The Cat Who Came for Christmas | Book Review

The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory
Original Publication Date: 1987
Genres: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Animals
Source: I purchased this book
Goodreads

Cleveland Amory’s The Cat Who Came For Christmas is the delightful holiday tale of Amory and his beloved feline, Polar Bear.

It was Christmas Eve 1977 and Amory, a well-known Boston Brahmin, society writer, and former TV Guide critic had established The Fund for Animals and was deeply involved in animal rights issues.

Amory Meets The Cat On Christmas Eve

On a rescue mission, he meets Polar Bear, a stray who is living in deplorable conditions. Polar Bear immediately touches his heart in an unusual way. Amory loved all animals, but had never been owned by a cat before – he was a “dog man.”

But that cold Christmas Eve changed all of that. He seems to know instinctively that this small, half-starved creature will be important to him. Amory and Polar Bear were perfect for each other.

The book was a huge bestseller upon its original publication in 1987 and has been republished numerous times, with the most recent edition in October 2013.

The book can also be very funny as Amory tries to see things from a cat’s point of view. It is a sweet story and makes for wonderful Christmas reading.

The Book Was So Popular That Amory Wrote Two Sequels

The Cat and the Curmudgeon, 1990:

The Cat and the Curmudgeon by Cleveland Amory
Original Publication Date: 1990
Genres: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Animals
Source: I purchased this book
Goodreads

Curmudgeon is about the continuing relationship between Amory and Polar Bear, especially after fame has struck.

Polar Bear now goes on book tours and stays with Amory in hotel rooms. They are now a fine team.

The Best Cat Ever by Cleveland Amory
Original Publication Date: 1993
Genres: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Animals
Source: I purchased this book
Goodreads

The Best Cat Ever (1993) is actually mostly about Amory’s interesting life and not so much about Polar Bear, although it does have the very sad but inevitable conclusion to their enduring friendship.

Amory passed away a few years later in 1998.

Compleat Cat by Cleveland Amory
Original Publication Date: 2002
Genres: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Animals
Source: I purchased this book
Goodreads

Or you can get all three volumes in one giant hardcover book, Cleveland Amory’s Compleat Cat.

For some reason, these books are not available for Kindle or Nook – yet.

If you’re in a Christmas mood, you may also want to check out a Merry Classical Christmas.