The Year of the Cat Books

In A Cat of a Different Color, the first volume of WMG’s The Year of the Cat series, editors Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch worked to find stories that featured cats that were just a little surprising (an impressive feat for cats, anyone would have to admit). Just a little weird. A little different.Which makes these stories amazingly fun to read. After all, for cat people, reading about cats equals the fun of being with one.Almost. Just don’t tell the cats.Includes:“Familiar Territory: A Winston and Ruby Story” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch“The Conscientious Cat” by Agnes A. Sandham“The Mouth that Walked” by Dean Wesley Smith“Do Not Resuscitate” by Dory Crowe“Myrtle’s Boxes” by Louisa Swann“Ornamental Animals” by Ray Vukcevich“Christmas, Interrupted” by Lisa Silverthorne“Blame it on the Ghosts” by Annie Reed

Cats very clearly find themselves superior to humans. And we humans just nod and accept that fact.This might come from early history when Egyptians worshipped cats. Or from how humans pamper cats to this day. We have bred them to expect the royal treatment. Sometimes, we even treat them like gods.And why not? A Cat of Perfect Taste, the second volume of The Year of the Cat series, focuses on this major trait of cats. Cats as rulers.And cat people would not have it any other way.Includes:“Cat in Waiting” by Dean Wesley Smith “The Philanthropist and the Happy Cat” by Saki “Pudgygate” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Calvin (A Study in Cat Character)” by Charles Dudley Warner“Cats” by Philip Gilbert Hamerton“What Fluffy Knew” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch“The Secret of Catnip” by Stefon Mears“The Magic Cat of the Hidden Springs Inn and Spa” by Kari Kilgore

Cats possess the ability to snub you faster than anything alive. They turn on the charm when it suits them, but then freeze your soul into an apologetic lump of ice with a single look. The cats in these stories go to sea, work in the mines, foil burglars, engage in political infighting, solve crimes, and engage in dirty tricks to make their owners comply with their wishes. Not much escapes the scope of their powers. With classic tales from Rudyard Kipling and Mark Twain, as well as new stories from some of today’s most original storytellers, this collection simply dares you to pick it up. Includes: “The Cat Who Walked by Himself” by Rudyard Kipling “Midshipman, the Cat” by John Coleman Adams “Dick Baker’s Cat” by Mark Twain “Cat Burglary” by Jodi Lyn Nye “An Incursion of Mice” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Cat in the Air” by Dean Wesley Smith “The Language of Cats” by Stefon Mears “Erwin or Ralph” by Ray Vukcevich

Cats roam everywhere on the planet. Everywhere. Their breed names often betray their place of origin—or their strange origin story in some now-lost land. This collection honors that feline diversity in odd ways as much as possible. And the strange lands that cats not only originate from, but find themselves in. These cats prowl in a witch’s hut, an enchanted shop, post-apocalyptic cities such as Las Vegas and Seattle, as well as across an ancient land where they once ruled as gods. Come settle in for a journey through the kitty-cat cosmos. Includes: “Cat Web” by Meyari McFarland “Burning Bright” by Leigh Saunders “The Poop Thief” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Cat in a Different Place” by Dean Wesley Smith “A Silly Question” by E. Nesbit “The Witch’s Cat” by Manly Wade Wellman “Life, with Cats” by Annie Reed “Night of the Hog-Tied Alien” by Stefon Mears “Fur Tsunami” by Kent Patterson

Cats find themselves in all sorts of situations, sometimes comic, sometimes scary, sometimes just plain head-shaking. In fact, for some reason, cats tend to draw crazy situations to themselves like the old cliché, moths to a flame. But nothing attracts cats like a good mystery, particularly of the cozy kind. Cats love crime; they love to solve crimes, to observe humans trying to solve crimes, and occasionally even to commit crimes, because, you know—cats. The felines in this volume do all of the above and more. Grab a comfy chair and a purring feline, and dig in. Includes: “Lin Jee” by Mary A. Turzillo “The Maltese Double Cross” by Carole Nelson Douglas “Scrawny Pete” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “The White Cat” by W.W. Jacobs “Uncle Philbert” by Dory Crowe “Cat Nap” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Mystery Cat” by Dean Wesley Smith “The Christmas Kitten” by Ed Gorman

Cats often live in the world of science fiction and fantasy. Anyone who knows cats knows they bend time and defy gravity. They walk through life seeming not to care about day-to-day events around them, and yet in the blink of an eye, they sense danger as if they see into the future. Cat people also know their cats observe their human slaves for space aliens. We don’t mind, really. Of course, most cats, like nature, abhor a vacuum, so no technology for cats past a good can opener. This volume focuses on cats in space and time and includes two helpful poems for those who still wonder about their cats’ occupations. Includes: “Ten Ways to Know if Your Cat is a Space Alien” by Geoffrey A. Landis “The Goddess Particle” by Daemon Crowe “All Cats are Gray” by Andre Norton “The Game of Rat and Dragon” by Cordwainer Smith “Nefertiti’s Tenth Life” by Mary A. Turzillo “Chimera” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “The Frayed Edges of the World” by Annie Reed “Surfing the Swale” by Lisa Silverthorne “Cat in a Hole” by Dean Wesley Smith “More Ways to Tell if Your Cat is a Space Alien” by Mary A. Turzillo

Everyone knows dogs save people. Cats do too, in a different way. Although cats feign an aloof detachment, they possess great heart. A cat rescue comes on its own terms and in its own time, and always with dignified heroism. From a fantastic Midnight Louie story by Carole Nelson Douglas, where Louie meets Sherlock Holmes, to a familiar rescuing other familiars from a natural disaster, this volume showcases a broad spectrum of heroic cats. Includes: “A Baker Street Irregular” by Carole Nelson Douglas “Cat in Love” by Dean Wesley Smith “Nine Lives” by E. Nesbit “Gilroy and the Kitten” by Jamie Ferguson “Disaster Relief” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Christmas, Interrupted” by Lisa Silverthorne “The Coffee Curse” by Stefon Mears “Of Cats & Lost Socks” by Liz Pierce

Cats move around. In fact, a cat’s very nature requires them to explore, to move from place to place. Even if their realm lies indoors, they still check out each window and watch every detail of their world. In this fantastic group of stories, cats roam from place to place, bring home presents from their adventures, get lost, and even find romance, as far as romance and cats go together. Follow these cats on their entertaining travels and see what they get up to. Includes: “The Cat’s Paradise” by Emile Zola “The Inside Outhouse” by Dory Crowe “Star” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “The Night Mischief Became a Real Cat” by Annie Reed “Feline Generosity” by Stefon Mears “The Best Bed” by Sylvia Townsend Warner “War of the Guardians” by CJ Erick “Still Life, With Cats” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Cats and art mix in odd ways, at odd times. Scratch the surface on just about any well-known author and you will find a cat, or more likely, many cats. Not just authors. Painters, composers, dancers, and magicians all seem to need cats at some time or other. Cats inspire art. Or damage a piece of art. Or sit on a keyboard and create weird writing all their own. In this fantastic group of stories, we have cats as muse, cats falling for violinists, cats using love as an art, and even cats as feline photographers. Includes: “The Cat Who Lived in a Drainpipe” by Joan Aiken “I Bleed Music” by Stefon Mears “Pigeon Drop” by Mary A. Turzillo “Essy and the Christmas Kitten” by Annie Reed “The Secret Lives of Cats” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Cat Caught in the Art” by Dean Wesley Smith “My Father, the Cat” by Henry Slesar “Paintings of Cats by Mice” by Annie Reed

Most cats pursue the business of their lives in ways both fantastic and whimsical. In this entertaining volume of stories, cats perform as muses, inhabit fairy tales, consort with ghosts and zombies, and one cat even reigns as fantasy queen. Enter the fantastic world of whimsical cats and enjoy! Includes: “Searching for the Familiar” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Speechless in Seattle” by Lisa Silverthorne “Queen of the Mouse Riders” by Annie Reed “The Kingdom of Cats and Birds” by Geoffrey Landis “Cat Leading the Way” by Dean Wesley Smith “A Powerful Friend” by E. Nesbit “Clyde and the Ghost Cat” by Jamie Ferguson “Dead Fred” by Liz Pierce “Un-Familiar” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Make nice with cats and other creatures? Not feral cats. Domestic cats cuddle and purr, but feral and wild cats hiss and roar and scratch. For survival. And sometimes for nefarious motives. In this fantastic group of ten stories, expect some dark stories, some even gruesome ones. Unlike the other eleven volumes in this series, expect some truly dark stories, with villainous cats. Sometimes evil stalks and prowls. And sometimes it bites. Includes: “Cat and Mice” by Jamie McNabb “The Undoing of Morning Glory Adolphus” by N. Margaret Campbell “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe “The Story of the Brazilian Cat” by Arthur Conan Doyle “Pride” by Mary A. Turzillo “Five Starving Cats and A Dead Dog” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Cat Running Wild” by Dean Wesley Smith “Out of Place” by Pamela Sargent “The Destroyer” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Honed, Sharp, and Ready” by Brigid Collins

The theory goes that if cats find love and encourage romance, especially with humans, then cats end up with homes. But does it really work that way? Happily, more often than not, it does. At least in the romance stories gracing the pages of this final volume in the Year of the Cat series. These eight stories make you smile, warm your heart, and give you hope for the future of both humankind and feline-kind. Includes: “A New Home For Christmas” by Annie Reed “Dannie Finds A Home” by Dean Wesley Smith “Crystal Blue Attraction by Dean Wesley Smith “The Inn, the Black Cat, and Two Halves of the Same Heart” by Kari Kilgore “Fable’s Menagerie” by Lisa Silverthorne “Mistress Bootsi” by Anthea Sharp “Second Chance Dinner” by Bonnie Elizabeth “Helmie” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch