A short collection of cat stories from the vet best known from [All Creatures Great and Small]. Some are quite charming stories about cat quirks and behaviors (and those of the humans who care for them); others are rather sad stories but, as always, with a glimmer of hope at the end. James and Helen try to tame two sibling feral cats. An ill man's cat seems to mysteriously be at death's door several times but is back to his usual frisky self the next day; James has to sleuth out the cause. A mother cat sadly dies on Christmas day but leaves behind a lovable black kitten.

I listened to this short collection on audio, well narrated by Christopher Timothy. ( )

Every story in this collection a delight! ( )

Here are Buster, the kitten who arrived on Christmas; Alfred, the cat at the sweet shop; little Emily, who lived with the gentleman tramp; and Olly and Ginny, the kittens who charmed readers when they first appeared at the Herriots' house in the worldwide bestseller Every Living Thing. And along with these come others, each story as memorable and heartwarming as the last, each told with that magical blend of gentle wit and human compassion that marks every word from James Herriot's pen.

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.

Although James Herriot was a farm veterinarian in the English countryside and dealt mostly with large animals such as cows and sheep, he also took care of dogs and cats. He wrote a series of books popular the world over about his veterinary experiences with all the various animals he treated. But JAMES HERRIOT’S CAT STORIES is a collection of his touching stories about the cats, exclusively.

This is a small, illustrated book. Each story is a selection from one of his books in the series. I love his series and so, of course, I loved these cat stories. This is another of Herriot’s feel-good books. ( )

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. ( )

mi è stato di aiuto e consolazione, così come il mio amatissimo gatto Merlino (che ora non c'è più) in un periodo molto brutto della mia vita

Heartwarming true stories of an English vet and the feline friends he met throughout his career.

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. ( )

How heartwarming that every one of these cats found a loving home. Though cruelty & abandonment are mentioned, no cat in this collection ever hears 'oh gosh, what are we going to do, there are so many cats around already.' I do wish they'd all get spayed or neutered though, especially the colony being fed by 'Mrs. Bond.'

Nice collection. I would like to find out how much is 'new' though. If any. This had the story of Moses, which is also in a picture-book. And I believe that many of the 'distinct works' are actually just compilations. It would be nice to find a definitive catalog. That is to say, I could imagine giving this book to a Herriot fan who has read all the big books, and that fan being disappointed because she's read all the stories before in those books. ( )

This lovely book by English country veterinarian James Herriot is a collection of short stories about some of the special cats and their people that Herriot had the pleasure to know during his 50 years of veterinary practice. Two of his own cats, Ginny and Olly, are the subjects of 3 of the stories. The brother and sister kittens were brought to the Herriot's yard by their feral mother and they continued their parent's feral ways. They gratefully ate the food placed on the garden wall but would not let the Herriots touch them. Ginny and Olly remained outside cats sleeping in an open shed on straw and never venturing inside the house. After awhile Mrs. Herriot was able to pet the cats while they ate but the cats kept a careful eye on James who resorted to subterfuge and a fishing net to capture the cats when they needed medical treatment. Months of patience finally rewarded the elderly vet when the animals finally allowed James to stroke their fur. There are other charming stories in the book about cats and owners with enormous hearts and deep love for each other. Cat lovers will enjoy this book immensely. ( )

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 and 3 hours, and I found my attention wandering.
( )

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. ( )

This book is a delightful collection of short stories about cats from the "All Creatures Great and Small" author, James Herriot. Herriot's writings never fail to make me smile. Sometimes they will also bring a tear to my eye, as he recounts his interactions with varied cats he has met and/or treated over the years. A must read for cat lovers. ( )

James Herriot was the pen name of James Alfred (Alf) Wight (1916–1995), an English veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinarian to write a series of books about animals and their owners. In 1940, he moved to work in a rural practice based in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire, England, with Donald and Brian Sinclair, and the following year married Joan Catherine Anderson Danbury. In his semi-autobiographical books, Wight calls the town where Herriot lives and works "Darrowby," which he based largely on the towns of Thirsk and and nearby Sowerby. He also renamed Donald Sinclair and his brother Brian Sinclair as Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, respectively, and used the name "Helen Alderson" for Joan Danbury. Wight’s son, also a veterinarian, has said that the books are only partially autobiographical as several events that actually happened in the 1960s and 70s are transported back to the 1930s and 40s.
Herriot first published six short books, which in the United States were released as three combined volumes. They were All Creatures Great and Small (1972, incorporating If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet); All Things Bright and Beautiful (1974, incorporating Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness); and All Things Wise and Wonderful (1977, incorporating Vets Might Fly and Vet in a Spin). He has also written James Herriot's Yorkshire (1979), The Lord God Made Them All (1981), and Every Living Thing (1992). I first became acquainted with the series as a result of watching the long-running BBC television program based on the books and shown in the United States on PBS. Then my mother gave us copies of the books which are cute stories but have quite a bit of cursing and profanity, even some vulgarity, and many references to drinking alcohol. Cat Stories tells about Buster, the kitten who arrived on Christmas; Alfred, the cat at the sweet shop; little Emily who lived with the gentleman tramp; Olly and Ginny who first appeared at the Herriots’ house in Every Living Thing; and others.
We are “cat people” with two pet housecats, both neutered toms—one a huge, hulking yellow tabby that our older son brought home when it was a tiny, barely four-week-old kitten, and the other a sleek black stray which adopted us after our younger son found him under our back porch. I had hoped that Cat Stories might omit some of the objectionable features of the other books, but there are still a few instances of cursing, profanity, and drinking alcohol, though perhaps not as much as in the larger volumes. There is also a companion, Favorite Dog Stories (1995). Because of the language, I would not recommend them for youngsters. Herriot did write several shorter stories suitable for children--Blossom Comes Home (1969); Moses the Kitten (1984); Only One Woof (1985); The Christmas Day Kitten (1986); Bonny's Big Day (1987); The Market Square Dog (1989); Oscar, Cat-About-Town (1990); and Smudge, the Little Lost Lamb (1991)—which I believe were all included in an omnibus edition, James Herriot's Treasury for Children (1992). ( )

Sweet. Great for animal lovers. ( )

Very cute book! I'm a big cat lover and this book was so wonderful to read. Every story reminded me about why I love felines. Fantastically written book, and it was extremely easy to loose yourself within the stories.I highly recommend this book to all animal lovers out there. ( )

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. ( )

Short stories about the British vet James Herriot's life with cats. ( )

Beautiful pictures o my favorite animal ( )

Vignettes about particular cats Herriot encountered during and after his career as a vet.

These are sweet stories from another era. Recommended for animal lovers. ( )

I got this from my sister a long time ago and remember liking it well enough. I wonder where it is now, I don't think I've got rid of it... ( )