It’s August, But I’m Not a Feline Who Guest-Blogs Augustly

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An animal writing about books without a book in sight? “Sue me,” says Misty the cat. (Photo by teen human Maria.)

Hi! Misty the cat here returning for one of my periodic guest blog posts, after I filed a lawsuit against the English language for not spelling periodic “purriodic.” A legal action that promises to last even longer than the endless case in Bleak House by Charles Dickens, who also wrote The Cricket on the Hearth until I chased away that cricket. Second edition: The Cricket No Longer on the Hearth.

Anyway, my blog theme will be novels told from an unusual point of view, and I don’t mean narrating an audiobook from atop the Empire State Building. Today’s topic (along with some novelistic examples of it) was suggested by Robert Berardi, a teacher/artist/songwriter who reads this blog each week — whether the posts are written by Dave, Misty the cat (me), or a bunch of elephants slapping their trunks against a computer keyboard.

One example of a book that unspools from an unusual angle is Dave’s part-fictional Misty the Cat…Unleashed, the 2024-published work told from a feline point of view (mine). Most books aren’t in the “voice” of animals, for the simple reason that animals have trouble obtaining ISBN numbers.

Then there are novels told from a doggy perspective. (Wait…not “purrspective”? Another lawsuit coming.) Prominent examples include The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London, an author who got into the canine mindset by observing Snoopy in the 1950-launched “Peanuts” comic strip. Wait…you’re saying London died in 1916 and thus couldn’t be aware of Snoopy? Nyah-nyah, I have my paws over my ears and can’t hear you.

I’ll also mention Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, in which Gregor Samsa wakes up to find himself in a desperate plight: the “y” is missing from the end of his first name. (I, Misty, don’t have that problem.) Actually, Gregor-not-Gregory wakes up to find himself transformed into a giant insect and proceeds to express his understandably depressed thoughts about that situation. The huge spiders in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series have a different back story.

Other novels told through a critter lens include Richard Adams’ Watership Down, George Orwell’s Animal Farm, and Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain, to name a few.

Of course literature’s animals are often at least partly anthropomorphized, which is defined as…a word too challenging for me, Misty the cat, to have any idea what it means. Actually, anthropomorphized means the critters have some human traits and emotions, according to Dave, who didn’t tell me that until I untied him. Why did I tie him up in the first place? How do you think I got to do today’s blog post?

Just kidding. Dave is happy that I sub for him once in a while. He suggested I do so every few months; I suggested I do so every few weeks. We compromised on every few weeks. Quite fair, no?

Novels told from an unusual point of view can obviously also star humans. Take Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones…on second thought, don’t take it…borrow it from a library instead…or buy it at a bookstore…or order it online…or find camp counselors who read it out loud alongside a roaring fire…while toasting s’mores…and flicking ashes off their clothes…and wondering why they mistook toothpaste for sunscreen…and also wondering why the small, placid lake at the camp contains a ravenous 500-foot-long shark. Anyway, The Lovely Bones has an unusual, emotionally wrenching point of view because we experience things through the eyes of a teen girl AFTER she is murdered.

Heck, some novels even contain storytelling by inanimate objects! Are those objects catnip-filled? Rarely. That’s a problem.

Your thoughts on today’s topic? Examples of today’s topic? Do you have any cat treats for me, even if those tasty morsels are off-topic?

The very talented authors/bloggers/etc. Robbie Cheadle and D.L. Finn recently posted wonderful reviews of Misty the Cat…Unleashed. The latter post also includes reviews of books by four other authors, all excellent. Links below. Thanks so much, Robbie and Denise!

https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2024/08/07/robbies-inspiration-book-review-misty-the-cat-unleashed-the-spirited-adventures-and-amusing-antics-of-an-asthmatic-feline-on-the-loose-by-dave-astor-humour-bookreview/

https://dlfinnauthor.com/2024/08/06/93871/

My comedic 2024 book — the part-factual/part-fictional/not-a-children’s-work Misty the Cat…Unleashed — is described and can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It’s feline-narrated! (And Misty says Amazon reviews are welcome. 🙂 )

This 90-second promo video for my book features a talking cat: 🙂

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — containing my odd take on delayed tax bills — is here.

94 thoughts on “It’s August, But I’m Not a Feline Who Guest-Blogs Augustly”

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  4. I can highly recommend Sam: A Shaggy Dog Story by Sally Cronin, told from the point of view of a collie. Rebecca Budd recently wrote about Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson, which begins from the point of view of an 18th-century chair.

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  7. What about Black Beauty or Bambi?

    Wind in the Willows?

    Misty, I’ve been thinking about this since I read your post.

    It’s hard to focus with you holding that stunning roll of toilet paper.

    I’m wondering if it’s for sale? A meow artistically shredded roll I’ve never seen.

    Misty van Gogh! …But keep your ears about you!

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  8. Well, Misty, your writing prowess continues to inspire me. I have read both Bleak House and The Cricket on the Hearth and found them to be very good stories. I have read Call of the Wild and White Fang but only as abridged versions which I read to my children. Abridged versions don’t really count, do they? I have read Jock of the Bushveld which features a very brave dog, although that may not appeal to you.

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  9. Good to hear from you, Misty the Cat! 🙂 All the ones I thought of with this category got mentioned – especially White Fang and Call of the Wild. I’ve also read the Metamorphosis, which disturbed me so much I still sometimes get chilled when I think of it! I also once read a short story (cannot for the life of me remember what it was called) written from the POV of a dog in the German trenches of WWI, who makes his way over to the Doughboy trenches and makes some friends over there. It was a good story!

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    • Thank you, M.B.! Glad you’ve read “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang”! Such great novels — as you know, practically mirror images of each other: canine goes from civilization to the wild; canine goes from the wild to civilization.

      “The Metamorphosis” IS quite disturbing, as is most of Kafka’s work.

      That short story you mentioned does sound good. Animals often have more sense than humans.

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      • Hi Dave.

        Yes the mention of Metamorphosis…skin prickles!

        I’m not a big internet user but I signed up here after endless search for a particular story i read a long time ago which I recommended to someone. Getting the bureaucracy horrors from Amazon re their short book on AI. (Irony eh).

        Neither of us can find mention of it so far. Although I’m not the best at search. So saw your link, signed up, for the remote chance of utilising your literary knowledge.

        I dont know now, if it was a short story within a compilation or a narrow novel. I’ve read so much in 63yrs!!

        So all I can recall..

        Im sure it was written by a Russian author but perhaps not. And was sure until now that the story was called The Permit.

        The theme, the round robin of red tape of bureaucracy for a rather trivial permit for a domestic matter. Written in the 1900s , I think? But not sure if before or after 1945.

        So if it rings a bell, great. If not no worries. Thanks kindly if anyone else has any idea.

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        • Thank you, inspiringca8101f103! Your two-word description of the way many readers react to “The Metamorphosis” is quite accurate. 🙂

          The bureaucracy nightmare you mention reminds me a bit of Russian writer Gogol’s short story “The Overcoat,” but that tale was quite different and published many decades before 1900. I’m afraid I can’t “place” the story you describe, but hopefully another commenter will have an idea. 🙂

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  11. Hi Misty, how are you doing? I always like to see you on Facebook and YouTube too.

    Here are a couple of books you might know about – naturally from cats:

    We have the Carbonel series by Barbara Sleigh (from Puffin Books) about a little girl called Rosemary and a broomstick; and we also have a trilogy from Cleveland Amony about The Cat Who Came For Christmas whose name is Polar Bear (and why not). Anyway, all of those are pretty good!

    Have fun🐾

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    • I and Misty thank you, Chris! 🙂 Loved the comment! Misty greatly appreciates you watching his actions and words on Facebook and YouTube. (He’s a cat who likes two-syllable online places. 🙂 )

      And those are great book mentions fitting this theme!

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  12. I like your highlighting books by, for, and including animals 🙂 I can’t think of any books that aren’t mentioned in the post. And I’ll back up the mention of “Watership Down.” That’s a wonderful and moving book.

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  13. Hi Misty, good to hear from you again. As is the norm with Dave’s posts, I need to give this subject some thought – but in the meantime I’ve remembered ‘The Plague Dogs’ by Richard Adams, which is largely written from the points of view of two dogs and a fox, albeit with a bit of help from the human author. 😊

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      • It’s an excellent story, addressing a serious issue that was topical at the time of writing. How much it contributed to the changes that were made in that area I don’t know, but it certainly got people talking. Worth a read. 😊

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      • I couldn’t come up with a book, but the poem ‘Mirror’ by Sylvia Plath fulfils the brief, written from the perspective of … a mirror. And–I hasten to add that I wouldn’t be plugging my own work if it wasn’t pertinent to your topic–in my own ‘October Poems’ and ‘Social Climbing and Other Poems’, as well as ‘Poet-Pourri’ I’ve written verses from the perspectives of merecats, a hedgehog, a hermit crab, various fruits and vegetables, a beer barrel and a pair of shoes, amongst other unusual characters. And I’d completely forgotten about them, until you raised the subject. Thanks for the reminder! 😂

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  16. Misty, you are quite the articulate cat! I look forward to reading your book! I’ve actually read Watership Down, a long time ago. There was also a British humorist named Deric Longden who wrote a few voiced comments from cats in nonfiction books. That made me feel it was ok to voice cats now and then in my own nonfiction book. When I began blogging, the cat editors started talking and one smart-mouth just wouldn’t stay quiet … Anyhoo cats are so expressive, it’s hard to resist thinking of what they would say if … oops, I mean, jotting down what they do say.

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    • Thank you, Leah, for your comment — including the humor in it. 🙂

      “Anyhoo cats are so expressive, it’s hard to resist thinking of what they would say if…oops, I mean, jotting down what they do say” — ha, love it! 😂

      I also read “Watership Down” a long time ago, maybe in college.

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  17. Planet Of The Apes by Boulle, where the story unfolds based on human, apes perspectives. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Clarke, where the perspectives are as varied as the characters (alien monoliths, apes, humans, as well as an AI computer. In addition to the above, a little treat for Misty: The Tale Of Tom Kitten by Potter. Great theme! Thanks, Susi

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    • Thank you, Susi! Great examples! I must be the only person in the world who has never read or seen “Planet of the Apes.” I am culturally deprived. 🙂 Did read and see the riveting “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Yes, the computer in it is quite a character!

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      • Planet Of The Apes intrigues me because Boulle’s other novels are so completely different. I’ve yet to understand what inspired him to write it, but it has been thoroughly overdone filmwise. As for 2001 Space Odyssey, which most people have not read, the purpose of the monolith in the movie is explained and oddly enough, seems to overlap Planet Of The Apes, in a somewhat odd fashion. Yes, I agree HAL is quite a character. I think with the development of AI we will soon have our own personal HALs and when they begin to malfunction guess it’s best we learn the lesson Gov. Tim Walz is trying to convey, ie mind your own business. Ha. Susi

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  20. Misty – you have the very best posts! I’m so pleased to hear that you will be adding your wisdom in future posts. I believe that humans are drawn to stories told from an animal’s perspective because of the unique insights and emotions they offer. When we experience the world through an animal’s eyes, we gain a fresh outlook on familiar situations and a deeper understanding of complex human emotions. Animal narrators can provide a sense of innocence, honesty, and simplicity that resonate. Best of all, these stories foster empathy and connection between humans and the natural world.

    One of my favourite “animal” books is George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”. The novel cleverly uses farm animals to represent political figures and societal issues, allowing the animals to speak out against oppression and inequality. Orwell’s allegory effectively conveys the struggles and triumphs of the animals through their own voices, creating a powerful narrative.

    Winnie the Pooh and his animal friends had several books. Their endearing personalities and heartwarming adventures teach valuable life lessons. The themes of friendship, kindness, and simplicity portrayed in the tales resonate with audiences and continue to captivate readers and viewers across generations.

    “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

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    • Thank you, Rosaliene! Sorry your childhood experiences with cats and dogs wasn’t better. I never lived with cats or dogs as a kid (my parents weren’t into them), but I’ve made up for lost time as an adult. 🙂

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  23. Indie author Lorinda J. Taylor has written a series of enjoyable books whose characters are intelligent termites living on a distant planet. She has done extensive research on terrestrial termites to represent the fictional ones correctly. Sounds weird, but the books are excellent.

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    • Thank you, Madeline! Those are great examples!

      Klara sounds VERY intriguing. I’m trying to figure out whether to read Kazuo Ishiguro again; I loved “The Remains of the Day” but had mixed feelings (leaning negative) about “Never Let Me Go.” 🙂 😦

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