Okay before we get into this list, we’re going to start by establishing some baseline facts about cats:
- Cats are wise
- Cats are jerks
- Cats eyes can see into the astral plane
- Spying a black cat on a moonless night is a blessing, not a curse
- Cats enjoy attention
- Cats want people to read about them
So start those haunches a’wagglin’ and get ready to pounce on these book recs!
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
We’re kicking this list off with a book full of cats that embodies well the duality of felines: cats are simultaneously cuddly little guys and devious villains. In Starter Villain, some down-on-his-luck divorcee named Charlie inherits his uncle’s super villain business. There are giant lasers, but there’s also paperwork, and we’d go into greater detail, but honestly we’re not here for Charlie. We’re here for the cunning circle of feline specialists and spies employed by Charlie’s inherited organization, who are Super Evil™ but also pretty nice.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
This list about cats in books wouldn’t be complete without a cat named Book. Now, this expansive literary fantasy from V.E. Scwab might be about an immortality-cursed woman who no one can remember, but you’ll never forget Book, the chill feline occupant of the bookstore where Addie meets the one person who resists magically forgetting her.
For every bookseller cat snoozing in a puddle of sun in the shop’s front window, we dedicate this spot on the list to you.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
The cats in our lives keep so many secrets. Often, the known origin story of a beloved feline is as long as “No idea. Dude (gender neutral) just showed up and stayed.” This is the case for Amity, a dire-cat of menacing size who wanders into the coffeeshop started by veteran adventurer / recent entrepreneur Viv. Amity decides that Amity likes the place, and that’s that. There’s now a resident cat.
(Amity is a Very Good Dire-cat)
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
And now for a non-traditional cat book recommendation!
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.
Nor do they have tails.
But they are most assuredly dead.
P. Djèlí Clark builds a fantastical city full of gods and assassins 😎
On Sale 3/12/24
Devil’s Gun by Cat Rambo
Don’t look now! It’s another unorthodox cat book recommendation! Just kidding. Not about the recommendation, no. We mean that you should look, because we’re talking about most-definitely human author Cat Rambo’s science fiction Disco Space Opera series about space pirates, sentient starships, and a struggling restaurant. This series began with You Sexy Thing. Now a second installment arrives from the outer stars, heralding extragalactic adventure: Devil’s Gun!
Order Starter Villain Here
Don’t forget The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher, supposedly part of the Cinder Spires series. It features a tribe of intelligent cats. I was going to write that it was written in 2015 and I’m STILL waiting for book two, but just checked and, lo and behold, book two is finally going to be released next month! Thank you for leading me to a book I’ve been waiting a long time for.
How about the Feline Wizardry books by Diane Duane?
How can you leave off The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Heinlein? Pixel is a classic cat of SF.
The Door into Summer by Heinlein who managed to get cats into many of his stories. How could you go wrong with a cat named Petronius the Arbiter?
Minor quibble. In Starter Villain, assuming that Charlie is male, it should be “divorce.” “Divorcee” is the feminine form.
Divorce is the process. Divorcee is a person going through said process.
Paul Gallico’s Thomasina is one of my favourite reads ever; cat goddesses , a father’s redemption and a little bit of magic made it unforgettable . I cry at THAT part every time
same here. Great story great book!!
Pati Nagle’s Pet Noir. Leon is a talking, smart cat with opposable thumbs, who works security on a space station.