What do you think?
Rate this book
Roger Caras' Treasury of Great Cat Stories
ACE 0883657635 (ISBN13: 9780883657638)
Roger Caras has brought together a collection of tales by such master storytellers as Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allan Poe. Mark Twain, Saki. Stephen Vincent Benet. Fritz Leiber. PG. Wodehouse, Paul Gallico and Cordwainer Smith. who join in their respect and admiration for the mysterious and beautiful feline.
"Domestic cats emerged in Egypt between 1700 and 1600 BC, not at all coincidentally at the same time the Egvptians invented the silo and began to store grain. For virtually their entire history our tabbies and their kin have had an arcane relationship with us. We have worshipped them, feared them, made them demigods and the familiars of devils and witches, They have foretold happiness and despair and been the agent of both. We have painted them, sculpted them, etched them, incorporated them into our architecture. used them as trademarks, eye-catchers. mousers, and most important. as companions.
"Now. in our time. as the industrial revolution has just about completed its work Of urbanizing and suburbanizing formerly rural man, the cat, that ultimate companion animal, is coming into its own to a greater degree and at a...
Roger Caras has brought together a collection of tales by such master storytellers as Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allan Poe. Mark Twain, Saki. Stephen Vincent Benet. Fritz Leiber. PG. Wodehouse, Paul Gallico and Cordwainer Smith. who join in their respect and admiration for the mysterious and beautiful feline.
"Domestic cats emerged in Egypt between 1700 and 1600 BC, not at all coincidentally at the same time the Egvptians invented the silo and began to store grain. For virtually their entire history our tabbies and their kin have had an arcane relationship with us. We have worshipped them, feared them, made them demigods and the familiars of devils and witches, They have foretold happiness and despair and been the agent of both. We have painted them, sculpted them, etched them, incorporated them into our architecture. used them as trademarks, eye-catchers. mousers, and most important. as companions.
"Now. in our time. as the industrial revolution has just about completed its work Of urbanizing and suburbanizing formerly rural man, the cat, that ultimate companion animal, is coming into its own to a greater degree and at a...
495 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 1987
11 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Roger A. Caras
105 books25 followersRoger A. Caras was an American wildlife photographer, writer, wildlife preservationist and television personality.
Known as the host of the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, Caras was a veteran of network television programs including "Nightline," "ABC News Tonight" and "20/20" before devoting himself to work as president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and to becoming an author.
Known as the host of the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, Caras was a veteran of network television programs including "Nightline," "ABC News Tonight" and "20/20" before devoting himself to work as president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and to becoming an author.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 18, 2007
This was a wonderful collection of stories for anyone, even those who are not particularly excited about cats. Some of the stories are very cat-oriented, while others are just stories that happen to have a cat in them.
There were two "types" of stories contained in this collection, in my opinion. The first type I didn't particularly care for, and that is the type of story that isn't so much a story. It's just a bit of prose telling what the author likes about cats. "Blah blah the cat is a sleek creature, who lies around all day but at night comes alive and chases creatures and blah blah blah" just... telling about cats. This stretched also to the author talking about a particular cat that they once had, and things that cat did. Only one of these stories caught my fancy, the cat was quite extrordinary. All of the other stories just talked about what I consider to be normal cats, although I am sure they were quite special to the authors. However, I forced myself to read each and every one of these stories
The other type was actually a story, and I far preferred this type of story. These stories range anywhere from the tale of a superstitious ship captain who is tricked into believing that the ship's cat came back to life after he threw it overboard to drown, to a tale of cats being used in the future to defend humans from evil outer-space creatures that look like rats, to three cats who save the life of a musician who is locked in his attic by his parents, to a renegade alien creature hiding out in the shape of a cat on Earth, to a cat who believes he will someday grow up to be a human, and many, many more. The stories are quite entertaining, and worth a good read if you like short story collections.
There were two "types" of stories contained in this collection, in my opinion. The first type I didn't particularly care for, and that is the type of story that isn't so much a story. It's just a bit of prose telling what the author likes about cats. "Blah blah the cat is a sleek creature, who lies around all day but at night comes alive and chases creatures and blah blah blah" just... telling about cats. This stretched also to the author talking about a particular cat that they once had, and things that cat did. Only one of these stories caught my fancy, the cat was quite extrordinary. All of the other stories just talked about what I consider to be normal cats, although I am sure they were quite special to the authors. However, I forced myself to read each and every one of these stories
The other type was actually a story, and I far preferred this type of story. These stories range anywhere from the tale of a superstitious ship captain who is tricked into believing that the ship's cat came back to life after he threw it overboard to drown, to a tale of cats being used in the future to defend humans from evil outer-space creatures that look like rats, to three cats who save the life of a musician who is locked in his attic by his parents, to a renegade alien creature hiding out in the shape of a cat on Earth, to a cat who believes he will someday grow up to be a human, and many, many more. The stories are quite entertaining, and worth a good read if you like short story collections.
April 28, 2020
Being a crazy cat lady in training, I was excited to read this collection. However, the short story is not my favorite form of literature, since often as soon as I get into the swing of a story, it resolves, The End, and I have to start over with the next one. Also, in this particular anthology, some of the stories have the most fleeting focus on cats, as opposed to being true "cat stories". Different authors, different eras, different styles - I found some of the stories I disliked, and a few that were tedious reading. Unfortunately there were too few that I REALLY TRULY enjoyed. But it was a bit of diversion, and I imagine the variety will appeal to lots of different sorts of readers. I'm glad I read it, but I can't be too enthusiastic about recommending it to others.
December 26, 2020
My mother bought this book for me. While I’m not a fan of reading short stories, I got a bit more than half way through before giving it up. For a modern cat-lover, some of these stories are a hard read due to the treatment of the feline characters and attitudes toward them. There were too many that upset my sensibilities to keep on reading something I wasn’t really invested in.
July 31, 2023
This is a book that I obtained as it was being deaccessioned from the library where I work. One of the perks of working there is getting first dibs on such books.
As I began reading it, it was okay. There are 35 short stories in this book, and they are written by a wide variety of authors. For example, the first story, "The Cat That Walked by Himself," is by Rudyard Kipling. There is one by Edgar Allan Poe ("The Black Cat"). There is one by Mark Twain, called "Dick Baker's Cat." There are two by Saki, one by Dorothy L. Sayers, one by Lilian Jackson Braun, one by Stephen Vincent Benet, along with Fritz Leiber and P.G. Wodehouse.
The first one that really caught my attention was the Poe tale, "The Black Cat." This story is very typical Poe, and is reminiscent of stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart." "The Cat," by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman was also very good and was written from the cat's point of view (albeit not in first person). It was quite heartwarming.
One of the two Saki tales, "Tobermory," was very good, but sad. It involved a cat who had been taught how to talk. One of two by W.W. Jacobs, "A Black Affair," involved a case of mistaken (or perhaps "falsified") cat identity, and was quite hilarious.
There are two consecutive stories by Paul Gallico, "When in Doubt--Wash!" and "Jennie's Lessons to Peter on How to Behave Like a Cat," which were most excellent. In these two stories that both involved the same peop--I mean, cats, it is apparent that young Peter has somehow been transmogrified into a cat, and Jennie, a real and always cat, is trying to teach him how to "cat." I can verify from having lived in a house with many cats that "When in Doubt--Wash!" is quite truthful. A cat can divert any situation by simply stopping and taking a bath.
"The Witch's Cat," by Manly Wade Wellman, was also a fantastic story, involving a witch's attempt to steal a young maiden's man, and her cat's attempts to foil her, mostly because she mistreated him so.
Now, this book was moving along at a solid three stars for me. I liked it, but, at shortly before the halfway point, I wouldn't say that I REALLY liked it. Then I turned the page from the Dorothy L. Sayers tale, "The Cyprian Cat," and started reading "Novice," by James H. Schmitz. It was as if I had fallen into another book, entirely. You see, "Novice" is straight up Science Fiction! And it is a wonderful story about a girl whose pet cat was of a species that was thought to be completely extinct on a particular planet. It turns out that they weren't extinct, but had, rather, developed the ability to completely hide themselves from humans, so as to not be hunted into extinction.
"The Game of Rat and Dragon," by Cordwainer Smith, was another Science Fiction story, but was a little bit hard to follow. "Podolo," by L.P. Hartley edged into the arena of horror. In "Out of Place," by Pamela Sargent, quite suddenly humans could "hear" the thoughts of all of the animals.
"The Cat Who Lived In A Drainpipe," by Joan Aiken, was a delightful tale of a trio of cats who, along with a team of mice and other animals, saved the life of an adolescent boy who had been locked in his room by his parents, who then went on vacation.
And, in "Some Are Born Cats," by Terry and Carol Carr, another Science Fiction story, a couple of cats turn out to be from another planet, and one was chasing the other. The ending turned out to be quite satisfactory for all.
So the addition of a few Science Fiction stories made a big difference in my enjoyment of this book. I liked it, already, but that upped the ante a bit.
This is truly, as the title suggests, a treasury of great cat stories, and I recommend it for any cat lovers out there.
As I began reading it, it was okay. There are 35 short stories in this book, and they are written by a wide variety of authors. For example, the first story, "The Cat That Walked by Himself," is by Rudyard Kipling. There is one by Edgar Allan Poe ("The Black Cat"). There is one by Mark Twain, called "Dick Baker's Cat." There are two by Saki, one by Dorothy L. Sayers, one by Lilian Jackson Braun, one by Stephen Vincent Benet, along with Fritz Leiber and P.G. Wodehouse.
The first one that really caught my attention was the Poe tale, "The Black Cat." This story is very typical Poe, and is reminiscent of stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart." "The Cat," by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman was also very good and was written from the cat's point of view (albeit not in first person). It was quite heartwarming.
One of the two Saki tales, "Tobermory," was very good, but sad. It involved a cat who had been taught how to talk. One of two by W.W. Jacobs, "A Black Affair," involved a case of mistaken (or perhaps "falsified") cat identity, and was quite hilarious.
There are two consecutive stories by Paul Gallico, "When in Doubt--Wash!" and "Jennie's Lessons to Peter on How to Behave Like a Cat," which were most excellent. In these two stories that both involved the same peop--I mean, cats, it is apparent that young Peter has somehow been transmogrified into a cat, and Jennie, a real and always cat, is trying to teach him how to "cat." I can verify from having lived in a house with many cats that "When in Doubt--Wash!" is quite truthful. A cat can divert any situation by simply stopping and taking a bath.
"The Witch's Cat," by Manly Wade Wellman, was also a fantastic story, involving a witch's attempt to steal a young maiden's man, and her cat's attempts to foil her, mostly because she mistreated him so.
Now, this book was moving along at a solid three stars for me. I liked it, but, at shortly before the halfway point, I wouldn't say that I REALLY liked it. Then I turned the page from the Dorothy L. Sayers tale, "The Cyprian Cat," and started reading "Novice," by James H. Schmitz. It was as if I had fallen into another book, entirely. You see, "Novice" is straight up Science Fiction! And it is a wonderful story about a girl whose pet cat was of a species that was thought to be completely extinct on a particular planet. It turns out that they weren't extinct, but had, rather, developed the ability to completely hide themselves from humans, so as to not be hunted into extinction.
"The Game of Rat and Dragon," by Cordwainer Smith, was another Science Fiction story, but was a little bit hard to follow. "Podolo," by L.P. Hartley edged into the arena of horror. In "Out of Place," by Pamela Sargent, quite suddenly humans could "hear" the thoughts of all of the animals.
"The Cat Who Lived In A Drainpipe," by Joan Aiken, was a delightful tale of a trio of cats who, along with a team of mice and other animals, saved the life of an adolescent boy who had been locked in his room by his parents, who then went on vacation.
And, in "Some Are Born Cats," by Terry and Carol Carr, another Science Fiction story, a couple of cats turn out to be from another planet, and one was chasing the other. The ending turned out to be quite satisfactory for all.
So the addition of a few Science Fiction stories made a big difference in my enjoyment of this book. I liked it, already, but that upped the ante a bit.
This is truly, as the title suggests, a treasury of great cat stories, and I recommend it for any cat lovers out there.
Read
October 26, 2014Treasure of Great Cat Stories 12072011 Roger Caras
Good from Linda, I've read some before!!!
Reread: Treasury of Great Cat Stories 03022012 by Roger Caras
03022012
The Cat that Walked by Himself Rudyard Kipling
The cat will always kill mice and be kind to babies, 3 of 5 men will throw things at him, dogs will chase him; he will always walk by himself!
The Cat by the Fire Leigh Hunt
Man buys oysters for his cat but his servant won't. Cats sit on the rug.
The White Cat by W. W. Jacobs
Old man Clark leaves his affairs to his cat until it dies because nephew was mean to it. Nephew wants to kill it. Cat lives 5 more years in care of old man Clarks friend.
The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe Man likes animals then starts drinking and puts cat eye out tries to hang it. Kills his wife and bricks her up in basement. Police come looking for her and cat yowls because it was bricked up too.
Cats Philip by Gilbert Hamerton
Cats walk carefully, love outside, monestary and cat coffin with jewels - then I am king of the cats and killing food, one even fished.
The Cat by Mary e. Wilkins Freeman
Man leaves cat aone in summer cabin for the winter. Another man comes and cat shares it's catches and bed with him and man makes fire.
Calvin, th Cat by Charles Dudley Warner
Calvin was respectful and loved by owner
Ye Marvelous Legend of Tom Connor's Cat Samuel Lover
Cat was really a not very nice witch which talked to Tom and gets chased and eaten by dogs.
Dick Baker's Cat by Mark Twain
Cat named Tom Quartz. Cat got blasted once in the quartz mine but never repeated it. As soon as fuse was lit he would take off.
The Conscientious Cat by Agnes A. Sandham
Puss would watch for slide and run and lead the men away because they could see her because she was white.
He Wrote to the Rats by Julian Ralph
Old german woman tells man to write to rats to please leave his house. It does not work. Only works with German rats? Dumb!
The Philanthropist and the Happy Cat by Saki
Jocantha is young wife that wants more. Attab is contented cat.
Tobermory by Saki
Tobermory learned to talk taught by Appin (young man) so they kill him because of their secrets he might spill. Appin is later killed by an elephant at the Dresden Zoological Garden.
Midshipman, the Cat by John Coleman Adams
Cat is rescued from boys by yachtmen and cruises with them all summer. Given to lady in apartment by soon disappears and probably went to the docks.
A black Affair by W. W. Jacobs
Boat captain has uncles sick parrot. Satan is ships black cat and he doesn't like parrot. He mauls it. Captain wants to kill it. Cook steals black cat from shore and captain kill it thinking it is Satan. Then he see Satan and thinks it is a ghost. Jig is up and they punish youngster not so bad and all is well.
"When in Doubt-Wash!" by Paul Gallico
Jennie gives Peter a lesson in cat a tude.
Jennie's Lessons to Peter on How to behave Like a Cat by Paul Gallico
Jennie takes Peter on a ship. Peter kills a rat and scores points with captain. Jennie falls overboard and he goes after her and captain rescues them because of Peter. They get back to London and head for Peter's human home.
The Witch's Cat by Manly Wade Wellman
Witch is mean to cat. Cat saves girl by forcing witch to fall in water and die. Cat gets these kind people to live with
A Feline Felony by Lael J. Littke
Kind of dumb Jerome Kotter looked like a cat! Benny is rat like and mean to Jerome. Benny says he'll kill Marie for complaining about him at work so he got fired. Benny is going to kill her. Jerome jumps him and Marie likes Jerome.
The Cyprian Cat by Dorothy L. Sayers
Mans friend gets married and wife doesn't like travel. She is really a Cyprian cat. He joins them where his friend works and the cats drive him nuts at night. He finally shoots one and it turns into his friends wife!
Novice by James H. Schmitz
Space time. TT is large cat type animal pet of Telzey. Telzey and TT go on vacation to vacation planet. Turns out this is where TT is from and others like him (crest cats) are there. They used to be hunted!! Then they were slaughtered. They didn't mind one on one but not the slaughter. Make treaty. TT stays there to explore his kind. Telzey makes aunt Halet nice.
The Fat Cat by Q. Patrick
Soldier takes in cat a pet in war zone. Cat saves them by grabbing booby trapped chicken and lives to stay with them/
My Father, the Cat by Henry Slesar
Guys dad is a very cultured cat mom was human. He brings girl friend to visit and dad says he must be a cat. So it goes at least she likes the dad cat.
The Sin of Madame Phloi by Lilian Jackson Braun
Nasty neighbor kills her son by luring him out window on ledge with milk then bashing him off. Madame Phloi lures him out as he tries to get her too and ledge gives way because he is fat and down he goes.
The King of the Cats by Stephen Vincent Benet
Monsieur Tibault has a tail and is a conductor. Tommy says he saw cat funeral with cat size coffin and crown. Tibault says "Then I am king of the cats" and disappears. Tommy does not get the dumb princess she goes on a cruise.
The Game of Rat and Dragon by Cordwainer Smith
SciFi use cats because they are quicker than humans. So human flyer is paired with a cat to go get bad guys.
Podolo by L. P. Hartley
2 guys and woman go to island. There is a poor starvig cat. Girl tries to catch it but can't so decideds to put it out of it's misery. It gets her!! What to tell her husband.
Space-Time for Springers by Fritz Leiber
Gummitch was smart kitten, man in kitten clothing. Sissy was bad sister and hurt baby. Gummitch takes Sissys bad spirit and then becomes all cat.
Spooner by Eleanor Farjeon
Man inheirits house from uncle who was a ball fan. His cat Spooner helps get the bat etc to the old guy with the help of the dog.
The Story of Webster by P. G. Wodehouse
Webster uncles cat the cat becomes a drunk! Didn't like.
Out of Place by Pamela Sargent
People start hearing animal thoughts about us and they are not always nice.
Cat Nipped by Jack Schaefer
Army trouble with mice in grain. People come in transit west and have a CAT. They want the cat and have to take the girl to get the cat which is about to have kittens.
The Cat Who Lived in a Drainpipe by Joan Aiken
Seppi, Nero, Umberto make music in Venice. Seppi doesn't have a home but eventually goes to live with Tommaso and Margherita and live the good life.
Some are Born Cats by Terry and Carol Carr
Aliens come here to be cats?
Autumn: The Garden of Stubborn Cats by Italo Calvino
Cats take over the marchesa's place and eventually stay.
Good from Linda, I've read some before!!!
Reread: Treasury of Great Cat Stories 03022012 by Roger Caras
03022012
The Cat that Walked by Himself Rudyard Kipling
The cat will always kill mice and be kind to babies, 3 of 5 men will throw things at him, dogs will chase him; he will always walk by himself!
The Cat by the Fire Leigh Hunt
Man buys oysters for his cat but his servant won't. Cats sit on the rug.
The White Cat by W. W. Jacobs
Old man Clark leaves his affairs to his cat until it dies because nephew was mean to it. Nephew wants to kill it. Cat lives 5 more years in care of old man Clarks friend.
The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe Man likes animals then starts drinking and puts cat eye out tries to hang it. Kills his wife and bricks her up in basement. Police come looking for her and cat yowls because it was bricked up too.
Cats Philip by Gilbert Hamerton
Cats walk carefully, love outside, monestary and cat coffin with jewels - then I am king of the cats and killing food, one even fished.
The Cat by Mary e. Wilkins Freeman
Man leaves cat aone in summer cabin for the winter. Another man comes and cat shares it's catches and bed with him and man makes fire.
Calvin, th Cat by Charles Dudley Warner
Calvin was respectful and loved by owner
Ye Marvelous Legend of Tom Connor's Cat Samuel Lover
Cat was really a not very nice witch which talked to Tom and gets chased and eaten by dogs.
Dick Baker's Cat by Mark Twain
Cat named Tom Quartz. Cat got blasted once in the quartz mine but never repeated it. As soon as fuse was lit he would take off.
The Conscientious Cat by Agnes A. Sandham
Puss would watch for slide and run and lead the men away because they could see her because she was white.
He Wrote to the Rats by Julian Ralph
Old german woman tells man to write to rats to please leave his house. It does not work. Only works with German rats? Dumb!
The Philanthropist and the Happy Cat by Saki
Jocantha is young wife that wants more. Attab is contented cat.
Tobermory by Saki
Tobermory learned to talk taught by Appin (young man) so they kill him because of their secrets he might spill. Appin is later killed by an elephant at the Dresden Zoological Garden.
Midshipman, the Cat by John Coleman Adams
Cat is rescued from boys by yachtmen and cruises with them all summer. Given to lady in apartment by soon disappears and probably went to the docks.
A black Affair by W. W. Jacobs
Boat captain has uncles sick parrot. Satan is ships black cat and he doesn't like parrot. He mauls it. Captain wants to kill it. Cook steals black cat from shore and captain kill it thinking it is Satan. Then he see Satan and thinks it is a ghost. Jig is up and they punish youngster not so bad and all is well.
"When in Doubt-Wash!" by Paul Gallico
Jennie gives Peter a lesson in cat a tude.
Jennie's Lessons to Peter on How to behave Like a Cat by Paul Gallico
Jennie takes Peter on a ship. Peter kills a rat and scores points with captain. Jennie falls overboard and he goes after her and captain rescues them because of Peter. They get back to London and head for Peter's human home.
The Witch's Cat by Manly Wade Wellman
Witch is mean to cat. Cat saves girl by forcing witch to fall in water and die. Cat gets these kind people to live with
A Feline Felony by Lael J. Littke
Kind of dumb Jerome Kotter looked like a cat! Benny is rat like and mean to Jerome. Benny says he'll kill Marie for complaining about him at work so he got fired. Benny is going to kill her. Jerome jumps him and Marie likes Jerome.
The Cyprian Cat by Dorothy L. Sayers
Mans friend gets married and wife doesn't like travel. She is really a Cyprian cat. He joins them where his friend works and the cats drive him nuts at night. He finally shoots one and it turns into his friends wife!
Novice by James H. Schmitz
Space time. TT is large cat type animal pet of Telzey. Telzey and TT go on vacation to vacation planet. Turns out this is where TT is from and others like him (crest cats) are there. They used to be hunted!! Then they were slaughtered. They didn't mind one on one but not the slaughter. Make treaty. TT stays there to explore his kind. Telzey makes aunt Halet nice.
The Fat Cat by Q. Patrick
Soldier takes in cat a pet in war zone. Cat saves them by grabbing booby trapped chicken and lives to stay with them/
My Father, the Cat by Henry Slesar
Guys dad is a very cultured cat mom was human. He brings girl friend to visit and dad says he must be a cat. So it goes at least she likes the dad cat.
The Sin of Madame Phloi by Lilian Jackson Braun
Nasty neighbor kills her son by luring him out window on ledge with milk then bashing him off. Madame Phloi lures him out as he tries to get her too and ledge gives way because he is fat and down he goes.
The King of the Cats by Stephen Vincent Benet
Monsieur Tibault has a tail and is a conductor. Tommy says he saw cat funeral with cat size coffin and crown. Tibault says "Then I am king of the cats" and disappears. Tommy does not get the dumb princess she goes on a cruise.
The Game of Rat and Dragon by Cordwainer Smith
SciFi use cats because they are quicker than humans. So human flyer is paired with a cat to go get bad guys.
Podolo by L. P. Hartley
2 guys and woman go to island. There is a poor starvig cat. Girl tries to catch it but can't so decideds to put it out of it's misery. It gets her!! What to tell her husband.
Space-Time for Springers by Fritz Leiber
Gummitch was smart kitten, man in kitten clothing. Sissy was bad sister and hurt baby. Gummitch takes Sissys bad spirit and then becomes all cat.
Spooner by Eleanor Farjeon
Man inheirits house from uncle who was a ball fan. His cat Spooner helps get the bat etc to the old guy with the help of the dog.
The Story of Webster by P. G. Wodehouse
Webster uncles cat the cat becomes a drunk! Didn't like.
Out of Place by Pamela Sargent
People start hearing animal thoughts about us and they are not always nice.
Cat Nipped by Jack Schaefer
Army trouble with mice in grain. People come in transit west and have a CAT. They want the cat and have to take the girl to get the cat which is about to have kittens.
The Cat Who Lived in a Drainpipe by Joan Aiken
Seppi, Nero, Umberto make music in Venice. Seppi doesn't have a home but eventually goes to live with Tommaso and Margherita and live the good life.
Some are Born Cats by Terry and Carol Carr
Aliens come here to be cats?
Autumn: The Garden of Stubborn Cats by Italo Calvino
Cats take over the marchesa's place and eventually stay.
June 2, 2023
People who know me well know that:
1. I will read anything about cats.
2. I run a cat rescue.
3. I’ve been building a library of cat books for people to browse when they visit my cat rescue.
This book was gifted to me to be included in my growing cat library.
Three stars seems like a reasonable rating from me. Quite honestly, I hated half of the book and loved the other half.
There’s another review that says that the title of this book should have been “Stories With Cats In Them”. I agree with that assessment. This is not a book filled with cute, sweet stories about cats. Many of these stories were written 100-200 years ago- times when animals were viewed differently. Times when drowning problem cats was a norm accepted by society. Times when abusing stray cats was also accepted. Many, many of these stories had some pretty horrific animal abuse in them.
To be fair, I was somewhat prepared for the animal abuse. Edgar Allen Poe’s “Black Cat” is included in the book, and having read it before, I knew to expect some traumatizing animal abuse there. It seemed logical to me that there would be other, similar stories…and there were.
On the flip side, there were quite a few delightful stories that introduced me to authors that I am now seeking to read more from. Paul Gallico’s “Jennie” story is just one of the wonderful stories I discovered.
I wouldn’t deter anyone from reading this book, but go into it prepared for an extremely wide variety of stories. There will be stories with traumatizing animal abuse and stories with people who loved and would do anything for their cats. The spectrum is pretty vast and as long as you go into it with that awareness, you’ll likely find the book at least halfway enjoyable.
1. I will read anything about cats.
2. I run a cat rescue.
3. I’ve been building a library of cat books for people to browse when they visit my cat rescue.
This book was gifted to me to be included in my growing cat library.
Three stars seems like a reasonable rating from me. Quite honestly, I hated half of the book and loved the other half.
There’s another review that says that the title of this book should have been “Stories With Cats In Them”. I agree with that assessment. This is not a book filled with cute, sweet stories about cats. Many of these stories were written 100-200 years ago- times when animals were viewed differently. Times when drowning problem cats was a norm accepted by society. Times when abusing stray cats was also accepted. Many, many of these stories had some pretty horrific animal abuse in them.
To be fair, I was somewhat prepared for the animal abuse. Edgar Allen Poe’s “Black Cat” is included in the book, and having read it before, I knew to expect some traumatizing animal abuse there. It seemed logical to me that there would be other, similar stories…and there were.
On the flip side, there were quite a few delightful stories that introduced me to authors that I am now seeking to read more from. Paul Gallico’s “Jennie” story is just one of the wonderful stories I discovered.
I wouldn’t deter anyone from reading this book, but go into it prepared for an extremely wide variety of stories. There will be stories with traumatizing animal abuse and stories with people who loved and would do anything for their cats. The spectrum is pretty vast and as long as you go into it with that awareness, you’ll likely find the book at least halfway enjoyable.
May 25, 2023
I went into this expecting heartwarming cat stories but only made it to the third short story written by Edgar Allen Poe, which included graphic descriptions of animal abuse. I have no tolerance for animal cruelty in real life or fiction, and I’m completely turned off from reading this any further.
July 17, 2021
Five stars is not enough! Most of the stories I loved but a few I tolerated. This is normal when reading an anthology. Brilliant idea to put the focus on some fantastic felines. Saki's story was my favorite one. It's titled "Tobermory."
January 17, 2021
This is a wonderful collection of fantastic cat stories which span a variety of genres from horror to humour. Very enjoyable read.
May 17, 2021
Just dry and boring
December 17, 2022
It has such a mix of stories, so I had some favorites and took my time dipping in ant out of this collection.
April 23, 2021
I couldn't give this collection of cat stories a 5* because I didn't think all of them were so great. Several I adored, especially the sci-fi stories and ones by Paul Gallico and Joan Aiken. And these were well worth just skimming the mediocre pieces.
January 14, 2008
Hit and miss, as all such collections are wont to be. The contributions by Saki and by Dorothy L. Sayers were my personal favorites. Others ranged from a little too gothic to a little too cute.
November 1, 2012
Large (496 pages) collection of very very good cat stories.
July 23, 2013
Well put together anthology. A couple clunkers, but that's really not bad considering the volume of the work.
And, of course, CATS.
And, of course, CATS.
February 28, 2023
Cat stories from almost every genre from comic to horror to science fiction, and more.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews