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A Christmas Feral

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Judge Scrooge won't even heat his home for Christmas in this Roaring Twenties' short story. Judge Scrooge says that when you pay the bill, you don't feel the cold. When Judge Scrooge rules incorrectly in a cat dispute, Magical White Cat Tatania and her companion Zeus teach him the meaning of keeping Christmas and cats.

23 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2011

20 people are currently reading
79 people want to read

About the author

Mary Matthews

62 books51 followers

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5 stars
20 (22%)
4 stars
22 (25%)
3 stars
23 (26%)
2 stars
18 (20%)
1 star
5 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Erik Sapp.
529 reviews
January 27, 2017
Poor Dickens

The book is "A Christmas Carol" with cats instead of ghosts.

The writing is very juvenile. What could be a very cute story is just rushed.
Profile Image for Lis Carey.
2,213 reviews140 followers
December 31, 2011
This is a charming retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, set in the Roaring Twenties, with Judge Scrooge about to issue a disastrously wrong ruling in a case involving feral cats, just in time for Christmas. Tatania, the beautiful, and deaf, white cat who readers may remember from Splendid Summer, takes a firm pawgrip on the matter, along with her companion, Zeus. The humans Tatania consents to hang out with, Jack and Grace, also make an appearance.

This Scrooge is so tight-fisted he won't even heat house; "when you pay the bill, you don't feel the cold." Tatania and her friends have an attention-getting lesson for him!

This is a warm and charming little story, a novella rather than a novel, but well worth your time in this Christmas season.

Recommended.
Profile Image for Julie Barrett.
9,255 reviews207 followers
January 2, 2012
A Christmas Feral Mary Matthews
Similar story about Scrooge but using different characters. The judge has to put some in
jail where at least they will get a free meal. Then there is the case of the cat, they are
strays. Cats were always in his life and he just hated them now. He saw the good in the cats
and when he awoke he sent a telegram that it was now illegal to killcats.
Profile Image for Darlene Ferland.
668 reviews48 followers
July 29, 2012
What can I say, I am a Christmas fanatic! This little story mimicking Dickens' A Christmas Carol is cute and it takes so little time to read. I liked it. . .
Profile Image for Rachael.
91 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2012
nice twist to the original christmas story
Profile Image for Rosa M..
70 reviews42 followers
December 2, 2012
This is a cat version of Dicken's classic The Christmas Carol. Terrific concept, but the story is convoluted and doesn't make its point very well.
Profile Image for Emmy.
909 reviews11 followers
May 26, 2019
•audiobook•
A retelling that was more brief than the first two books in the series and had the most promise to be better.
Tatania and Zeus are our stars but with juvenile writing, fails to glimmer.
This is definitely my last cat book. I’ll continue to dote my kitties but seek dog books in the future. Unfortunately, authors who favor cats aren’t able to write a worthy book ...

This is my voluntary review of an audiobook received for free.
25 reviews1 follower
December 15, 2018
SCROOGE UNDONE BY A CAT

It was a fun take on the original using the cats. Easy to read and to smile. Enjoy the irony.
Profile Image for Pamela Howell.
295 reviews8 followers
Read
November 26, 2019
Cat Scrooge spin

Different spin on classic Dickens Scrooge.
Magical cats attempt to change his (Judge Scrooge) mind on ruling to make it legal to kill stray & feral cats.
Profile Image for Deborah Rogers.
16 reviews
December 17, 2019
Cute take on A Christmas Carol

A simple story with a touch of the tale of A Christmas Carol with cats. I enjoyed the short but entertaining story.
111 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2020
Delightful

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful feline-friendly version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The story is a quick and unique Christmas story.
Profile Image for Michelle.
596 reviews3 followers
January 1, 2021
Wonderful spin on the Scrooge tale!

Clever spin using cats for the spirits in this tale of Scrooge. Although short, it's packed with meaning and by the end happiness and joy.
2,000 reviews39 followers
January 24, 2023
A thoroughly enjoyable retelling of Dickins A Christmas Carol starring Titania and her cat friends as the ghosts of Christmas.
Just a fun little story for Christmas or whenever you need a boost.
Profile Image for Linda.
681 reviews34 followers
December 1, 2012
This review was originally posted on Big Al's Books and Pals review blog on November 19, 2012

This is a charming re-telling of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. Judge Scrooge is presented with a case for the legal extermination of feral cats in his town on Christmas Eve.

Judge Scrooge is a bitter man. His love of money, his turning his back on family, and walking away from the woman he loved has had a caustic effect on his life. I liked the way She (Scrooge’s lost love) was introduced (that is the way he refers to Her). She is an attorney that presents cases in front of Judge Scrooge regularly. He decides to make a ruling for the legal extermination of feral cats in their area solely based on who She is, but defers his ruling until the day after Christmas. This sets the stage for the visit of Tatania, our magical cat, who has a Cheshire cousin.

This is a cute premise, but the story missed the mark, in my opinion. I tended to get lost when the story changed scenes, they were not as well defined as I felt like they could have been, and this threw me out of the story. The moral of the story includes the significance of the balance of nature with all living things as well as the joy of the spirit of Christmas. I found no significant errors.

FYI:
Tatania, Grace, and Jack are characters from Mary Matthews’ Splendid Summer series.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **


Rating: *** Three Stars
Profile Image for Shai Williams.
875 reviews10 followers
September 11, 2012
When I was asked to review this short story I readily agreed even though I don't tend to read a lot of short stories. I just couldn't resist however as I have been blessed with two feral polydactls cats that have deemed to share their lives with me.

I found A CHRISTMAS FERAL to be an enjoyable quick read. It is a retelling of Dicken's well known A Christmas Carol complete with a Scrooge and a Tiny Tim. The ghosts however are cats who show Scoorge a future without them.


A CHRISTMAS FERAL is a great way to jump start the holiday season. There are a couple editing errors but I didn't find that they detracted from the story. I do recommend this story to all who love cats and Christmas.

*** I was given this story by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monies have or will change hands.

Profile Image for Laurie.
422 reviews
December 13, 2012
A cute, short Christmas story that is a spin on the tale, "A Christmas Carol", but with stray cats, a courtroom, Tiny Tim, and of course, best of all, Scrooge! If you love cats, this is a nice little story right 'up your alley'!
I received this book for FREE directly from the Author, Mary Matthews, in exchange to read and write a review about this book. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa...
Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Profile Image for Sarah.
107 reviews20 followers
October 12, 2012
This book isn’t one I’d usually read, but it landed as a gift in my inbox after the author had read about my own cat’s escapades here.

A Christmas Feral is a short story with a twist; it’s a take on the well known, popular classic, A Christmas Carol, and follows the tried and tested formula of Dickens’ classic work.

It’s a nice lighthearted read; the main character quickly realises that a life without cats would be a dark life… essentially that all creatures have a part of play and can bring much love and laughter into a home.

It’s a nice light hearted read, and I’m sure as we move closer to Christmas, will get readers into that festive mood.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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