ABANDONED. About a colony of feral cats

[Cass]

I read this circa-1993 in high school English class (Australia).

My memories are vague:
It was primarily about cats.
It was kind of scary.
The cats did a lot of killing.

I think there was a colony of cats living in an area. The book was about territorial disputes and possibly domination of another clan (or humans that tried to enter the area). I think some of the cats were long time feral cats, and perhaps the protaganist was a domestic cat learning to survive in the wild?

It was not sci-fi or fantasy. The cats were normal housecats gone feral. The book, I think, just tells the story from the perspective of one of the cats, as if we can hear his thoughts.

I remember enjoying it and being enthralled by the concept, hence wanting to find it again to reread.

Thanks in advance!

[Dawn]

hrmm...I'm googling like a fiend :) came to mind....

[Michelle Mulford]

There's also The Grand Escape.

[Cass]

I think the grand escape was written way to late. I graduated in 1995.

The Tad Williams book is a possibility, I will chase it down (though I am doubtful).

I also found Into the Wild which sounds exactly like the book, but also published years after I had read it.

[♥ Susan]

This might not be it... but could it be from the Warriors Series?

[Cass]

Thanks, no it is definetly not the Warrior Series because I read it circa 1993 in high school while the Warrior Series was published 2003 (long after I graduated). However the cover blurb is exactly like the book I am after.

[AlbertaJenn]

Plus, the Warriors is for children, hence not a lot of killing. ;-)

[Angela]

The Grand Escape was originally published in 1993, but it wasn't scary and the cats didn't kill anything.

"Although Marco and Polo enjoy the good life as Mr. and Mrs. Neal's house cats, they yearn to live on a ranch. When Mr. Neal leaves the side door open by mistake, the two dreamers make their move. The search for food and a dry place to sleep leads the cats to one adventure after another."

[Lisa]

I'm virtually certain that this isn't it, but just in case, this is a picture book where cats are on a killing rampage, and it's a very old book but still in print: Millions of Cats

[♥ Susan]

AlbertaJenn wrote: "Plus, the Warriors is for children, hence not a lot of killing. ;-)"

Then I must be misinformed, I thought there was lots of killing. LOL! ;-) (My daughter loves the series)

[[deleted user]]

Could it be "Felidae" or "Francis, Felidae 2" (previously published as Felidae On The Road), both by Akif Pirrinci?Felidae Felidae on the Road

[Rachel]

It sounds like Tailchaser's song, listed above. It does get rather violent with a lot of fighting, involving (I think) the cats being in heat and that sort of thing. There was also a passage about the protagonist cat, who I think originally was a domestic cat, getting high on catnip for the first time.

It was one of my favorite books when I read it. Not really a fantasy, but it is often shelved there because of the author's past works and the fact that it's about cats. When the Warriors series came out I remember being annoyed that it seemed to be directly ripping off this book.

[Martini]

Could it be "Solos Journey" by Joy Smith Aiken?
It was first published in 1987. I cannot find it here (I own a german copy, so this might not help you), so here is a short summary: (view spoiler)[The book is about a group of cats living on a piece of land close to the houses of humans, where they first feed themselves from the trash cans and are having territory fights with another group of cats. When the humans begin to make the land ready for building, a young cat named Solo takes the leadership and leads the cats into the woods to a place where only cats live and that is told about in their legends. The journey is very dangerous, as there are wild animals in the woods and the cats have to cross a highway even with the kittens. When they arrive at their destination, they have to prove that they are good "warriors" and will be beneficial for the wild group, and during a race they discover an animal experiment laboratory, from which they free the caged cats/animals. Due to this heroic deed, they are accepted in the wild group and when the old leader of this group dies, Solo becomes his successor. (hide spoiler)]

[Savta]

perhaps The Cats by Joan Phipson, 1976, is what you read; it's about brothers that are kidnapped and in the outback they come across a colony of feral cats....

[Mel]

It sounds like The Prodigal Cat by Janette Oke. I read it as a kid, and it's about a house kitten that ends up on the streets somehow. It's trying to find food and has to learn about the pecking order on the street. I remember details like it being shocked about one cat's ear being torn, or maybe its ear gets torn in a fight. Can't remember.

[Jane]

The book is FERAL by Berton Roueche.

[Cheryl]

I sent a PM to Cass.

Feral
The Prodigal Cat
The Cats
Solo's Journey

[Antonomasia]

Jennie?

[Cheryl]

Since Cass never answered, I'm moving this thread.