1. Catification by Jackson Galaxy
A New York Times bestseller! The star of Animal Planet’s hit television series My Cat from Hell, Jackson Galaxy, shows cat owners everywhere how to make their homes both cat-friendly and chic.
Cat owners know the struggles of creating living spaces that are both functional and stylish for owner and cat. Don’t just go to your local pet shop and adorn your home with unattractive cat towers and kitty beds. In Catification, Jackson Galaxy, the star of Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell, and Kate Benjamin, of the popular cat design website Hauspanther.com, walk readers through a step-by-step process of designing an attractive home that is also an optimal environment for cats.
This gorgeously designed, full-color book includes more than twenty fun DIY projects, from kitty beds and litter boxes to catios (cat patios) that will be sure to make readers—and their cats—purr in approval.
2. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You by The Oatmeal and Matthew Inman
Jesus Rollerblading Christ--another helping of TheOatmeal! Mrow, MOAR kitty comics. Mr. Oats delivers a sidesplitting serving of cat humor in his new book, How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You.
If your cat is kneading you, that's not a sign of affection. Your cat is actually checking your internal organs for weakness. If your cat brings you a dead animal, this isn't a gift. It's a warning. How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You is a hilarious, brilliant offering of comics, facts, and instructional guides about crazy cat behaviors from the creative wonderland at TheOatmeal.com.
How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You presents fan favorites, such as "Cat vs. Internet," "How to Pet a Kitty," and "The Bobcats," plus 17 brand-new, never-before-seen cat-themed comic strips. This Oatmeal collection is a must-have for cat-lovers from Mr. Oats!
3. A Street Cat Named Bob And How He Saved My Life
The Instant New York Times Bestseller!
James is a street musician struggling to make ends meet.
Bob is a stray cat looking for somewhere warm to sleep.
When James and Bob meet, they forge a never-to-be-forgotten friendship that has been charming readers from Thailand to Turkey.
A Street Cat Named Bob is an international sensation, landing on the bestseller list in England for 52 consecutive weeks and selling in 26 countries around the world. Now, James and Bob are ready to share their true story with the U.S. in this tale unlike any you've ever read of a cat who possesses some kind of magic.
When street musician James Bowen found an injured cat curled up in the hallway of his apartment building, he had no idea how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London, barely making enough money to feed himself, and the last thing he needed was a pet. Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent but very sick animal, whom he named Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining that he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.
Perfect for fans of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog and Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat That Changed the World, this instant classic about the power of love between man and animal has taken the world by storm and is guaranteed to be a huge hit with American fans as well.
4. I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems
Cat lovers will laugh out loud at the quirkiness of their feline friends with these insightful and curious poems from the singular minds of housecats. In this hilarious book of tongue-in-cheek poetry, the author of the internationally syndicated comic strip Sally Forth helps cats unlock their creative potential and explain their odd behavior to ignorant humans. With titles like "Who Is That on Your Lap?," "This Is My Chair," "Kneel Before Me," "Nudge," and "Some of My Best Friends Are Dogs," the poems collected in I Could Pee on This perfectly capture the inner workings of the cat psyche. With photos of the cat authors throughout, this whimsical volume reveals kitties at their wackiest, and most exasperating (but always lovable).
5. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot with Drawings
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939) is a collection of whimsical poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It is the basis for the musical Cats.
Eliot wrote the poems in the 1930s, and included them, under his assumed name "Old Possum", in letters to his godchildren. They were collected and published in 1939, with cover illustrations by the author, and quickly re-published in 1940, illustrated in full by Nicolas Bentley. They have also been published in versions illustrated by Edward Gorey (1982) and Axel Scheffler (2009).
6. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World is a best-selling non-fiction book published in September 2008. The book recounts the life of Dewey Readmore Books, the cat in residence at the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa.
Grand Central Publishing paid $1.2 million to Vicki Myron, head librarian, and co-author Bret Witter for the rights to the cat's life story. In addition to discussing Dewey's life from his discovery in the library drop bin on a cold winter's night, to his unlikely fame, to his death in 2006, Myron covers issues in her life as she dealt with illness and the challenges of being a single mother. Dewey is portrayed as a loving cat who primarily lived in the library and connected with patrons.
The book was also published in London and translated into numerous languages. It "sold more than a million copies worldwide and stayed on bestseller lists for six months." While a film adaptation was discussed in 2008, with Meryl Streep to play Myron, the project was never fully developed. As of May 2012, a final script had not been approved and the option was due to expire in June.
The book's success led to two different children's editions being adapted from this story, for readers of different levels, as well as different editions of audio books for children and adults. Myron and Witter published a sequel in 2011, Dewey's Nine Lives and a children's picture book that same year.
7. 67 Reasons Why Cats Are Better Than Dogs
It's an age-old battle: cat vs. dog. Now, National Geographic and BuzzFeed's Jack Shepherd team up to settle the dispute once and for all! Documenting cats' superior abilities in such areas as artistry, athleticism, and intellect, Shepherd provides compelling insight into the fight for pet dominance. Perfectly pairing witty text with hilarious photographs and hard-hitting scientific facts, this brutally honest book culls the best evidence of the supremacy of cats (that the Internet can provide) to establish with definitive proof that individuals of the feline persuasion reign supreme over their canine counterparts.
8. Millions of Cats
Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman who were very lonely. They decided to get a cat, but when the old man went out searching, he found not one cat, but millions and billions and trillions of cats! Unable to decide which one would be the best pet, he brought them all home. How the old couple came to have just one cat to call their own is a classic tale that has been loved for generations. Winner of a Newbery Honor, this collector's edition—featuring a heavy interior stock, spot gloss and embossing on the cover, and a thread-sewn binding—will bring this beloved tale to a whole new generation of readers.
9. The Cat in the Hat
Poor Dick and Sally. It's cold and wet and they're stuck in the house with nothing to do . . . until a giant cat in a hat shows up, transforming the dull day into a madcap adventure and almost wrecking the place in the process!
10. Warriors: Into the Wild
Epic adventures. Fierce warrior cats. A thrilling fantasy world. It all begins here.
Read the book that began a phenomenon—and join the legion of fans who have made Erin Hunter’s Warriors series a #1 national bestseller.
For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others.
In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
11. I Can Has Cheezburger?
The Internet has provided us with many wonders, from skateboarding dogs to Chuck Norris facts. Over the past year, though, one sensation has dominated the Web: LOLcats. Here’s how it works: First you find a picture of a cat online, and then you add a caption that reflects the cat’s point of view. Just remember that although cats can speak English, their spelling and grammar is not so hot. Once you’re done, you have a LOLcat (laugh out loud cat).
Since its founding in January 2007, icanhascheezburger .com (named after the most famous LOLcat of all) has been the center of the LOLcat world. I Can Has Cheezburger? collects 200 LOLcats from the enormously popular site, some classic and some new, in glorious and glossy full color.
The book also highlights legendary LOLcat forms recognizable to fans everywhere (including “Do Not Want,” “Monorail Cat,” and “Oh Noes!”), and offers a guide to the finer points of LOLspeak.
Packed with witty and endearing images and published into a proven cat-egory, I Can Has Cheezburger? is sure to delight feline aficionados and Internet nerds alike.
12. Space Cat Meets Mars
Space Cat, that dauntless explorer, is off again in "a most fancy ship" with his friend Captain Fred Stone.
"His sleek tail waving gently on high, Flyball went in search of adventure." Text and pictures - and Paul Galdone has made wonderful pictures - show the strange things he found.
Although by now he is "an experienced and slightly bored" space cat, certain things on Mars do interest him - very much!
13. The Black Cat
"The Black Cat" is one of Edgar Allan Poe's most memorable stories. The tale centers around a black cat and the subsequent deterioration of a man. The story is often linked with "The Tell-Tale Heart" because of the profound psychological elements these two works share.
14. The Grumpy Cat Guide to Life
In a world filled with inspirational know-it-alls and quotable blowhards, only one figure is indifferent enough to tell the cranky truth: Grumpy Cat. Following the success of her New York Times bestselling debut, everyone's favorite disgruntled feline is back with this demotivational guide to everyday life, love, friendship, and more. Featuring many new photos of Grumpy Cat's famous frown and packed with uninspiring observations, The Grumpy Guide to Life will help anyone get in touch with their inner grouch.
15. Cats, Cats, Cats by Andy Warhol
Fashion lovers rejoice! These swank little books showcase Andy' Warhol's inimitable pictures and pronouncements on shoes and style -- and make ideal gifts for serious shoppers everywhere.Shoes, Shoes, Shoes collects a closetful of high heels, loafers, mules, boots, and sandals, including iconic images from Warhol's Pop heyday as well as rarely seen early advertising illustrations. Accompanied throughout by witty quotes -- "I decided that being a shoe salesman is a really sexy job", for example -- these forty drawings, watercolors, and prints demonstrate Warhol's special talent for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Style, Style, Style offers a cavalcade of forty striking fashion images -- slinky dresses, whimsical period costumes, sprightly scarves, ultrachic bijoux, and more, all drawn from Warhol's archives. Sprinkled throughout with the artist's droll quips and playful epigrams, this stylish minibook conjures up all the decadent pleasures of a shopping spree -- at only a fraction of the cost.
16. Dancing with Cats by Burton Silver and Heather Busch
The cult classic is back! This 15th anniversary edition keeps all the original mystery and magic of cat dancing delightfully intact. Perpetually ahead of its time, Dancing with Cats presents scores of delightful and inspiring photographs of people and cats engaging in their favorite dance routines as well as moving testimonies of the personal transformations brought about through this uniquely joyous form of human-animal connection. Dancing with Cats... will have a new generation of cat lovers (and their cats) jumping for joy—and cutting a rug—in no time.
17. Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics by Heather Busch and Burton Silver
In 1994, Why Cats Paint took the art world and animal world by storm with its unprecedented photographic record of cat creativity. Those seminal books in feline aesthetics are now offered in new pocket-size editions filled with the best from each volume, making purrfect gifts for cat lovers and art lovers alike.
18. Hemingway's Cats: An Illustrated Biography by Carlene Fredericka Brennen
Ernest Hemingway always had cats as companions, from the ones he adored as a child in Illinois and Michigan, to the more than 30 he had as an adult in Paris, Key West, Cuba, and Idaho. All are chronicled and most are pictured here, along with revelations of how they fit into the many twists and turns of his life and loves. In 1943 Ernest Hemingway, living in the Finca in Cuba with his third wife and eleven cats, wrote to his first wife:
"One cat just leads to another... The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you see them all moving like a mass migration at feeding time."
He called the cats “purr factories" and “love sponges" who soaked up love in return for comfort and companionship. He gave each a name that suited its character, including F. Puss, Fatso, Friendless, Feather Kitty, Princessa, Furhouse, Uncle Woofer, and his last cat in Idaho, Big Boy Peterson. You'll also meet his nine dogs, a cow, and a young great horned owl that he rescued not long before his death. Hemingway's Cats reveals a softer side to the writer's character than is usually portrayed by the macho image of the hunter and fisherman. He sought the cats' comfort in times of loneliness and stress, and he featured some of them in his writings, particularly in A Moveable Feast, Islands in the Stream, The Garden of Eden, and True at First Light—all written late in his life and as close to autobiography as he came.
19. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Cats, Cat Breeds & Cat Care by Alan Edwards
An invaluable guide to all the main cat breeds of the world; from the exotic longhaired Persian to the hairless Sphynx; the ever-popular Shorthair to the tail-less Manx; and rarer breeds such as the Singapura and Bengal. Fascinating descriptions of each breed include essential information on grooming needs, as well as insights into each breed's typical character and temperament.
20. The Life and Love of Cats by Lewis Blackwell
The Life and Love of Cats takes us on an unforgettable journey—we travel from the homes of middle-America today, back to the demonized creatures hiding in the alleys of medieval Europe; from wild cousins on the plains of Africa to rare hybrid domestic breeds like the Savannah; and from fashionable show breeds to shelter cats lovingly rescued by volunteers. Starting with the earliest records of domestic cats 9,000 years ago in Africa and the Mediterranean and moving to the present, Lewis Blackwell weaves stories of one of humankind’s closest companions with a collection of more than 100 unforgettable images.
Praise for The Life and Love of Cats:
“Fabulous felines.” —People
“As good as Blackwell's text is (and it's quite good—an approachable, informative, and appreciative study of cats of all breeds), the true appeal of the book is the stunning images.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Filled with gorgeous color photos of domestic and wild felines: Russian blues, Siamese, lions, leopards, Bengal tigers and more.” —BookPage
“A global tour of one of the world’s most popular animals.” —The Charlotte Observer
“This is a gorgeous coffee table book” —dooce
