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The Cats by Berton Roueche

This short novel / novelette address the problem of unwanted kittens and cats.

Out in Amagansett, the summer holiday visitors are buying the cute kittens for themselves and their children, but what happens when the summer vacation is over and they're packed up to leave. Poor old pussy, gets kicked to the curb, dumped in the woods or left on the street in the hopes that some kind little kid will take it in and look after it. After all, who wouldn't want a nice cuddly cat. It turns out that the locals want them just as much as the leaving city folk.

This, causes the problem that eventually surrounds our main characters. I wont say hero and heroine because they actually help add to the problem, and sometimes you can't help feeling that they get their just desserts at times.

Most cats when left alone will go feral, and fend and hunt for themselves, this takes it a little further in making the cats hunt in packs.

At only 126 pages in length this was a quick and enjoyable read the only downside for me was the constant use of "he said", "she said" or "Karen said" when Roueche wrote his dialogue. Apart from this small thing a good story and a thought provoking one at that. Do you know how many stray cats are around your town?

7/10

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PENNYWISE Stephen



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