There are so many dogs in literature, good dogs, bad dogs, magical dogs but not so many cats. I suppose their independent nature means that they don’t really lend themselves to being written about and they prefer their literary input to be that of furry bookmark, page turning assistant and lap warmer.
That doesn’t mean to say there aren’t any books about cats, there are, and here we have five purrfect books about pussycats for you to enjoy.
Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats – T.S Eliot
A wonderful collection of whimsical poems about feline psychology and sociology which started life as letters to his Godchildren in the early 1930s the poems that make up Old Possum were collected together and published together in book format in 1939. With poems about the Magical Mr Mistoffelees, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, the gravity of the task when naming cats and the wonderful Rum Tum Tugger Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats is filled with cats you’ll feel you’ve known for years and was the inspiration for the Lloyd Webber Musical Cats.
Buy Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats US
Buy Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats UK
The Nine Lives of Aristotle – Dick King-Smith
With the help of a friendly witch and the added bonus of having a whole nine lives Aristotle the kitten takes us along for a very wild ride as he negotiates the trials and tribulations of growing up. Bella Donna his owner is always there when he gets into trouble, whether tumbling down the chimney, tipping over a giant milk jug, or tearing away from a snarling watchdog – just as a truck comes areening by. Is it luck? Or maybe a little bit of magic?.
Buy The Nine Lives of Aristotle US
Buy The Nine Lives of Aristotle UK
Master and Margarita – Mikhail Bulgakov
A classic of Russian literature sees the devil dropping into Moscow accompanied by a plethora of demons including a certain Begemot (translated to Behemoth) who is a very large black cat who speaks, walks on two legs, and can even transform to human shape for brief periods; has a penchant for chess, vodka, pistols, and obnoxious sarcasm. He may be the least respected of the devil’s demons but he is a memorable character in this book that seems to initially be farcical and cartoonish but is in fact a very clever satirical observation of Stalinist Russia.
Mog – Judith Kerr
The wonderful Mog; cats abound in children’s literature but Mog is a stand out pussycat in every way. A chubby, chunky tabby cat Mog gets into a new scrape with every book published but be warned, if you embark on an adventure with this particular pussycat the final book in the series Goodbye Mog is going to make you cry.
A Street Cat Named Bob – James Bowen
There can’t be many people who don’t know who Bob is but if you’re one of the few who’ve missed this amazing cat’s story then you really do need to read this book. Credited with saving the author’s life Bob’s story begins with him lying injured in the hallway of James’ sheltered accommodation and follows both of them as they help each other through their recoveries and subsequent success, a real feel good story that is even better because it is true and has now been made into a film.
I do love a good cat story, if you have any that you particularly loved please share them with us in the comments section so I can add them to my already immense TBR list.
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One of my favorite children’s books about a crafty cat: Six Dinner Sid.
https://www.amazon.com/Six-Dinner-Sid-Inga-Moore/dp/0671796135
Well you also have tailchasers song by Tad Williams.
But actually my favourite literary cat comes from an Dutch strip (jan jans en de kinderen/Jan Jans and his family) were at first he is just simply the household pet, but in later years he even got his own strip in which he complains and philosophizes a lot about his castration. Even before J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter he didn’t dare to name it, and always speaks about being an you-know-what kind of cat. it made you-know-who a lot less scarier.