# Friends, Dopers, CountryPeeps, share your favorite dog & Cat books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707 "2008-11-07T20:15:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/21 "2008-11-10T06:25:57Z")
[I loved “The Book of Night With Moon” by Diane Duane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Night_With_Moon). It’s about cats, written from a cat perspective. Oh yeah, the cats are all wizards, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/22 "2008-11-10T13:22:26Z")
Lassie Come Home. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/23 "2008-11-10T14:21:48Z")
I have a vague memory of reading Big Red or wanting to read it when I was younger and not getting around to it. I’ll add to the list for anyone else who may be surfing the thread looking for animal books to read. **Nonfiction:** [The Good, The Bad and the Furry](http://www.amazon.com/Good-Bad-Furry-Choosing-Thats/dp/1594740216/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226325791&sr=8-15) a guide on the highlights and lowlights from the most popular breeds. This is a great reference that is funny and readable. [Dogs Who Found Me](http://www.amazon.com/Dogs-Who-Found-Me-Learned/dp/1592287492/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226325921&sr=1-1). An upcoming dog writer, IMHO. I haven’t read his other stuff as of yet. There is an out of print book that I devoured as a kid that was called something like, **The Dogs that came to stay.** Set in NH or VT ( maybe CT.) and a man and his wife take in these two stays ( spaniels/retreivers, IIRC) and how they started out living in the wood shed. There is an event with one of the dogs digging up shot possums ( or skunk) that had been buried and rolling in that mess that has stuck with me for years. Can’t remember the author. He was a writer by trade, but not overly known. This is a new release and I am waiting for it to come into the library: [Dewey](http://www.amazon.com/Dewey-Small-Town-Library-Touched-World/dp/0446407410/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226326248&sr=1-5). A cat who lives in a library. What is not to love already? **Kid’s Book:** [Six Dinner Sid](http://www.chinaberry.com/prod.cfm/pgc/11100/sbc/11104/inv/6424) Picture book. [Jenny and the Cat Club](http://www.amazon.com/Jenny-Cat-Club-Collection-Childrens/dp/1590170474/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226326639&sr=1-2) and other cat books by Ester Averill. Delightful cat stories. [Golden Cat](http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Cat-Gabriel-King/dp/0345423054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226326774&sr=1-1) Haven’t read it. Mean to one of these days. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/24 "2008-11-10T14:22:54Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > [I loved “The Book of Night With Moon” by Diane Duane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Night_With_Moon). It’s about cats, written from a cat perspective. **Oh yeah, the cats are all wizards, too.** 🙂 Well, duh. Everyone knows _that_! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/25 "2008-11-10T14:30:23Z")
[All My Patients are Under the Bed](http://www.amazon.com/All-Patients-are-Under-Bed/dp/0671554506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226327112&sr=1-1): Memoirs of a Cat Doctor ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/26 "2008-11-11T12:36:48Z")
These are all awesome and I have put them in my library book queue. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/27 "2008-11-19T12:36:27Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > [All My Patients are Under the Bed](http://www.amazon.com/All-Patients-are-Under-Bed/dp/0671554506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226327112&sr=1-1): Memoirs of a Cat Doctor This book came in first from my large request from the library interloan and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Not overly sappy, but Camuti isn’t a sappy kinda guy. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/28 "2008-11-19T14:03:40Z")
[The Fur Person](http://www.amazon.com/Fur-Person-Gift-May-Sarton/dp/0393041948/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227103165&sr=1-15). I always have loved this book. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/29 "2008-11-19T14:55:59Z")
This is a bit off the cat and dog track and into exotics, but nobody should miss My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. He wrote other books about his love of animals and the zoo he eventually came to run, but this was the best. [http://www.shoarns.com/MyFamilyandOtherAnimals.htm](http://www.shoarns.com/MyFamilyandOtherAnimals.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/30 "2008-11-19T15:56:31Z")
Alex and Me [http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/\_/R-400000000000000096960](http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/_/R-400000000000000096960) I, too, have “Dewey” in my library queue! “Misty of Chincoteague” “Sounder” “Old Yeller” “Where the Red Fern Grows” ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/31 "2008-11-19T16:52:24Z")
[Enslaved By Ducks](http://www.amazon.com/Enslaved-Ducks-Bob-Tarte/dp/1565124502/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227113451&sr=1-5) is a wonderful little vignette into a writer’s life and his life with a variety of animals, including ducks and rabbits. Some funny observations and set in Michigan YAY for MI! ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/32 "2008-11-19T20:30:41Z")
These aren’t entirely dog/cat books (as a country vet, Dr. Herriott treated plenty of horses and livestock too), but I love the “All Creatures Great and Small” series. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/33 "2008-11-19T21:56:08Z")
Another vote for _Nop’s Trials_- by far the best dog book I’ve read, and it’s for grownups. It has a sequel, _Nop’s Hope_ that is also very good. I liked it even before I became a working border collie fanatic. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/34 "2008-11-19T22:35:39Z")
[_Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_of_Practical_Cats) by T.S. Eliot (music by Andrew Lloyd Webber). ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/35 "2008-11-19T22:55:26Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Pratchett & Jollife’s _The Unadulterated Cat_ Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/36 "2008-11-20T02:14:51Z")
I’m embarassed to ask this, but could somebody tell me which of the above books are NOT SAD? Because, you know those animal books. I’ll never forgive _Sounder_ for effectively killing the dog twice. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/37 "2008-11-20T02:25:44Z")
**Zsofia** - my suggestions: The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be: Bittersweet, or sad if you prefer. Big Red: Happy, sequelae are of progeny White Fang: Happy ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/38 "2008-11-20T02:26:08Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I’m embarassed to ask this, but could somebody tell me which of the above books are NOT SAD? All the Kjelgaard “Red” books have upbeat endings. The Terhune ones are usually upbeat and are at worst bittersweet. The James Herriot stories are all over the map, but only rarely depressing. ETA: Oh, yeah on preview **OtakuLoki** ’s suggestion of White Fang is also a good one, though it wades through a couple of pretty tough acts to get there. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Thalia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ba8739/32.png) [@Northern\_Thalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Thalia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/39 "2008-11-20T08:26:53Z")
[Where the Red Fern Grows.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Red_Fern_Grows) My absolute favourite book as a child… it still brings a tear to my eye… it is definitely bittersweet though. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/40 "2008-11-20T09:48:38Z")
Ultra sad - [Faithful Ruslan](http://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Ruslan-G-vladimov/dp/067124633X), not a kid’s book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707.md?page=3)