A Kitten in Paradise
The Literary CatCast
A drunken thief feeds a starving, stray kitten from a vessel of stolen milk. This kindness later creates a dramatic event at the gates of Heaven.
info_outline
A Cat May Look At A King
The Literary CatCast
A royal court cat who blindly worships and trusts a King adopts a new perspective when the King kicks him, an action that changes the King and the Kingdom for the better, forever. Written by the late Jan Struther in the 1920s or early 1930s.
info_outline
The Cat Who Came for Christmas
The Literary CatCast
Cleveland Amory rescues a starving, hurt, stray white cat from a New York City alley on a snowy Christmas Eve night in 1977. This cat became known as his much loved cat, Polar Bear, featured in three of his best selling novels. In this episode Phebe reads chapter one, The Rescue from The Cat Who Came for Christmas.
info_outline
The Paradise of Cats
The Literary CatCast
The Paradise of Cats, written in 1864, by Emile Zola is the story of a fat, comfortable cat who longs to leave his luxurious life, and run wild on Paris rooftops. Told in the cat's own words, the cat soon discovers that life on the street is not as free and beautiful as expected.
info_outline
The Fat Cat
The Literary CatCast
The Fat Cat, written in 1959 by the collaborative author group named, Q. Patrick, is categorized as suspense. It's a vintage short story that word plays on the childhood rhyme, The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat, but this is not a child's story. It follows a cat, who follows a soldier through a treacherous jungle during WWII.
info_outline
The Cats of Ulthar
The Literary CatCast
The Cats of Ulthar, written in 1920 by H. P. Lovecraft, tells the story of how a law forbidding the killing of cats came to be. A young traveller boy named Menes reacts to the murder of his kitten with a meditation that gives way to prayer. Meditation and Prayer so strong it reshapes the clouds in the sky, and changes the cats, the people, and the town of Ulthar forever.
info_outline
Tobermory
The Literary CatCast
Tobermory is a cat that has been taught the art of human speech. He demonstrates his new talent at a formal tea party at a summer house in England.
info_outline
Cat and Mouse's Christmas Poem
The Literary CatCast
Phebe Phillips reads her classic, charming Holiday poem about an unlikely friendship between a Cat and Mouse on Christmas Eve.
info_outline
Love Is a Special Way of Feeling
The Literary CatCast
Love Is a Special Way of Feeling, by Joan Anglund has a one-line mention of a cat, so Phebe deemed it acceptable for the podcast. Give yourself a nine minute escape with this 1960’s book of joy.
info_outline
The Boy Who Drew Cats
The Literary CatCast
Phebe Phillips brings to life the 15th century Japanese legend, The Boy Who Drew Cats. This legend has been retold by many different authors. Phebe uses Margaret Hodges adaptation as her narration guideline. She pulls you into the story to learn that what sometimes is perceived as a person's greatest flaw, can actually become their greatest good fortune.
info_outlineThis book, Love Is a Special Way of Feeling by Joan Walsh Anglund was an antique mall find by Phebe. Usually episodes feature fully developed cat characters, but in this small book of sweet verse there is a one-line mention of a cat, so Phebe deemed it acceptable for the podcast, especially since we’re in the season of love and light…and this book is just so very, very sweet. Give yourself a nine minute escape with this 1960’s book of joy.
Phebe has been away from the podcast. At the end of August, a homeless cat, she named TillySue, gave birth in her podcast recording closet to five kittens. Stay for the very end of this episode for the calming sound of TillySue’s nursing, purring kittens. You may see their photos on the website, The Literary Catcast (dot) com.