Books about cats, cats for children and adults of different genres, TOP 10

TOP 10 best modern books about cats

Modern writers continue to often turn to mysterious animals - cats - in their works. Good and sad, funny and sad stories appealed to numerous readers around the world.

The humorous book “The Unvarnished Cat” by Terry Pratchett is a guide to the cat world. In a funny way, it tells about the structure of cats, what they eat and how they sleep, and an entertaining classification of “real” yard fighters is given.

“Kysya” is a novel series by Vladimir Kunin, in which, in a humorous form, the St. Petersburg cat Martyn, Don Juan and philosopher, tells about his life in the dashing 90s.

The book "Varjak Paws" by SF Said tells about a little kitten, about his meeting with the spirit of the great Mesopotamian warrior cat Jalal, about struggle and adventure.

“The Elegance of the Hedgehog” is a fascinating novel by French writer and philosophy professor Muriel Barbery. The story is told from two people: a 12-year-old girl, Paloma, who is smart beyond her years and an elderly concierge, Renee Michel. One of the heroes of the novel is the cat Leo, named after Count Leo Tolstoy.

William Burroughs' autobiographical novel "The Cat Inside" is a prose about the complex relationships between people and animals. “We are cats inside. We are cats who cannot walk on our own, and we have only one shelter,” says the author, sadly remembering all his pets.

The book of the Italian writer Maria Vago “Notes of a Black Cat” in an ironic form tells about the problems of a young family in which a child was recently born. The main character, the cat, is used to being the “only child” in the house. The appearance of a baby disrupted the established way of life and led to jealousy, which eventually turned into love.

“Shamika - Queen of Cats” by Yuri Koval is the story of an ordinary tramp, a resident of the city slums, and a cat of extraordinary beauty.

American historian and journalist Cleveland Emory, founder of the Wildlife Foundation, wrote a wonderful story about the life of a cat named Polar Bear and called it “The Cat for Christmas.”

The world-famous trainer Yuri Kuklachev dedicated a book to his four-legged artists from Murkingrad, which is called “Yuri Kuklachev and his 120 cats.”

A very serious modern writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya wrote “The Story of the Cat Ignasy, the Chimney Sweep Fedya and the Lonely Mouse,” which can equally be called an adult book for children or a children’s book for adults. Help in this book is needed by a rich Mouse, who has a terrible pest Man in her house.

Trip to the dacha

It just so happens that in the summer, during the holiday season, Russian people spend more time at the dacha. During the existence of the USSR, it served to improve the financial situation of families and adjust the budget. Now many people go out of town to relax, breathe fresh air, in a word, staying at the dacha is a folk custom.

The Lastochkins also had a country house. True, it was not a luxurious cottage with a sauna and a swimming pool, but just a small village house, where all the amenities were in the yard. But nearby there was a forest where strong mushrooms and shaggy milk mushrooms grew, and a river flowed very close by and the whole family enjoyed swimming in it on hot days. In a word, there were all conditions for a good rest and the family took advantage of the opportunity every summer.

Lyuska has never been outside the city before. She did not like such an event as going out of town:

Firstly, the road to the dacha was gravel and Lyuska constantly got seasick, which is why she had to stop several times.
Secondly, at the dacha, for the first time in its short life, the cat saw that the world was so densely populated: a huge number of various living creatures were crawling and flying in the grass.
Thirdly, the local cat people did not at all recognize Lyuska’s title, they considered the Swallows’ place of residence to be their territory, and therefore on the very first day the cat had to come home pretty shabby.
Fourthly, the family turned out to have a rather evil neighbor.

This neighbor had long been angry that at one time Arkady Semenovich did not sell him the plot needed to grow vegetables for sale, and now he used any excuse to start a scandal.

The story about a pet took an unexpected turn one summer evening. Everyone was busy with their own business. Mom Olya was making jam, Arkady Semenovich loved to read in the evenings and was now studying the latest press, the children were playing checkers, Lyuska and Tishka were quietly dozing when the door swung open with a roar and a neighbor appeared on the threshold.

His eyes sparkled angrily and, without saying hello, he began to hurl accusations right from the threshold:

They say he has high blood pressure, and his children do not allow him to rest during the day, talking loudly.
The cucumber bed next to the fence has stopped bearing fruit and this is the work of the Lastochkins, who only dream of appropriating the harvest.
Son Mitka completely threw his ball into a flower bed with roses, which were intended for sale and therefore hopelessly spoiled.

Lyuska listened attentively to all the accusations, but when the neighbor began to shout that with such upbringing and carelessness Mitya would grow up to be a scoundrel, her patience ran out. She quietly crept up to the shoe mat and made a puddle in her neighbor’s shoe.

Having finished his tirade, the neighbor headed to the door and when he tried to put on his shoe, his foot fell into a fetid puddle. What happened next defies description. He threatened to file a complaint with the police to find justice for the family, to deal with the cat, and shouted that at any opportunity he would tear off its head.

It is not known how it would have ended, but an angry Tishka flew out of the room barking and the neighbor left. Frightened Lyuska got out from under the cupboard, where she had been hiding all this time, mother Olya took her in her arms and the cat, having calmed down, quietly purred.

The most famous cats are literary characters

One of the most recognizable and beloved characters in the world is the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

Puss in Boots, although a fairy-tale character from the French writer Charles Perrault, is famous in the world like no other. The work, written in the seventeenth century, remains beloved by readers centuries later. Numerous animated and feature films were made based on it, and in 1912, composer Cesar Cui even wrote an opera.

The only animal whose philosophy is studied at universities is the hero of the satirical novel “The Everyday Views of Murr the Cat, Together with Fragments of the Biography of Kapellmeister Johannes Kreisler, Which Accidentally Survived in Waste Paper” (1819-1821) by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann.

Murr is a direct descendant of Puss in Boots, whose full name is Hins von Ginzenfeld.

The Library Cat Who Shook the World is a 2008 book by Vicki Myron. This manuscript has been called an "encyclopedia of library life." The bitter story of the foundling Dewey and his mistress is real; the publishing house paid the author, the library director, $1.2 million for the right to publish.

One of the darkest literary heroes is the black cat from the work of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. This short and creepy story describes the story of an alcoholic and his unfortunate pet, another animal's cruel revenge for its fellow.

London-based writer and musician James Bowen created the famous novel A Street Cat Named Bob and How He Saved My Life, published in the United States in 2013 and immediately becoming a global bestseller. In 2021, the book was made into a feature film. This autobiography of James tells about a difficult period of his life - heroin addiction. But one day he picked up a homeless red-haired Bob, who became the musician’s loyal friend and colleague.

Continuation of the story - “The World According to Bob” and “Bob the Cat: In the Name of Love.” “Bob the Extraordinary Cat” and “My Name is Bob” are children’s versions of the author’s books.

The cat that walked by itself, Pushkin's scientist cat, the mystical Hippopotamus - all these are examples of the most famous and well-known literary characters.

Cats in Russian classics

Russian writers have repeatedly turned to the image of a cat in their works.

“Both day and night, the learned cat keeps walking around the chain...” This famous character from the preface to the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is the prototype of Bayun, the main character of many Slavic fairy tales, which were told to the future poet by his nanny Arina Rodionovna in childhood.

Another Russian celebrity, the cat Vasily from the legendary novel “Monday Begins on Saturday” by the Strugatsky brothers, is also a science fiction writer’s interpretation of the image of the Slavic Bayun. This intellectual, who knows many fairy tales, parables, tales, legends and stories, is truly “a reader, a reaper, and a player of the pipe.” The philosopher, polyglot and sclerotic fell in love with all admirers of the works of Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

The most mystical character not only in Russian, but also in world literature is the cat Behemoth from Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita”.

Hippopotamus is a funny glutton; at the end of the novel he appears in the form of a sad page, forever doomed to wander with his terrible master, Woland. The writer's wife claims that the prototype of the hero was the pet Flushka, although literary critic Marietta Chudakova believes that Behemoth inherited his complacency from Hoffmann's Murr.

The Silver Age enriched Russian literature with Andrei Bely’s novel “Kitten Letaev” and Igor Severyanin’s poems “Kitty, dear child...”.

In Russian literature and painting, starting from the second half of the nineteenth century, there has been simply cat-like abundance. This is “Tales of the Purring Cat” by N.P. Wagner, werecats from the stories of N.V. Gogol, Alexander Kuprin’s favorite Yu-Yu, works by A.P. Chekhov and N.S. Leskov, poems by Afanasy Fet, Alexander Blok, Sergei Yesenin, Vladislav Khodasevich, Marina Tsvetaeva and Teffi.

Modern authors do not forget about the image of an animal guide to the world of speculation and mysticism. A striking example of this is Victoria Tokareva’s story “Cat on the Road”, works by Viktor Pelevin, Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Eduard Uspensky.

Children's books about cats

Cats are also widely known in world literature - heroes of fairy tales.

The ancient history of human domestication of animals - cats, dogs, horses, cows - is presented in an entertaining form in one of the most famous works of mankind - Rudyard Joseph Kipling's book “The Cat That Walked By Itself”.

The story of the cat Thomasina, the girl Mary, who lost her mother early, and the veterinarian who did not like animals, is described by Paul Gallico in the book “Thomasina.”

“Tales of the Purring Cat” by Marcel Aimé is an example of classic French literature for children. This is the story of sisters Marinette and Delphine, who live in a small unusual town where all the animals can talk.

In Russian literature, the most famous cat characters are found in children's books by Vladimir Suteev (“Who Said Meow?”), Grigory Oster (“A Kitten Named Woof”), and Eduard Uspensky in the famous story about Prostokvashino (“Uncle Fyodor, the Dog and the Cat Matroskin” ).

World-famous author Holly Webb wrote a whole series “Good stories about animals. World bestseller." Each book teaches children kindness and sensitivity, responsibility and decency. Many stories are dedicated to cats, such as “Kitten Mustache or a Brave Heart” or “Stanley the Kitten or a Real Treasure.”

The cat Basilio from the fairy tale about Pinocchio by Alexei Tolstoy, the thief cat in the stories of Paustovsky, the royal Analostanka by Ernest Seton-Thompson are the favorite characters of more than one generation of children.

Cats in science fiction and fantasy

Cats are also present in science fiction. The most famous are the warrior cats in Andre Norton’s book series.

Examples of her books:

"Star Ko'ot";
"All cats are grey";
"Cat Gate";
"Star Ko'ots and Winged Wars" and others.

Andre wrote the book series “The Sign of the Cat, Year of the Rat” inspired by the works of Arizona artist Karen Kuykendall, most of whose works are dedicated to cats.

She is famous for her special "CatPeople" Tarot cards, which come with a 192-page description of the fictional country of the Outer Regions and its people.

The heroes of the novel - sand cats - are the worst enemies of humanity, but young Hinkkel, expelled from his own family because of his refusal to devote his life to the military path, finds new relatives among them.

In the story “The Cat's Pajamas” by Ray Bradbury, thanks to a little kitten, a fateful meeting between two people occurs. He and She take a long time to decide which of them will take the baby home. Cat pajamas helped solve the problem.

In 2004, Russian science fiction writers published an anthology of the story “Man is a Cat to Man,” which included works by Lukyanenko, Zorich, Kaganov and Divov. The famous Russian science fiction writer Kir Bulychev also has a famous collection of stories “A Mind for a Cat”.

Homecoming

In the morning, as soon as the sun rose, Lyuska decided to move on. The gopher liked the cat's songs and stories so much that, moved, he even shared his supplies: he gave several grains of wheat and oats for the journey. The day went wild. A warm wind dispersed the clouds and dried the road. Now it was much easier to walk.

When Lyuska was already approaching the village, she heard barking. The cat's heart was filled with fear again. After all, she had to go through so many trials, and now she can again find herself on the brink of life and death. The dog was approaching. Imagine Lyuska’s joy when she saw that it was a Spitz Tishka. “Quiet, dear,” the pussy purred, “I have never been so happy with anyone in my life.” Tishka licked Lyuska on the nose, put her on her back and rushed to the house. It’s not hard to imagine what happened next. All the household rejoiced and kissed their pet.

In the evening, the cat was already dozing in its usual environment. As she fell asleep she thought:

Still, it’s so good when you can expect help not only from friends and family, but also from complete strangers, from those you meet on the path of life, that if someone is in trouble, she will certainly come to the rescue.
It is very important to know that you have a home where you are loved and welcome.
You should never despair in any situation, even a very difficult one.

And Lyuska also regretted that she could not write a book about her wanderings.

The fairytale story about the pet cat Lyuska is over, but who knows what adventures may still await her in the future.

Detectives with cats

Even the detective genre could not do without cats.

German writer of Turkish origin Akif Pirinci is famous for his “Cat” series, in which human subjects are stylized as animals. The main detective is a cat named Francis.

Lillian Jason Brown's series of detective novels, The Cat Who..., uses autobiographical elements. And it tells the story of the journalist Qwilleran, who picked up two orphaned Siamese pets - the cat Coco and the kitty Yum-Yum. The main character investigates the mysterious disappearances of their former owners. There are more than 30 books in the series, including “The Cat Who Loved Brahms”, “The Cat Who Read from Right to Left” and others.

In Elena Mikhalkova's ironic detective stories, the main characters are also cats. “Cats should not be offended,” “Black Poodle, Red Cat, or a Wedding with Obstacles” and her other books use many of the personal experiences of the author, the owner Stepan, picked up on the street, and the fiery Maine Coon Makar.

Foreign detective "Catnapping" by Carol Nelson Douglas tells the story of Louis the cat, who loves secrets and riddles, who helps in the investigation of a mysterious murder at a book fair.

The beginning of the adventure

At the end of summer, the Lastochkins needed to return to the city for a while. Anechka entered school and needed medical examinations. Other family members also suddenly had urgent matters to attend to.

As already mentioned, Lyuska did not really like dacha living, but the thought of road sickness was unbearable for her, and besides, everyone was supposed to arrive in the evening, so the cat quietly slipped out of the door and hid on the porch. Not finding their favorite, the Swallows agreed that nothing bad would happen to her during their absence, left the milk in a bowl and, getting into the car, drove off.