No One Noticed the Cat

McCaffrey, Ann. No One Noticed the Cat. 1996. Leisure Books, 2007.
No One Noticed the Cat was marketed as a children’s novella, and I suppose it is. But Ann McCaffrey does not write down to children. She adopts the somewhat formal tone of a fable, and while there is no overt sexuality or vulgar language, the plot is not overly simple, nor are the diction and syntax. Consider this sample: “Not a painting, portrait, or object d’art but wasn’t draped in sable. Their footsteps echoed through corridors totally devoid of petitioners and minor officials.” In fact, this novella could as easily have been marketed as a young adult or an adult fantasy. Here is the premise: When Prince Jamas comes of age, his wise old regent dies but is show more immediately reincarnated into the body of a cat named Niffy. Without language, the cat continues to offer advice, which Jamas is wise enough to take. When he is courted by a princess from a neighboring kingdom, he must deal with the evil queen bent on assassination. She is as evil as any baddie ever created by the Grimm brothers, but Jamas and his cat think things through and act with the ingenuity and audacity of the best of the jack tales. 4 stars. show less

When Prince Jamas inherits Niffy the cat after the death of his Regent Mangan, he had no idea how important she would be. Niffy has the knack of showing up and meowing at just the right time in just the right tone to give the prince good advice. She sits on important documents and lets out unsolicited 'meh's to indicate her thoughts. This was a fun and short frolic through the intrigue of two neighboring kingdoms. Worth the read.

I've always loved Anne McCaffrey's style. Her writing is crisp, elegant, and feels effortless. This novella is cute and silly, but McCaffrey's eloquence sets it apart from other YA fantasy stories. It's evocative and lovely.

"When Mangan Tighe, regent to Prince Jamas the Fifth, died, no one noticed the cat in their grief for the passing of this good and learned man."
When prince Jamas meets with the self-proclaimed king of lands near his realm of Espania, he falls helplessly in love with one of the young women in the king's retinue. But it seems the king and his evil queen have dark designs and are plotting to kill young Jamas so they can lay claim to his land. But who could have known that Niffy the cat would be such a guardian angel? A fun and eminently readable short novel. Recommended.

A wonderful story that McCaffrey apparently wrote with her grandchild in mind. When his Regent dies just as Prince Jamas reaches adulthood he leaves behind a remarkable cat who proceeds to guard the prince from harm. With a greedy King in the next kingdom over who is married to an even greedier Queen, Jamas needs all the help he can get. I had forgotten how delightful this short book is. For fans of fairytales.

A light YA fairy tale, I would say aimed at the younger end of the range. Readable, but not as good as Black Horses for the King.

As with the other "short book" I've read by Anne McCaffrey, this was an enticing read. The title fits the story because the ultimate precaution left for the prince is where no one thought to look. I love, also, how we are introduced to a world and drawn into it but it's never really explained. A lot is left up to your own imagination.