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The Cat Who Came for Christmas
The Cat Who Came for Christmas
Author: Cleveland Amory, Harry Bliss (Illustrator)
'Tis the night before Christmas when a self-described curmudgeon rescues a bedraggled feline from a snowy New York City alley... Thus begins this tale of a man and his cat -- or, rather, of a cat and his man -- a touching, timeless, and inspiring story about the animal/human bond and the spirit of the holiday season.
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ISBN-13: 9780140252736
ISBN-10: 0140252738
Publication Date: 11/1/1995
Pages: 224
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 19

3.5 stars, based on 19 ratings
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

Cattriona avatar reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 200 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This was a somewhat charming, light read about a curmudgeon who adopts a kitten from the December snows. Cat lovers will enjoy this, others might look elsewhere.
Dyanna avatar reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
If my book club had not chosen this book from among a list of Christmas titles for our December meeting I would NOT own it. I can't even GIVE this thing away!

I love cats, truly I do, and put up with one in my home whose behavior is atrocious. BUT I cannot stand this long-winded anthropomorphic love story between cat and supposed curmudgeon. I say supposed because, at least as far as I slogged through before giving up, he wasn't particularly curmudgeonly, just an old bachelor.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 71 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Well written story of a man adopted by a cat one Christmas Eve. All cat owners will understand being owned by a cat!
candieb avatar reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 239 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I wanted to like this book. I really did. This was my book club's read for December. The person that picked it was kind of hurt we didn't like her book earlier in the year, so I really tried. I made it through the cat talking back. I even made it through the entire chapter dedicated to naming the cat. I don't exactly know what did me in, but I had to stop.

It's a cat.
Who comes for Christmas.
And it's a true story.
And....
Yeah.

I guess this cat did something great later. I don't really care. You have to be some crazed cat person to really like this book. It was too much. Enough with the cats already! I get it, the cat "talks" to you. You do great things for cat rescue. And really, truly, I love cats, I support what you do 100%, but seriously. Enough.

So, I didn't finish it. It was driving me crazy. Instead I mailed it to a friend so it can torture her.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 79 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This is a great book for all cat lovers.
Read All 31 Book Reviews of "The Cat Who Came for Christmas"

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gak avatar reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 11 more book reviews
Both my wife and I read this book, and she has read the whole trilogy. It was a good lighthearted book especially for those who own cats.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 4 more book reviews
Delightful.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 20 more book reviews
This is a book full of wit and compassion. I found it hard to put down.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 10 more book reviews
This is a book for people that have or are owned by cats. Only they would appreciate the detail that Amory gives in description of this relationship. Of course, others who would like to experience the love and friendship of a cat only have to let the fact be known. Friends or shelters would welcome them.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on
Talk about warm fuzzes. Polar bear reminded me so of our dear white angora cat Monet. We were blessed to enjoy her antics for over 19 yrs. If you are a cat lover or enjoy stories about cats "The Cat Who Came to for Christmas" should be on your must read list.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 359 more book reviews
Truly wonderful book, witty and insightful.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 101 more book reviews
A lover of felines AND Christmas, this one enchanted me...very fulfilling read.
reviewed The Cat Who Came for Christmas on + 144 more book reviews
Got this book through paperbackswap.com as well as the two sequels (which I haven't read yet). I had heard of Cleveland Amory previously--knew about his cat books, that he founded the Black Beauty Ranch in TX, and that he died several years ago (1998). I didn't know until reading this book that Amory was involved with trying to stop the seal hunt in Canada, that he started The Fund for Animals organization, and mingled with well known folks (i.e., actors Cary Grant, George C. Scott).

The cover on this book is rather misleading--has a fluffy kitten playing with a Christmas ornament. The cat that Amory rescued was an adult cat. If I recall, a vet said he was at least a year old.

One of the reasons I'm giving it three stars is because of the author's writing style, which I thought was rather "awkward." That might be excused for a new writer who hasn't yet honed his craft but Amory had published several books prior to this one. Early in the book--I believe it was when the author was talking about the history of cats--I was ready to give up. I wondered if the author added this information just to reach a certain number of pages that the publisher may have stipulated. The book got better after that.

The book is somewhat tongue-in-cheek with the author's recollection of "conversations" he had with Polar Bear.

This was a decent read--I would have given it four or five stars if the writing had been better and the editing a little tighter.


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