Lost Cat!: A Comforting Picture Book About a Pet's Adventures in Egypt, China, and Space for Kids

by Jacqueline K. Rayner

The saga of a cat who doesn't show up for dinner and the little girl who wishes she knew where he might be—but the reader knows!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Cats, Storytime, Childrens, Adventure, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 14, 2023

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a little girl is bereft when her cat disappears, Fred is living his best life. Will the two ever be reunited?

[Rosemary Standeven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book – not many words, but some great illustrations that will appeal to kids and adults alike, as a little girl imagines where her lost cat might be. The cat certainly gets around – visiting all sorts of famous landmarks, and even hitching a ride with aliens before finding its way back home. It will be such fun for adults reading this book to children, naming and talking about all the places the cat might be.
It reminds me of an apocryphal story when I was at university, about some students who stole a garden gnome. Then, with the help of many friends who were on their OE (overseas experience – a rite of passage for antipodean ex-students), postcards were sent to the gnome’s owners at regular intervals from all over the world – signed ‘your Gnome’. After about a year, the gnome was returned – back from its ‘holiday’.
Anyway, I highly recommend the ‘Lost Cat’ book

[Blanco Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, this book made me a little sad. It upset me that Fred didn't care at all about how worried his Hooman was. He was gone so long, she began to lose hope. That is such a terrible feeling. And contrary to our reputation, we do care about our Hoomans.

However, once I read that Fred is based on a real adventurer named Hermes, who found his way home, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the illustrations of all his escapades.

I particularly liked Fred's photo with elephants and his typical tourist pose "holding up" the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

[Esther O. Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The aliens petting the cat at the end!

[Tayler K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of this book actually made me pretty uncomfortable, as someone who's had cats go missing and not always come back. And to think that Fred the cat was off having fun vacations while his person was at home worried and heartbroken! Until Fred was lost in the desert and then he was sad too! Things just kept getting worse!

But, I mean, aliens will pretty much always win me over.

I have no idea how the 'lost cat' poster was supposed to have made it into outer space lol but I'm glad Fred saw it and that the nice aliens returned him home.

Maybe I'm taking everything too seriously (I usually do) and this is all supposed to be a fun story to retroactively explain the cat's adventures after he's home safe. Yes, I like that version MUCH better. It really should say that at the beginning...

I really struggled with whether to rate this 2, 3, or 4 stars but... aliens + cats is a pretty stellar combination (pun intended), and now with my happy justification of the story, gonna be a 4.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where did the lost cat go? Look at the illustrations early on to make a good guess: Travel books strewn on the floor. Then, a fantasy of color and movement across the world and into space. . . but whew!: home for dinner. So if you are ever worried where your cat went, as this girl clearly is. . . no worries, she's on an adventure! Fun book.

PS: This is too obviously self-indulgent to mention, so sorry, but I saw this at the library and thought of our recently deceased cat Hermione (in the family fifteen years). RIP, Hermione, a grumpy cat with the softest gray fur of any cat I have lived with. I was never close to her until the last year, after she got vulnerable, high blood pressure casing blindness in one eye, but we were close at the end.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A girl is very worried when her cat doesn't come at dinner time. She's even more distraught when he remains missing in the following days. But readers know the cat is having the vacation of a lifetime, until he does get lost and gets some extraordinary help getting home.

I liked the twist in the story and the unexpected help aliens beam the cat up from where it is lost in the desert and beam it back down to home. It's an imaginative story about where a cat would go on vacation. The art style is fun.

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations were cute though the story seemed a little mean-spirited to me. As a little girl searches in vain for her missing puss, it turns out that he's gallivanting all over the globe. All's well that ends well, though, so don't let a few tense moments keep you from reading this to a youngster.

[Beth Bissmeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful book! In this sweet picture book, a little girl worries where her cat, Fred, has gone when he doesn't show up for dinner. While we see the girl feel sad and work to find her lost cat, we also see pictures of the grand adventures Fred has been taking, from visiting the Great Pyramids to skydiving to scuba diving. How Fred makes his way back home was an unexpected and charming twist that will leave you feeling cheerful.

[Blane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the throwback illustrations that reminded me of Miroslav Sasek's classic 'This Is...' series from the 1960s. Spoiler alert: Fred makes it back home safely after a wild adventure that includes aliens. But, what if he did not? I'm curious how the typical preschooler might handle this situation if Fred were their cat.

[Kelly]

I can see this book being imagined. What if my cat got lost, what adventures could it possibly go on? That's probably what the author imagined exactly when her cat put her in the same position. It's really cute and thankfully has a happy ending. I think it would be great for a kindergarten whole book approach, too, because so much of the story is tied up in the pictures.

[Pug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aww, cute cat Fred! I liked the black and white and red [all over] illustrations, and the simple, sparse words. It's a fun perspective, speculating on where he might go: vacations, sight-seeing, outer space???? Cats can and do disappear for days, and you have no idea where they go. Not that they would ever tell, either.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I felt sad about Fred the cat going off and forgetting his girl, but the way the story plays out, it is a satisfying read. The art is wonderful with its limited color pallet, offering simplicity and emotion.

[Tran Khanh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are really cute. The book is about a girl who worries because her cat hasn’t come home for dinner. It also shows her imagination of all the places her cat might have gone. To sum up, this book is a sweet and charming story, perfect for anyone who loves cats.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dynamically illustrated lost cat story with a fun twist.

[KMitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical story that imagines what cats get up to when they are 'lost.’ Great for kids who love cats, or for kids with short attention spans - illustration-rich pages with limited text.

[Y.Poston]

cute missing kitty adventure

[Lynn Hardesty · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a little girl is worried about her kitty, we see where said kitty may be. All the while, I was chuckling as I envisioned my own fur babies going on adventures such as these!

[Leova Manbhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story about a cat who goes on a epic adventure but leaves it's owner thinking that it is lost.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally know what happened during George's recent disappearance over 3 very cold, coyote-call-filled nights. (That was stressful.)

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you and your kids ever wonder what your cat is up to when they go away for a few days, this is the book for you.

[Jj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the adventures of CAT when it goes on walkabout in this story.

[SamSamSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such evocative illustrations! I loved the moments of wordless storytelling. Prek+. Narrative skills

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 3.5
Illustrations 4

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly book about what a kitty was up to while it as out of the house

[Syntha Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there a happy ending? Spoiler alert: Yes, however the delightful fun of this book is the twists and turns it takes along the way to get there.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lost cat returns home in time for dinner.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little girl worries about her lost cat while said cat goes on an unbelievable adventure.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

alright

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how I feel about it. Yes, I liked how it went on an adventure, but he could have really hurt the poor kid who looked so hard for them!