When I was in grade school I got a novel out of the school library that scared the bejesus out of me. It was about a marauding pack of feral cats that were terrorizing a community (killing people, doing damage, etc). I believe the protagonist was a young girl about my age at the time (11) who was trying to help figure out what was happening (the community didn’t know the perpetrators were cats at first. Did they think it was a monster? I can’t remember). The ending, if memory serves, was bleak.
In a nutshell, it seemed a shitty book for kids who are already easily creeped out (me). I wish I could remember more–like the title–so I could find it again and see if it was as scary as I remember it. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?
The reason I mention it here is that I believe it was the first time I had ever heard the term “feral cat” used, as opposed to alley cat. And early this morning I woke up from a dream at the end of which I was attempting to pet a huge, fluffy feral cat when it started to growl–low at first–and then howl and then bite and scratch the shit out of me.
So when I went online searching for the above mentioned book, instead I found this: Cat Writers’ Association. Who knew? Incidentally, this is an association for people who write about cats as opposed to cats who write (although there may be an association for them as well).
myfanwy collins 