James Herriot's Cat Stories

By: James Herriot

Narrated by: Christopher Timothy

Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's Summary

What better match of author and subject than James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and the adorable felines that delight so many millions of pet fanciers around the world? This warm and joyful volume of stories collects some of the Yorkshire vet's favorite tales about one of his favorite animals - each memoir as memorable and heartwarming as the last.

Kittens and cats of all kinds populate this program and, like their flesh-and-blood counterparts, they will purr their way into the hearts and minds of everyone who hears their stories. You'll meet cats of farmers, merchants, and matrons; cats with definite social graces and wild, untamed natures; and some cats who became a cherished part of the Herriot family. You'll also meet some of the wonderful people of Yorkshire, men and women whose lives were changed forever by the love and affection of these fascinating, independent, caring creatures.

©1994 by James Herriot (P)1994 by Audio Renaissance Tapes, A Division of Cassette Productions Unlimited, Inc.

Be Careful if You Have Lost a Cat...

Ah, listening to this audiobook was the sweetest pain and awfulest pleasure! I've never been so moved by any audiobook (tears, runny nose, even sobs!). It must be because last year we lost our beloved feline companion of 18 years, but it's also surely because James Herriot deeply sympathizes with, loves, and understands cats and their humans and because Christopher Timothy feels the same about Herriot's stories. Listening to the savory and vivid descriptions of the feline friends, arching their backs and purring thunderously and fulfilling vital roles in their people's lives, and then hearing of them falling ill and wasting away, and then being filled with an almost unbearable suspense as to whether or not Dr. Herriot will find and cure what ails them... well, it's all just the heart of the sad transience and amazing beauty of living beings in our wonderful world.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

A delightful Book

This book is a collection of some of Herriot’s cat stories. The book is well written and is a delight to read. I enjoy Herriot’s books in the audiobook format so I can thoroughly enjoy the various accents. Anyone who enjoys animal stores will love this book. It is acceptable for all ages. I find the Herriot books most relaxing and I feel good after reading them. This book was originally published in 1994.

James Herriot (1916-1995) is the pen name of James Alfred Wight, a veterinarian. Wight wrote under a pseudonym to avoid having problems with the ethical rules of not advertising a veterinary practice. The books are autobiographical. His first book was published in 1969.

The book is three hours. Christopher Timothy does a good job narrating the book. Timothy is a Welsh actor and played Herriot in the BBC production of “All Things Great and Small”. He is an award-winning audiobook narrator.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Beautiful!

If you like this amazing creatures, this book will take you some tears even to a hard heart.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great Stories, but duplicated from other books

Any additional comments?

I really love Christopher Timothy as reader. He really acts his reading, doing voices, sounds, and everything in just the right tones and inflections to keep the listener engaged. I loved these cat stories, they were great! However, as a warning to others, if you've already read the four longer books in his series (All Creatures, All Things B&B, and All Things W & W), then you'll find that all these cat stories are repeats from those books. I only ordered it after listening to those others because I was hoping to hear one specific cat story I remember reading as a short story when I was a kid. It wasn't in here, so the book was 100% repeat for me. Enjoyed it thoroughly and did listen to it all the way thru.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A bit sad

Im a huge cat lover and I really enjoy Mr.Herriots storys. I have only listen to 3, but I must say this one was full of tears for me. So I highly recommend James Herriot just mabye not this one unless your a bit more tuff skinned than me.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Amazing

I've always enjoyed his books, and cats are also my favorite animal. This is my favorite of his books, and I often re-listen to it! Please read it or listen to it! 😎

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great book with a great narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It has a lot of touching stories about cats. It may be a rather painful read if you recently lost a loved furry friend though.

What other book might you compare James Herriot's Cat Stories to and why?

It's quite similar to James Herriot's all other books, detailing his veterinary practice.

It also reminded me a bit of "Urban Tigers, Tales of a Cat Vet" by Kathy Chisholm.

What about Christopher Timothy’s performance did you like?

Previous to listening to him, I thought a narrator's job was to just read the book clearly and that's it. Christopher Timothy changed my view entirely and has now made it difficult to listen to other narrators.

He is just so good at narrating. He changes his tone of voice to match the mood perfectly. His almost singing voice keeps you constantly awake and aware. His voice impressions really bring the dialog to life. His grim tone during sad moments is bound to contribute to you crying your eyes out.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

While I think I would have enjoyed listening to the whole thing in one go, I normally listen to my books while taking a walk. So I listened to it in 20-ish minute intervals, which happens to coincide with chapter/section length, for the most part. It's also the kind of book that is easy to pick up and put down at any time.

Any additional comments?

A great book for cat lovers, although it is pretty much guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes. Do not read in public.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Very Refreshing And Sweet

I've gotten somewhat tired of the cat stories that go like: family meets cat, family initially doesn't like cat, but gets used to it, then loves it, then cat gets killed by car, the end. There are only so many such stories (or similar) that you can read/listen to. Fortunately, these are pretty different. Mostly heartwarming, lighthearted, and fun. I enjoyed them all, which is a rarity.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Unbelievable🐈

These stories are unbelievable🐈🐈🐈 I'm 80 yrs old and never tire of them....they are all "unbelievabe".

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Lovely Cat Stories

It was a wonderful, heart warming set of tales. Sometimes sad but still uplifting.

I really love the work of James Herriot.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful