James Herriot's Cat Stories

I probably should not have read this while sitting in the middle seat of an airplane. I have a real soft spot for cats, and I'm sure the folks sitting next to me thought I was quite the ninny for crying the way I did. Not that these stories are sad - far from it. They're funny, charming, and very touching. Though my parents owned copies of Herriot's original veterinary memoirs (All Creatures Great and Small, et al), this is the first book I've read by him. But they were so well-written that I think I'll have to go find copies of his other works. Definitely recommended for cat-lovers.

I’m not much of a cat person (I’m allergic, so have never spent a lot of time around them), but I still found this collection of vignettes about the various cats Herriot has come across both in his private and professional life as a veterinary surgeon in Yorkshire just charming. I fell in love with Herriot’s first memoir, All Creatures Great and Small, and read his next two eagerly. This slim volume concentrates specifically on his feline friends (and patients). The stories are brief and tender and funny and touching.

I listened to the audio version, read by Christopher Timothy. I found his delivery painfully slow to my ears. I suspect I would have read the traditional format in about 90 minutes, but the audio book takes 3 discs show more and 3 hours, and I found my attention wandering. show less

A delightful little book that I'm going to keep in my guest bedroom. Short, charming stories about cats in Herriot's English countryside veterinary practice.

I have read his All Creatures Great and Small series and his Dog Stories collection and enjoyed all of them thoroughly. Cat Stories doesn't disappoint. Besides his delightful writing style, the book is illustrated with lovely water colors that bring the stories to life. The stories of Ginny and Olly remind me of feral kittens who grew up in my backyard. They just adopted us. We eventually befriended all but one and found homes for them. Then there's the story of Oscar. We had another cat adopt us whom we called Brick because of his brickish colored fur and that he was as strong as a brick. He was a cat about town but always seemed to come home to us after his walk about the neighborhood.

I know everyone raves about James Herriot but I do think this is his best book. Unlike the meandering though enjoyable memoirs of others, this book is the most focused and funny of all. The cats are real characters and will illicit sympathy, sadness, happiness and laughter. A Keepsake.

I know everyone raves about James Herriot but I do think this is his best book. Unlike the meandering though enjoyable memoirs of others, this book is the most focused and funny of all. The cats are real characters and will illicit sympathy, sadness, happiness and laughter. A Keepsake.

I love cats but often have a horror of cat stories because they so often end with death but these stories are mostly charming and full of love. Just a joy to read. I also loved the water color illustrations.