Close Encounters of The Furred Kind
Close Encounters Of The Furred Kind: New Adventures With My Sad Cat & Other Feline Friends, a serious review about a funny book.
Well, hello dear ones. It’s me, Merlin with an antidote for nail-biting. If you’re like most Americans, you may be chewing your nails or pulling your hair out in anticipation of tomorrow’s election. It’s been the nastiest political cat-fight in history. To alleviate the stress, I suggest a very funny book to get your mind off everything, before or after voting. But please do vote.
We’re massive fans of Tom Cox and his series of memoirs based on his life in the English countryside with his cats. His latest one Close Encounters Of The Furred Kind: New Adventures With My Sad Cat & Other Feline Friends by Tom Cox came out in August. I confess to sitting on it for months after Layla received a review copy which feels like several lifetimes ago. It goes to show how behind I am in my book review duties. Things move at a slower pace in Summerland but I’ll pick it up a notch.
Like all good books, Close Encounters brought solace and a laugh-out-loud escape from a hellish summer. I’d call it wildly entertaining.
Tom Cox has four cats you’ll fall in love with but my favorite is Bear. He’s an old black cat of twenty with more soul than than a packed blues festival. He’s famous for his sad, wise owl eyes and wry photo quotes @MySadCat. His furbro Shipley, a black cat with a salty tongue, tweets at @my SwearyCat Prudes beware. They are guaranteed to make the crappiest day less awful.
If you must have a Tom Cox kitty fix between books, he writes long pieces about his life in Devon (with or without cats), deep observations about nature, walking the moors, obscure local history, ’70s music and makes the mundane riveting. His latest is Nearly Northern.
Do yourself a favor and escape to the delightful furry world of Tom Cox. We’ll randomly select a winner for a copy of the book and a surprise from Tom. Tell us in a comment what kinds of things your cats says to you.
From Close Encounters Of The Furred Kind: New Adventures With My Sad Cat & Other Feline Friends:
Have you ever moved house, over a distance of 350 miles, with four cats? If you haven’t, and are thinking about it, I’ll give you some advice: don’t.
If you really must move, try to get the cats to arrange their own transport. Focus on yourself instead. You’ll have plenty to think about as it is, and the cats will only get in the way with their sarcasm and hairballs. I moved from Norfolk to Devon with four cats and it felt like such an impossible ordeal, part of me believes that I actually died somewhere along the way and am now living in some kind of afterlife: very much like real life, but a little slower moving, and with slightly clearer air. “That’s just the West Country,” I’ve been told, but I can’t be 100% certain.
FTC disclaimer: We received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for our honest review. The link to Amazon contains an affiliate link. Cat Wisdom 101 only shares content we feel is of value to our readers.
32 Comments
Janice
I’d love to win this.
Monica Dingess
This book looks interesting. Seem a delightful and funny stories about cats. My house has two princesses, but I haven’t ever moved house with them. I’ll check out Tom Fox books. Thanks
Cynthia Southern
This looks like a delightful cat book. Princess regularly purrs at me and tells me with meows how much she loves me. <3
Summer
Nice book ♥
Dorothy
We enjoy Tom Cox’s writing very much, we follow his blog and have read the books he has available in the US. I’m sure we’ll be downloading the newest very soon,
ellen
Looks like a great book! I have never moved with 4 cats, although we wanted to move and the concern for the feral colony prevented it.
I am glad to see you Merlin!
Chris Davis
Sounds lovely – must check out his books!
Layla Morgan Wilde
Given your love of England, you’re in for a treat!
Cleopawtra (Becca Cook)
I need to check out the Tom Cox books. They all sound wonderful. I hope I win your giveaway so I have one less book to buy, so I have more monies to buy the furbabies more stuffs.
Marjorie and the Dash Kitten Crew
For us – Harvey says when it’s time for bed. He walks in and stands and just ‘looks’ as us as if to say… “WELL…..” it makes us laugh but it means we get up and get ready for bed 🙂
Thanks for a great review Merlin. Miss you mate.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Aw, Marjorie. There is no time and space xox
Maggie
I haven’t read his work- it’s on my to do list now.
Rufus has been saying, since Sunday when we turned the clocks back, “What is wrong with you, lady, get up get up get up and feed me MeowNow.” This is accompanied by not so gentle pats on the face.
I know Mickey Mouser put him up to this….
Layla Morgan Wilde
Maggie, I’d suggest starting starting with his first cat book. Let me know how you like them.
Kathryn
What a great book!
Cheddar often says things like: Yow, I’m so hungry. It’s been 5 minutes since you put down fresh BABY food. Yow, feed ME!
Mao often says things like: Yo, I’m on the prowl looking for my bro, Cheddar, to see if he’s up for a fight. Sorries, just can’t help myself. I’ll kiss him later. It’s only playtime.
Andrea
I think my most expressive cats is Gooseberry. He yowls and looks up at the toy closet when it’s time to play. And it’s always time to play. If I don’t pay attention to him then he’ll go upstairs and pull open the toy drawer. He knows where all the toys are hidden.
He also tells me when it’s time for bed and time for food. I can tell each of those looks apart.
The Swiss Cats
That sounds like a great book ! Purrs
Kitties Blue
Love, love Tom Cox. The most comments I had on a blog post ever (over 100) was when I reviewed his last book. Wish I’d been picked to do this one. Hope I win the copy. Didn’t even know this had been published. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
Layla Morgan Wilde
Janet, isn’t your blurb on the book jacket???
Brian
That’s a good one and we enjoyed it! Hey, come by and meet the newbies!
skeeter and Izzy
Woows so much fun!!!!
My guys speak to me about many things. Izzy can speak volumes with her eyes and most of it cannot be repeated here. I think she all ready goes to my sweary cat while I am at work. MOL. She can also project a DEATH RAY from her eyes. MOL >^~..~^^..^^..^<~
Theresa Flemming
I’ve read all his books, several times- they kept me sane this summer during a move.
In terms of things my cats say, one demanded that I call her “Sweetie” once, after she got frightened. I literally heard a voice suddenly say, “Hey, call me Sweetie,” as she stared at me in fright, & after I protested, due to the saccharine nature of the word, I gave in & said “Hi, Sweetie.” She straightened up calmly & walked away, after winking.
VickyC
Looks like a great book. I think all my girls tell me, mostly Velcro, is to hurry up with dinner.
Tamago
Sounds like a fun book! And Bear is a very handsome kitty 🙂
easy rider
Oh I would love to read this book… and I would like to viti tom cox and his cats… but that probably would end in a cat-astrophe :o)
Layla Morgan Wilde
Easy, your mom would love it!
Flynn
Sounds like a great book. As a Westcountry kitty myself, I have to agree that life is more relaxed here and the air is good and fresh. (Bit too fresh this morning with the heavy frost on my grass.)
Layla Morgan Wilde
It is indeed and I never thought about North Vs. Westcountry until I read Tom’s post.
Hannah and Lucy
That sounds like a great book – we’ll have to keep headbutting our Mum in the hope that she will get us a copy.
Layla Morgan Wilde
You’re lucky the U.K. versions come out before the U.S. ones.
Summer
We love Tom Cox and his kitties here! So glad he has a new book out.
Layla Morgan Wilde
You’d love it.