The Cat Who Came for Christmas explained

The Cat Who Came for Christmas
Author:Cleveland Amory
Country:United States
Language:English
Genre:Memoir
Publisher:Little Brown & Co
Release Date:1987
Media Type:Hardback, Paperback, & Audio
Pages:240 pp
Isbn:0-316-03737-0
Oclc:15790076
Followed By:The Cat and the Curmudgeon
Audio Read By:Alan Sklar

The Cat Who Came for Christmas is the first book in a trilogy written by Cleveland Amory, an American author who wrote extensively about animal rights. Amory recounts his rescue and adoption of Polar Bear, a cat he featured in two future books. It was first published by Little, Brown and Company in 1987 and then in paperback by Penguin Books in 1988.

Plot summary

Amory, a writer and animal rights activist (but not a cat person), finds a stray cat while walking down an alley one snowy Christmas Eve. Amory takes the cat to his apartment and acclimates him to living indoors.[1] Polar Bear meets a number of Amory's celebrity friends and acquaintances, including Cary Grant, Walter Cronkite, and George C. Scott.[2] Amory also details his animal rights work at the time.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews wrote that the book was "utterly delightful and humorous, and a treasure for anyone who's ever been 'owned by a cat.'"[3]

Publishers Weekly wrote: "Amory offers an entertaining, if precious, re-creation of his first year with Polar Bear (his account of selecting a name takes 20 pages)."[4]

Mary Daniels in Chicago Tribune wrote, "Amory makes seamless transitions between what might otherwise be unrelated material by using Polar Bear as a sub-theme throughout the book."

The first edition was #8 on the New York Times bestseller list on November 29, 1987.[5] It spent 20 weeks on the list.[6] The 1988 paperback edition was #3 on the New York Times bestseller list on October 30, 1988.[7] It reached #1,[8] remaining in that place for 5 weeks.[9] New York Times listed it as the #5 top paperback nonfiction book of 1988.[10] The paperback returned to the New York Times bestseller list in fall 1988 at #3,[11] the next month reaching #1.[12]

Audiobook, sequels, and combined edition

The audiobook is read by Alan Sklar.[13]

The Cat Who Came for Christmas has two sequels:

The three books were published in one volume in 1995 under the title The Compleat Cat.[16]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Amory, Cleveland.. The cat who came for Christmas. 1987. Little, Brown. 0-316-03737-0. Boston. 15790076.
  2. News: Daniels. Mary. 1987-11-26. A cute cat story softens horrific reality: Tribune books The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory. 3. The Chicago Tribune. Proquest.
  3. Web site: 1987-09-15. The Cat Who Came for Christmas Review. 2020-06-12. Kirkus Reviews. en.
  4. Web site: 1987-09-01. Nonfiction Book Review: The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory. 2020-06-12. Publishers Weekly. en.
  5. News: 1987-11-29. The New York Times Book Review: Best Sellers. BR32. The New York Times. Proquest.
  6. News: 1988-04-10. The New York Times Book Review Best Sellers. The New York Times. Proquest.
  7. News: 1988-10-30. Paperback Best Sellers. The New York Times Book Review. Proquest.
  8. News: 1988-12-04. Paperback Best Sellers: December 4, 1988. The New York Times Book Review. Proquest.
  9. News: 1989-01-08. Paperback Best Sellers. The New York Times Book Review. Proquest.
  10. News: McDowell. Edwin. 1989-02-02. Top Books of 1988: Spies and Physics. C24. The New York Times. Proquest.
  11. News: 1988-10-30. Paperback Best Sellers. BR46. The New York Times Book Review. Proquest.
  12. News: 1988-11-20. Paperback Best Sellers. BR58. The New York Times Book Review. Proquest.
  13. Web site: 2004. The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory Read by Alan Sklar Audiobook Review. 2020-06-12. AudioFile Magazine. en.
  14. Web site: 1990-10-01. The Cat and the Curmudgeon. 2020-06-12. Publishers Weekly.
  15. News: 1993-09-01. The Best Cat Ever. Kirkus Reviews.
  16. Book: Amory, Cleveland. Cleveland Amory's compleat cat : three volumes in one.. Black Dog & Leventhal. 1995. 1-884822-28-2. New York. 33007844.