A Bibliography of Feline Fantasy & SF Novels for Adults
Compiled by Fred Patten
Note: This is a fraction of the entire listing. If you’re on broadband, try the high speed version instead.
A Bibliography of Feline Fantasy & SF Novels for Adults
Compiled by Fred Patten
Note: This is a fraction of the entire listing. If you’re on broadband, try the high speed version instead.
This is a list of adult novels, and those Young Adult novels that are mature enough that adults will enjoy reading them, which feature intelligent/talking cats. They range from fantasies with talking ‘natural’ cats to science-fiction novels about felinoid aliens and bioengineered intelligent cats.
Not included are novels in which intelligent cats are only minor background characters, or SF novels with alien cats that are not anthropomorphized such as Alan Dean Foster’s Cat-A-Lyst and Jack Lovejoy’s Outworld Cats, or “cat lovers’ mystery” novels in which the cats are normal cats which do not detect. (Koko, in Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who… series, may be an abnormal cat, but he is not an anthropomorphized cat.) Also omitted are the many anthologies of cat fantasy or mystery short stories, since usually less than 50% of those stories feature intelligent cats.
These listings are of first editions; many of the titles are out-of-print. When a book is currently available, its title is an Amazon.com link via which that current edition may be purchased, if desired.
DeVet, Charles V
| Special Feature Avon Books Jun 1975 176 p. |
Pentizel, a savage, arrogant feline alien from the quarantined planet Paarae, steals a spaceship and comes to St. Paul, on a mysterious mission. An unscrupulous newscaster, Howard Benidt, tries to use the story of her hunt to advance his career. |
DiGenti, Victor
| Windrusher The Writers’ Collective Jan 2004 280 p. |
When Tony (Windrusher) is given away by the parents of his human friend Kimmy in Connecticut when they move to Florida, he quests to rejoin them with companions Lil’ One and Scowl Down. He is helped by dreams from a global feline psychic network, the Inner Ear, but is threatened by a psychotic enemy, Bolt. |
| Windrusher and the Cave of Tho-hoth Ocean Publishing January 2005 261 p. |
Windrusher has become a celebrity for surviving a tornado and rejoining his humans. But this gets him kidnapped along with three other famous cats (a prize-winning Persian, a TV commercial star, & the first cloned cat) by a mad California millionaire. He must fulfill the prophecy of the cat-god Tho-hoth to escape. |
Douglas, Carole Nelson
| The Midnight Louie Mystery series | |
| Catnap Tom Doherty Associates/TOR Books Mar 1992 x + 241 p. |
Midnight Louie, a black cat, leads Las Vegas publicist Temple Barr to a murder at an ABA convention from which the famous Baker & Taylor mascot cats are stolen. Temple investigates the murder while Louie hunts for the kidnapped cats. Louie’s chapters are ‘told’ directly by him in a tough-guy private-eye dialect. |
| Pussyfoot Tom Doherty Associates/TOR Books Apr 1993 304 p. |
Someone is murdering the girls at a Las Vegas strippers’ competition. Judge Savannah Ashleigh brings her pampered Persian cat, the Divine Yvette, Midnight Louie’s old flame. Temple investigates the murders while Louie vows to protect Yvette. Ingram, a mystery bookshop cat, is one of Louie’s informants. |
| Cat on a Blue Monday Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books May 1994 381 p. |
Temple Barr and Midnight Louie get involved with a purebreed cat show and an old woman whose home is filled with stray cats. A mystic cat seeress, Karma, orders Louie to prevent a murder of ‘hundreds of cats’. New cats introduced are Louie’s daughter, Midnight Louise, and Maurice, a TV catfood-commercial star. |
| Cat in a Crimson Haze Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books May 1995 384 p. |
Temple becomes the P.R. agent of the Crystal Phoenix hotel, and Midnight Louie investigates for gangsters who murderously sabotage a revue there. A nameless talking dog has a walk-on role. Louie’s own long-lost father, Three O’Clock Louie, joins the cast. Louie and Louise join forces to solve the caper. |
| Cat in a Diamond Dazzle Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books May 1996 414 p. |
Temple and Midnight Louie search for valuable black-cat shoes hidden somewhere among Las Vegas’ casinos. Louie upstages Maurice to star with the Divine Yvette in a cat-food TV commercial. Louie questions a hawk; the two talk in pidgin-pigeon. Midnight Louise complicates Louie’s romance with Yvette. |
| Cat with an Emerald Eye Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books Oct 1996 384 p. |
While Temple investigates the death of a psychic at a publicity séance, Karma (exhibiting genuine mystic powers) summons a Halloween séance of Las Vegas’ cats, at which Louie is warned that Maurice is plotting his murder. Karma tells Louie he is the psychic magnet that involves Temple in so many human murders. |
| Cat in a Flamingo Fedora Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books May 1997 351 p. |
Louie must wear a flamingo-pink fedora to star in a cat-food TV commercial with the Divine Yvette, while avoiding fatal traps on the Las Vegas casino set that Maurice tries to engineer for him. Savannah Ashleigh, Yvette’s jealous owner and Temple’s rival, has her own dire plans for Louie. |
| Cat in a Golden Garland Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books Nov 1997 352 p. |
Temple and Louie are called to a New York City ad agency where Louie becomes a contender for spokescat of a major TV ad campaign, competing against Maurice,Yvette, and Yvette’s sister Solange. When the ad agency hosts a Christmas party at which Santa Claus is murdered, Temple and Louie investigate. |
| Cat on a Hyacinth Hunt Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books Jul 1998 383 p. |
Back in Las Vegas, Midnight Louie and Midnight Louise find a corpse in a casino-hotel’s main attraction. Temple is targetted by a mysterious terrorist whose sadistic, poison-clawed Siamese cat, Hyacinth, proves to be a feline femme fatale who gives Louie his narrowest escape. |
| Cat in an Indigo Mood Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books Apr 1999 381 p. |
Fanny Furbelow asks Midnight Louie to find her missing boyfriend, Wilfred. The cat has apparently been done in by the killer of his human companion. Louie, Midnight Louise, and a canine super-sniffer, Nose E., conduct their own hunt for the cat-killer while the humans investigate the slaying of the human victim(s). |
| Cat in a Jeweled Jumpsuit Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books Nov 1999 399 p. |
The Kingdome is a new Elvis-themed Vegas hotel-casino with an ‘Animal Elvis’ zoo of impersonators of Elvis’ pets at Graceland. When a human Elvis impersonator is killed, Temple investigates the human suspects while Louie interviews Chatter the chimp. Honey the poodle, Rising Sun the horse, Trojan the anaconda, and others. |
| Cat in a Kiwi Con Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books May 2000 416 p. |
Louie learns that the deadly Hyacinth is back, appearing at the TitaniCon sci-fi con as an animal star in a forthcoming movie. Louie sneaks into the con to match banter with Hyacinth and some kiwi birds dyed green as aliens, while Temple and her human friends get involved with the murders of sci-fi fans and movie stars. |
| Cat in a Leopard Spot Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books Apr 2001 380 p. |
Osiris, a stage magician’s trained leopard, is stolen and sold to an animal ranch that holds illegal big game hunts. Midnight Louie & Midnight Louise must rescue him. Other animals with speaking roles: the Divine Yvette; Golda and Groucho, two Yorkshire terriers; Butch the black panther; Leo the lion. |
| Cat in a Midnight Choir Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books May 2002 350 p. |
While the humans investigate human murders, Midnight Louie & Midnight Louise formalize their working together as a PI team, Midnight Inc. Louie finds his mother, Ma Barker, is leader of a street gang of feral cats, the Wild Bunch. Others with brief speaking roles include feline fatale Hyacinth, Osiris the leopard & Mr. Lucky the black panther, mystic Karma, & a couple of dumb dogs for comic relief. |
| Cat in a Neon Nightmare Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books May 2003 365 p. |
A woman falls from a hotel’s 20th floor, reserved for guests with pets. Midnight Louie and Midnight Louise, as Midnight Inc., interview the pets including parakeet Blues Brother. A nameless desert coyote has a few lines and the Divine Yvette makes a brief appearance. |
| Cat in an Orange Twist Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books Aug 2004 395 + [1] p. |
Louie investigates murders at a trendy furniture showroom by posing as a soft-sculpture cat-cushion. He and Midnight Louise search for witnesses among Las Vegas’ street gangs of feral cats (the Wildspats, Shivmasters & Distempers) and dogs (the K-9 Packers & Hydrophobias). Louise meets her grandmother, Ma Barker, and other cat gang members Gimpy, Snow Off-white, Tiger, & Tom. |
| Cat in a Hot Pink Pursuit Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books May 2005 364 p. |
Temple Barr must protect Lieut. Molina’s daughter Mariah at the deadly Teen Queen reality TV show. Talking cats besides Midnight Louie include the mystic Karma, the Persian sisters Divine Yvette and Sweet Solange, and his finally-acknowledged daughter Midnight Louise. |
| Cat in a Quicksilver Caper Tom Doherty Associates/Forge Books Jun 2006 383 p. |
Temple Barr must deal with deaths & theft at a display of Czarist Russian jeweled treasures at the New Millennium Hotel, and must choose between Max & Matt. Talking cats besides Louie include black leopards Kahlúa & Lucky; Midnight Louise; Ma Barker and Tiger & Tom in her gang of feral cats; Karma; Siamese Hyacinth & her double Squeaker. |
Duane, Diane
| The Feline Wizardry series | |
| The Book of Night With Moon Hodder & Stoughton Jul 1997 viii + 404 p. |
Rhiow, Saash, Urruah and Arhu are a team of cat-wizards charged with guarding the dimensional Gates below New York’s Grand Central Station. When the Destroyer seizes the Gates and begins to flood the world with ancient horrors, the cats must venture Downside to regain control of reality. |
| On Her Majesty’s Wizardly Service Hodder & Stoughton Jul 1998 309 p. |
The Destroyer alters history by inserting atomic energy into a parallel Victorian England and assassinating Queen Victoria, to start a nuclear war that destroys all timelines. Rhiow, Urruah and Arhu are assigned to help London’s resident cat-wizards restore history by saving the Queen. They meet the Raven-wizards of the Tower of London. |
| To Visit the Queen Warner Aspect Apr 1999 xi + 354 p. |
U.S. edition of On Her Majesty’s Wizardly Service. |
| The Big Meow Lulu.com Summer (?) 2007 ??? p. |
Not yet published. |
Emery, Clayton
| The Magic: The Gathering®: Legends Cycle trilogy | |
| Johan Cartography by Rob Lazzaretti Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Apr 2001 311 p. |
(Book I of the trilogy) Jaeger Ojanen, a 7’ tall tiger-man warrior, comes from the unknown east to learn about man. He joins Hazezon Tamar, benevolent mage-ruler of Bryce, and pirate queen Adira Strongheart, in their war against evil mage-Emperor Johan of Tirras. Other morphs encountered are the Beck fish-man merfolk of the Sunken Sea. |
| Jedit Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Dec 2001 310 p. |
(Book II of the trilogy) Johan flees to Jaeger’s homeland and entrances Jedit Ojanen, Jaeger’s son, into becoming his pawn. Jedit breaks the spell and becomes Johan’s implacable enemy. Jedit joins Adira’s pirate band hunting Johan across Jamuraa. Jedit’s tiger nature (900 pounds of muscle, claws, thick fur) often saves his human friends. |
| Hazezon Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Aug 2002 310 p. |
(Book III of the trilogy) After more adventures with the human pirates, Jedit learns the secret of the tiger-men’s origins. Hazezon’s magic and Adira’s warcraft aid Jedit as he returns to the land of the tiger-men and forces the warring tiger tribes to unite against Johan’s conquering Tirran air-armada which seeks to exterminate them. |
Fawcett, Bill
| Creator of the Guardians of the Three series, a shared-world anthropomorphic fantasy series in a world inhabited only by feline mrem and reptilian liskash. The Western lands, home of the mrem, are threatened by the evil liskash invaders from the East. Only Volume 2 of the 4, Keeper of the City, has genuinely feline characters. |
Felice, Cynthia
| Godsfire Map Pocket Books Jun 1978 264 p. |
Heot is a ‘human’ (catlike) academian on a perpetually cloud-covered world, coexisting with ‘slaves’ (men; descendants of spacemen). Physiological brain differences between the two lead to political advantages for those who manipulate them. |
Forstchen, William R., & Demarest, Jaki
| Catseye Pocket Books Aug 1999 392 p. |
(Shattered Light™ 3) Jain Riordan comes to Tycor to join its Guard, and finds himself aiding Tazira Goldeneyes, Raf Grayfur, and Pellar Longclaw, the fabled Three Furies, to thwart a sorcerous plot against all humans and felinoid mrem. A variant of The Three Musketeers, with a teen human d’Artagnan joining a feline Three Musketeers. |
Foster, Alan Dean
| The Icerigger trilogy | |
| Icerigger Ballantine Books Mar 1974 313 p. |
Six humans are marooned on Tran-ky-ky, a world of -60° temperatures and vast ice deserts. Hunnar Redbeard, a knight of the lion-like Tran natives, must get them to the human base across the planet, on a giant ice sailing ship, before they freeze. |
| Mission to Moulokin Map by Porter Ballantine/del Rey Books Apr 1979 294 p. |
The castaways reach Tran-ky-ky’s human outpost. But when Ethan Fortune & Skua September learn that galactic profiteers are preying on the feudal Trans, they stay to help their friend Hunnar organize the Tran kingdoms into a strong federation. |
| The Deluge Drivers Ballantine/del Rey Books Jun 1987 311 p. |
Ethan, Skua, & Hunnar lead a mixed human & Tran crew on the icerigger Slanderscree against a base of criminal human exploiters who are terraforming Tran-ky-ky, which will exterminate the furry felinoid Trans who need an icy environment. |
Friesner, Esther
| Majyk by Hook or Crook Ace Books May 1994 262 p. |
In this 2nd novel in a ‘silly’ trilogy, human wizard Kendar and Scandal, the talking cat, must mediate between the warring human nobility and the anthropomorphic peasants (mostly sheep ‘Arrr, matey!’ pirates) of the Kingdom of Windingo. |
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This listing was compiled for the Are There Too Many Cats in Science Fiction? panel
at L.A.con IV, the 2006 World Science Fiction Convention
Anaheim, CA, 23–27 August 2006
Please send recommendations for additions to this bibliography to Fred Patten
Please send review copies of books to: Fred Patten, c/o Golden State Colonial Convalescent Hospital
10830 Oxnard Street, North Hollywood, California 91606
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