We may be at the tail end of the Dog Days of Summer, but August 8 was National Cat Day!
Revered by ancient Egyptians, feared as spreaders of the Plague by Europeans, cats now hold a warm furry place in many hearts. Though still not as popular as dogs (14% of people say they are “cat people” while 45% report as “dog people” in one survey), cats will always find a way to be the center of attention. Whether or not a cat owns you, you might enjoy some of these books featuring feline characters.
Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. Murphy mysteries: Piscataway Library owns Furmidable Foes, Whiskers in the Dark, A Hiss Before Dying, and Probable Claws, among others.
Laurie Cass’ Bookmobile Cat mysteries: A Librarian and a cat – what perfect sleuthing partners! Piscataway Library owns Cat with A Clue, Tailing a Tabby, and Pouncing on Murder.
T.C. LoTempio has written a series featuring an animal rescue center. Piscataway Library owns Purr M for Murder.
Mandy Morton has written a Hettie Bagshot series, beginning with the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency.
Blaize Clement’s Dixie Hemingway series features a detective-turned pet sitter in Florida. Piscataway Library has several. Start with Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter.
Midnight Louie is the main character in a series by Carole Nelson Douglas. You can share their adventures in Cat in a Quicksilver Caper, Cat in a Sapphire Slipper, Cat in a Topaz Tango and others.
Lee Robinson tells the story of a defense attorney called upon to represent a cat. Read about it in Lawyer for the Cat.
If you are in the mood to read about a telepathic cat, check out Catacombs: A Tale of the Barque Cats by Anne McCaffrey.
Finally, don’t forget the “Cat Who…” series by Lillian Jackson Braun. With several titles including The Cat Who Went Bananas, The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell, and The Cat Who Smelled a Rat, this series has been entertaining readers for decades.