What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

This book was a YA fantasy novel that I read when I was younger. All I remember was that the main character was a cat and he was going on some kind of journey, possibly to save his love or his people, etc. I remember he made friends as he went along, and I think they were other animals (birds, etc). It reminds me of a Hobbit type story when I think about it.

Anyway, I have NO idea what it is and it's driving me crazy! If anyone has any insight, please share! :)

~Erin

P.S. It is not Tailchaser's Song.

What about The Wild Road?

It could be Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams.
From Publishers Weekly
Fritti Tailchaser a young ginger tom not yet a full grown hunter, is the main catamong a host of appropriately named feline peersin this extravagantly detailed fantasy. When his best friend, Hushpad, vanishes, Fritti embarks on a quest to find her, and so enters the list of jousters against the evils of the world. His many trials and adventures bring him into contact with a veritable galaxy of cats, who speak a language for which a glossary is provided. This feline epic culminates in a decisive battle with an evil cat god. Creating as fully realized a habitat as that of Watership Down and other imaginative animal communities, California radio personality Williams's first novel should engage the fancy of cat lovers. November 21
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Erin wrote: "P.S. It is not Tailchaser's Song."

;)

Oops!

Could it be:

Ratha's Creature by Clare Bell

or

Varjak Paw

Is it Into The Wild by Erin Hunter?

I'm pretty sure it's not Ratha's Creature or Varjak Paw but after some reading, I think it may be The Wild Road - I'm trying to find a copy so I can dig deeper. Also, there is apparently a sequel to The Wild Road called The Golden Cat that sounds very familiar!

Thanks for all your help!

Erin, If it's The Wild Road or The Golden Cat, please come back and let us know. If you find it before members here find it, let us know. Also, please let us know if you're till looking because the members here are persistent and will continue to search for you, or someone who knows the book well may simply recognize it. Thanks.

Lisa, I will definitely come back and let everyone know as soon as I can verify that it is (or is not) The Wild Road or The Golden Cat. I was hoping descriptions would be enough but unfortunately I think I was young enough when I read this that my memory is too vague for simple descriptions! I couldn't find copies of either of the books at my library or the local book stores but I'm having a copy of each sent to me and then I'll check it out!

Erin, Thanks. Yes, that happened to me with one book here. I didn't think it was the book but I thought it might be. I bought a copy and as soon as I had in in my hands I knew that it was the book. I hope that it's the book or that we find it for you soon.

Regardless of whether they are the right ones, both of the books (The Wild Road, The Golden Cat) are enjoyable.

The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford: A Siamese cat, an old bull terrier, and a young Labrador retriever travel together 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to find their family.

What year did you read it?

It's not the Incredible Journey, Nancy but that's one of my all time favorites and a great book! Thanks for the suggestion though :)

As for what year I read it - I'm not sure what year it was but I couldn't have been more than 10 so I'd say somewhere between 90-92.

The more I look at the Golden Cat cover the more I think that might be it. I can't wait for my order to get here so I can verify.

On a side note this group is great - thank you for all of your help :)

I have "The Golden Cat" being published in 1999 and "The Wild Road" in 1997?

Well if that's the case, it's definitely not either of them. Good call April Ann, I didn't even think to look at publishing dates!

[image error] Cat and Canary by Michael Foreman, 1985.

Summary:A city cat who lives his fantasy of being able to fly with his best friend, a canary, finds that staying on the ground isn't so bad after all.

I just realized this one isn't YA.

Ratha's Creature by Clare Bell, 1983, is the first in the "Named" series.

Summary: Twenty-five million years in the past, a society of intelligent cats pushed close to extinction meets an enemy band of predatory cats in a decisive battle which will determine the future for both.

If it's not that, it could be something by Andre Norton. I know I read one or two books by her with cats on journeys.

Here's Adre Norton's fantastic fiction page.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/n/a...

Or one of the Compact Space series by C.J. Cherryh? They're set in space and have a race of cat people.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/c...

"Time Cat" by Lloyd Alexander?

I know it's not Varjak Paw - it's too new and I don't think it is Ratha's Creature because I'm 99% sure the cat was male, not female. It's not Time Cat because there was no time travel and I don't remember a boy being involved. And not the Compact Space series because space was not involved. I'm thankful for all the suggestions and help!

I have found interest in some of these books and will pick them up at some point to read them - even if we don't find out what the original book is, at least some good will come out of this discussion :)

I'm doing more research into the Andre Norton books to see if there is a lead there. As always, will post if I find anything/remember any other details.

Erin, is it Cat Walk by Mary Stolz? Here's the description: Yearning to be more than just a barnyard rat catcher, a young cat in search of a name embarks on a journey that finally leads him to a special place he can call a home.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14...

It might be! I'll have to see if I can find a copy to check it out. Thanks!

Erin, I hope so. Please return and let us know. Thanks.

Update: I've tried all of the suggestions and done some searching of my own and still haven't found this book. I'm still looking but now I'm starting to wonder if I'm just remembering wrong.

Could it have been a graphic story? Neil Gaiman wrote A Dream of a Thousand Cats in 1991, found in The Sandman, Vol. 3: Dream Country. A cat is on a quest to end the dominance of humans. The wikipedia entry has a longer synopsis.

Erin, are you still looking for this book?

Not really. I think I've exhausted all suggestions and have no additional information or leads so I've pretty much given up. Thanks to everyone that offered suggestions though, at the very least, I found some new books to read :)

Catkin by Antonia Barber was published 1996. It is a beautiful Celtic-esque story.
http://www.amazon.com/Catkin-Antonia-...

Could it be Solo's journey, by Joy Smith Aiken?

How about Akif Pirinçci's Felidae or, even better, the sequel Francis which I read in an edition called 'Felidae On The Road'?

The first is a crime novel with cats but the second one features the same cat hero heading off on a journey, meeting other animals.

Moving to Abandoned since Erin gave up in 2013. Maybe in the future she will respond to the subsequent suggestions.