This one alongside the Hotel Cat are my favorites of the series. Somehow I read them all out of order- I thought I had stacked them according to publication date, but maybe my stack was upside down? or the stories were written to fill in afterward, things that came before . . . because this one is about two young male street cats who wander around. They’re quite tough- in fact their favorite pastime is boxing with each other- and looking for a good place to live. A fellow stray cat warns them not to go to a certain part of town that is known to be “catless” and unfriendly, but they go there anyway. They find a quiet, empty, abandoned-looking shed in a backyard, and a nook alongside a random building where someone starts leaving out food for them. They think life is quite nice and settled now. Then surprised to find other cats around after all- a small group of pampered, “soft” pet cats that gather in a back garden between a bunch of houses. It’s quickly obvious to the reader that this is the beginnings of the Cat Club (it’s a smaller group and Jenny isn’t present yet, though she’s mentioned near the end of the book).
The two toughs hide to listen and see what the Club members are doing for a while. They scoff at the idea of joining the Club, bristling at the notion of having to follow rules and meet obligations. But they keep coming by to observe, and slowly warm up to the idea of being friendly with these pet cats. Of course the Club requires members to have special talent or skill to contribute, and the two brothers-of-the-road think their boxing matches will entertain everyone. But the President says they fight too rough. It turns out they have another skill quite useful to the Club’s cats, and they’re talked into using it to be of service, while made to feel almost as if it were their own idea (which is the best way to convince someone to do something). I found this little story quite entertaining and satisfying, though a bit nonplussed that the one event the brothers were going to help the Club out with, that was talked about in planning over several chapters, never happened on the page! Though it’s pictured on the cover. I kind of wanted to read how their outing went.
Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 6/13/24.
