed me the WRONG proverbial way with regard to its contents and thematics. For while according to Mary Calhoun's printed words, while according to the presented and featured text of Audubon Cat feline Hilda's owners are supposedly members of the Audobon Society and thus avid bird watchers, they obviously and in my opinion totally disgustingly and irresponsibly still think nothing at all wrong with leaving their pet cat completely alone for an entire weekend as they go traipsing around the countryside enjoying the fall foliage and watching for birds, and also allowing Hilda to roam outside, to actively stalk and likely kill birds (and well, in my opinion, domestic cats should entirely or at least mostly be inside cats, and albeit that I actually do like and appreciate cats as companion animals, I definitely have huge issues with feral and/or outside cats and really tend to more and more actively despise those cat owners who willfully permit their pets to roam, to be outside for any extended length and period of time).

So indeed, one of Hilda's human family members actually and in fact calling her Audubon Cat (because she supposedly is such a good and avid bird watcher), I personally have in fact found this appellation at best problematic and even rather majorly insulting, since outside roaming cats are really not ever bird watchers but dedicated and often totally ruthless (sometimes even overkilling) bird hunters (and as non endemic species in many areas of the world, including the USA and Canada, often a serious and lasting threat to especially smaller songbirds, and to bird species not used to feline predation). And thus, while I am of course also very much happy that in Audubon Cat NONE of Hilda's bird hunting attempts are successful, well, in my opinion, Hilda should (in the first place) never have been put into a situation of being both able to go bird hunting outside and left alone by her owners to fend for herself, to catch an avian meal for herself (I mean, Hilda is actually depicted and described by author Mary Calhoun as almost being killed by a large bird of prey in one of the scenes of Audubon Cat, and all because her owners have left her alone and obviously do not really even care if Hilda stalks and kills birds whilst roaming around outside).

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cat who has been left home alone in a cabin(? some rural accommodation, anyway) tries to catch a natural meal.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely describes various species of birds, though it's really about a furry "bird watcher"!

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilda’s family goes away for the weekend leaving her “in charge.” But when she goes bird watching for the day, she discovers, upon her return, that her cat food has been eaten by chipmunks and pack rats. She must go hunting — but things take a turn for the worse when she becomes the prey. Hilda decides she is a better bird watcher than bird catcher.

[Cws]

JE-Calhoun

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I don't agree with leaving a pet cat unsupervised and out of doors for a period of time, Hilda's situation is the feline equivalent of the absent parents in so many children's fantasies.

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