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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a great book for all cat lovers.
Helpful Score: 1
I did not know when I bought this book who Cleveland Amory was, and took it as just another story of how a cat wormed its way into someone's affections--which is a kind of writing I usually enjoy. This book, and its sequels (I think there were two more about this cat.) are well-written and delightful. The last one will make you cry.
I see that Nos. 2 and 3 are also available here now (6/15/13): The Cat and the Curmudgeon and The Best Cat Ever. If you love cats, get them both.
As I found out later, Cleveland Amory was a great animal lover and the founder of a very special animal sanctuary called Black Beauty Ranch.
I see that Nos. 2 and 3 are also available here now (6/15/13): The Cat and the Curmudgeon and The Best Cat Ever. If you love cats, get them both.
As I found out later, Cleveland Amory was a great animal lover and the founder of a very special animal sanctuary called Black Beauty Ranch.
Helpful Score: 1
'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.
Very Heartwarming!!
Very Heartwarming!!
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed reading about Polar Bear, the author's cat that he rescued one Christmas Eve from an alley in New York City. It was really cute to read about their long "discussions" and getting used to living with each other. Mr. Amory described himself as "cat owned" and since I am a cat person, I can relate. I also had not realized that he was the founder of The Fund for Animals in 1967 and was quite an animal activist. He tells the story in the book of a group of activists from the Fund painting seal pups red so they were no use to the sealers and therefore he saved their lives. They had purchased a ship which they fortified the bow with cement and rocks to turn it into an ice breaker so they could reach the seal pups. They also used this ship to ram a pirate whaling ship which put the pirates out of business. Great reading for animal activists!
Helpful Score: 1
I am a cat lover, but found the book silly. the author actually tried to do behavior modification with his cat through E.S.P. The man is a nut!
Helpful Score: 1
A read-aloud treasure for Christmas time....
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.
Truly wonderful book, witty and insightful.
I didn't like this authors writing style and just could not get into this book.
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.
A lover of felines AND Christmas, this one enchanted me...very fulfilling read.
Delightful.
This is a book full of wit and compassion. I found it hard to put down.
I was a little disappointed in this book actually. I was looking for a book with lots of his cat experiences and stories about his cat. There were a few of those, but you have to wade through alot of cat history and never ending history on naming cats to find them.
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.
This cat took over, cats know how...
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.
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.
A fun read.
This book is about a man and how a cat touches his life.
Awww...bossy cat meets cranky critic
It was, of all things , a white Christmas Eve, when Cleveland Armory, self-confessed curmudgeon and confirmed dog-owner, found himself standing in a deserted alley trying to rescue a dirty, injured, starving, decidly unfriendly cat. The result of this encounter is the subject of "The cat who came for Christmas". It tells the enchanting story of Amory, who undergoes the transition from a life of Independence from a life of being car-owned. With glimpses if Armory's cat;s memorable meetings with notables such as George C. Scott and Cary Grant, and facinating tidbits sbout the history of cats. This is an irristable book for cat-lovers and non-cat-lovers alike.
"You will smile all year... Cleveland Amory has writen a book of delights about a Manhattan 'odd couple'-- a bachelor writer who was set in his ways and a stray cat with a domestic policy of his own."
"Told by a storyteller of masterful charm...The perfect Christmas book at any cat person's house. Or at the house of anyone you think should be."
"Told by a storyteller of masterful charm...The perfect Christmas book at any cat person's house. Or at the house of anyone you think should be."
Tis the night before Christmas when a bedraggled white feline enters the heart -- and home -- of Cleveland Amory. To say it is a friendly takeover is an understatement. For the cat who came for Christmas is clearly of the Independent Type, and Cleveland Amory, who has rescued many a homeless creature as president of The Fund for Animals, is, where his own pets are concerned, primarily a "dog man."
As it is with all good relationships, domestic skirmishes are their modus vivendi. Toe-to-toe they stand - Amory at six feet three, the cat at six inches - and eyeball-to-eyeball each other on every issue - whether or not to come when called, to recognize one's name, to take a trip, a pill, a bath or a walk on a leash, to be civil to New People, or even in an age when Thin Is In why anyone in his right mind would want to be the Last Fat Cat. We will not spoil 'he Cat Who Came for Christmas by telling you who blinks first. Suffice it to say that in this hilarious battle, nine times out of ten it is not the cat.
As it is with all good relationships, domestic skirmishes are their modus vivendi. Toe-to-toe they stand - Amory at six feet three, the cat at six inches - and eyeball-to-eyeball each other on every issue - whether or not to come when called, to recognize one's name, to take a trip, a pill, a bath or a walk on a leash, to be civil to New People, or even in an age when Thin Is In why anyone in his right mind would want to be the Last Fat Cat. We will not spoil 'he Cat Who Came for Christmas by telling you who blinks first. Suffice it to say that in this hilarious battle, nine times out of ten it is not the cat.
From the book cover: "It was, of all things, a white Christmas Eve, when Cleveland Amory, self-confessed curmudgeon and confirmed dog-owner, found himself standing in a deserted alley trying to rescue a dirty, injured, starving, decidedly unfriendly cat...With glimpses of Amory's cat's memorable meetings with notables such as George C. Scott and Cary Grant, and fascinating tidbits about the history of cats, this is an irresistible book for cat-lovers and non-cat-lovers alike."
I think that the problem for many people is that this is one of the first cat-person novel written in this way, and a lot of us got burned out by the cutesy copies that have gone on ad nauseum. But as the seminal one, it wasn't so bad.
no dust cover, chew marks on one side
From the dust jacket: "Tis the night before Christmas when a bedraggled white feline enters the heart-and home-of Cleveland Amory. To say it is a friendly takeover is an understatement. For the cat who came for Christmas is clearly of the Independent Type, and Cleveland Amory, who has rescued many a homeless creature as President of The Fund for Animals, is, where his own pets are concerned, primarily a 'dog man.'
As it is with all good relationships, domestic skirmishes are their modus vivendi. Toe-to-toe they stand-Amory at six feet three, the cat at six inches-and eyeball-to-eyeball each other on every issue-whether or not to come when called, to recognize one's name, to take a trip, a pill, a bath or a walk on a leash."
As it is with all good relationships, domestic skirmishes are their modus vivendi. Toe-to-toe they stand-Amory at six feet three, the cat at six inches-and eyeball-to-eyeball each other on every issue-whether or not to come when called, to recognize one's name, to take a trip, a pill, a bath or a walk on a leash."
