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Chia, the Wildcat
Chia! The sound of the wildcat - as explosive as a swear word, as sharp as a slash of claws.
No tame and gentle fireside tabby, Chia is a prowling savage beast who comes out of the night to kill. Often the only traces of her presence are stray feathers and bones, wails and calls in the night.
The wildcat has no friends but many enemies - the most feared of which is man. So Chia makes her home far from human haunts, where the looming shadow and the lethal gun of the hunter will not menace her kittens.
But even there the eagle and the fox give her no rest and the wild cry rings out over the rolling glens - Chia!
No tame and gentle fireside tabby, Chia is a prowling savage beast who comes out of the night to kill. Often the only traces of her presence are stray feathers and bones, wails and calls in the night.
The wildcat has no friends but many enemies - the most feared of which is man. So Chia makes her home far from human haunts, where the looming shadow and the lethal gun of the hunter will not menace her kittens.
But even there the eagle and the fox give her no rest and the wild cry rings out over the rolling glens - Chia!
128 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
Joyce Stranger
113 books31 followersPsuedonym of Joyce Muriel Wilson (1921–2007). Lived in Anglesey, Wales.
Trained as a biologist, specialising in animal behaviour, and tried her hand at dog training too. Not surprisingly, animal themes, especially relationships between human and animal feature in all of her books. She thought that the human-animal/human-nature relationship was extremely important and that a co-existence between the two could improve quality of life. She said "for many people an animal can provide a harmony lacking in day-to-day relationships with people."
Her books are not very anthropomorphic, deliberately so. She thought that many animal books, especially childrens were inaccurate or sentimental or humanised the animal and wanted her stories instead to "show how animals live in a world that is real to them"
They are definitely not sentimental either, many are quite downbeat. Disasters often strike her fictional worlds and her characters are often unhappy, guilt-stricken or remorseful. However they usually end on a more upbeat and optimistic note.
Ms. Stranger was one of the few authors to write horse stories aimed at adults. Most of her pony books are either adult or teenage stories.
Trained as a biologist, specialising in animal behaviour, and tried her hand at dog training too. Not surprisingly, animal themes, especially relationships between human and animal feature in all of her books. She thought that the human-animal/human-nature relationship was extremely important and that a co-existence between the two could improve quality of life. She said "for many people an animal can provide a harmony lacking in day-to-day relationships with people."
Her books are not very anthropomorphic, deliberately so. She thought that many animal books, especially childrens were inaccurate or sentimental or humanised the animal and wanted her stories instead to "show how animals live in a world that is real to them"
They are definitely not sentimental either, many are quite downbeat. Disasters often strike her fictional worlds and her characters are often unhappy, guilt-stricken or remorseful. However they usually end on a more upbeat and optimistic note.
Ms. Stranger was one of the few authors to write horse stories aimed at adults. Most of her pony books are either adult or teenage stories.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 3, 2018
A beautiful story about a female wildcat called Chia - a wild creature and the bane of a farmer's life. Her enemies are both man and beast but she gives birth to her precious kittens in spite of all the dangers surrounding her. Joyce Stranger the author was on holiday in Scotland the only place wild cats can be found these days and not too many of them are left. She and her family were in a caravan with their own pet Siamese cat. The cat was behaving in an odd manner and he was reluctant to leave the caravan which puzzled them all. Wildcats nearby were suspected although they didn't see any though they heard wails and shrieks during the nights. The author read up on these fascinating and mysterious creatures which produced this little treasure of a book. Animal lovers will enjoy this story which is violent, tender and exciting.
September 27, 2022
A wonderful book which beautifully describes the life of a wild cat raising kits and the hazards and dangers she encounters along the way.
Nature is definitely red in tooth and claw here.
Nature is definitely red in tooth and claw here.
July 14, 2023
A beautiful story which has stayed with me my whole life. Uncompromising in its depiction of the harshness of life for man and animal in the remote Scottish Highlands despite being a children's book. A real heartbreaker in the best possible way. Its a shame they don't write books like this anymore.
February 28, 2025
I think I've always preferred when Ms Stranger's books focus more on the animals than the people.
February 25, 2012
I have very strong memories of reading this book when I was a child, and it was really nice rereading it and realizing that these memories are there for a very good reason. This is an amazing children book, though I am not sure this categorization does justice with the book, as there is nothing childish or silly about it. Instead, this a powerful story of a wildcat raising its pups and their struggle to survive in an unforgiving environment. There is almost no anthropomorphism, but still the reader develops a strong emotional connection to these creatures. And the ending of the book is just a perfect bitter sweet moment that I think still echoes in my mind from when I first read it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews