Title: A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History
Author: Paul Koudounaris, Baba the Cat
Pages: 276
“In fact, archeological evidence offers hints that felines have been your companions for as long if not longer than canines –or to put it this way, the partnership between cats and humans is older than currency, older than man’s use of metals, and older even that written language.”
This book is about the true history of cats told by Baba the Cat (dictated by Paul). Each chapter covers a certain time period in history starting with ancient times and leading up to the modern era. The book discusses the ups and downs in popularity that cat’s have gone through over the centuries, as well as famous felines throughout time.
This book was very enjoyable and presents a different perspective of history. The discussion of the mass killing of cats for various reasons was heartbreaking. I never realized how much cats had been targeted throughout history.
I think my favorite chapter was about the seafaring cats. I never really thought about cats on ships before but it makes a lot of sense. Also, this section mentions Chippy the Cat who was on the Endurance which sailed to the Arctic. I read the account of this journey earlier this year and it barely mentioned Chippy and its death. The account went into gruesome detail about killing the dogs but the Chippy was barely mentioned. I don’t even think they ever mentioned his name either.
The layout of this book was beautiful. I loved the borders around the pages. They were different for each section and were a beautiful addition. The photographs of Baba were adorable. I love that she is ok with being dressed up and photographed. Also I really loved the images of cat graves and memorials, press clippings, ancient art and paintings featuring cats that were included. Everything together really sold this book and the history it contains.
*ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review.*
Red-Haired Ash Reads 