A Path With Paws

With the holidays approaching, I wanted to share some of my favorite cats books. I have to admit I am drawn to the many cat mystery books out there.

Catwings
Some of my favorite books ever, the catwings series, are write for children but also can melt the heart of an adult. Ursula LeGuin is one of my favorite authors but I have to admit that some of her best books are those that she has written for young adults or children.

In the Catwing books she introduces us to a family of four kittens who are born in the slums but happen to have wings and not just ordinary wings but fuzzy wings! These four books take us through their adventures as they try to find a place of their own in a world where they can be truly accepted and loved for who they are. Ursula’s words are beautifully written and the illustrations in these books make you want to reach out and cuddle these special kitties!

“Yet even though LeGuin’s stories are not sentimentalized, neither do they shock or brutalize in their truthfulness. Rather, as she makes danger and loss and injury and fear and all the passages of life seem natural and unavoidable, LeGuin also lets us see that life can still be well-lived, and individuals can still act rightly and lovingly and bravely, and can bear with dignity whatever losses come. Not a bad set of truths for children to learn in a couple of gentle, well-told tales.” – Orson Scott Card

These books are a purrfect gift for cat lovers of all ages!

The Joe Grey Mysteries
I love Joe Grey! Who wouldn’t love a talking cat who solves mysteries and occasionally also orders cavier from the deli, charging it on his person’s credit card. Joe Grey is an ordinary tom cat who one day discovers that he not only can talk but can also think like humans. This comes as quite a shock to him and even more of a shock to his bachelor owner Clyde. So what is a smart talking talking tomcat to do? Why turn to crime solving!

With the help of his friend Dulcie, another cat who discovers she can also talk, he turns to solving murders in the village he lives in. Like most long running murder mystery series there is the small problem of why so many people die in such a small town. Unlike many murder mysteries this series is very well written by Shirley Rousseau Murphy and quite entertaining to read. I have fallen in love with these books and with Joe Grey.

Shirley is able to keep the books fresh and witty by introducing new characters and problems and weaving ancient cat legend and folklore in throughout the stories.

While these books can be read in any order, it is the most fun to read them in order starting with Cat on the Edge.

This series is by far the best in the number of growing animal crime solving books!

The Catswold Portal

A wonderful fantasy people about a race of beings, The Catswold, who can change between people and cats, The Catswold Portal was an early novel written by Shirley Rousseau Murphy who later wrote Joe Grey. I read this book after reading many of the Joe Grey books and really enjoy how it tied into the legend of the Joe Grey series. A exciting tale of adventure and of the forces of good and evil. Did I mention that all the women of the Catswold race have calico hair?

Well worth reading on its own or while working through the Joe Grey books!

The Mrs Murphy Series

A cat mystery series co-written by a cat?

I worked my way through this series awhile back and really enjoyed it. The cats and dog in this series also talk but not to the humans. This is yet another series of animals solving murders but unlike Joe Grey Mrs. Murphy, Tucker, and Pewter have more difficultly because of the language barrier. Mrs Murphy and Pewter are smart talking cats who live with their person Harry and Tea Tucker the corgi in a small town in Virginia. Together the three of them help Harry solve murders in the small town and protect Harry who tends to get into trouble.

Written by Rita Mae Brown and filled with interesting charactors such as Simon the possum and Harry’s ex-husband the local veterinarian, this is also a well written and delightful series of books.

Simon’s cat

Worth mentioning again, Simon’s cat, is absolutely delightful! By far my favorite cartoon cat and now with his first book. There are no words in this book but the drawings will make you laugh. This guy really knows cats! If you have ever been owned by a cat before this book is a must have.

Coming soon – some of my favorite dog books and other wonderful animal books

If you have a favorite animal book – please send it to me or leave it in the comments!