The Fur Person [Illustrated Edition]
By May Sarton
4/5
()
About this ebook
A delightful, whimsical tale—one of the most popular books for cat lovers ever written.
May Sarton’s fictionalized account of her cat Tom Jones’s life and adventures prior to making the author’s acquaintance begins with a fiercely independent, nameless street cat who follows the ten commandments of the Gentleman Cat—including “A Gentleman Cat allows no constraint of his person, not even loving constraint.” But after several years of roaming, Tom has grown tired of his vagabond lifestyle, and he concludes that there might be some appeal after all in giving up the freedom of street life for a loving home. It will take just the right human companion, however, to make his transformation from Cat About Town to genuine Fur Person possible. Sarton’s book is one of the most beloved stories ever written about the joys and tribulations inherent in sharing one’s life with a cat.
May Sarton
May Sarton (1912–1995) was born on May 3 in Wondelgem, Belgium, and grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her first volume of poetry, Encounters in April, was published in 1937 and her first novel, The Single Hound, in 1938. Her novels A Shower of Summer Days, The Birth of a Grandfather, and Faithful Are the Wounds, as well as her poetry collection In Time Like Air, all received nominations for the National Book Award. An accomplished memoirist, Sarton came out as a lesbian in her 1965 book Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing. Her memoir Journal of a Solitude (1973) was an account of her experiences as a female artist. Sarton spent her later years in York, Maine, living and writing by the sea. In her last memoir, Endgame: A Journal of the Seventy-Ninth Year (1992), she shares her own personal thoughts on getting older. Her final poetry collection, Coming into Eighty, was published in 1994. Sarton died on July 16, 1995, in York, Maine.
Read more from May Sarton
At Seventy: A Journal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House by the Sea: A Journal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After the Stroke: A Journal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Journal of a Solitude Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAt Eighty-Two: A Journal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As We Are Now: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writings on Writing Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Journals of May Sarton Volume One: Journal of a Solitude, Plant Dreaming Deep, and Recovering Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Shower of Summer Days: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Encore: A Journal of the Eightieth Year Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plant Dreaming Deep: A Journal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Endgame: A Journal of the Seventy-Ninth Year Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Faithful Are the Wounds: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Reckoning: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Small Room: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I Knew a Phoenix: Sketches for an Autobiography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Collected Poems, 1930–1993 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Time Like Air: Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Recovering: A Journal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Magnificent Spinster: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kinds of Love: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Novels of May Sarton Volume One: Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing, A Shower of Summer Days, and The Magnificent Spinster Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInner Landscape: Poems Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A World of Light: Portraits and Celebrations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Collected Poems, 1930–1973 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bridge of Years: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Education of Harriet Hatfield: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anger: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Fur Person [Illustrated Edition]
Related ebooks
Cat Women: An Exploration of Feline Friendships and Lingering Superstitions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Live With A Calculating Cat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girls and Their Cats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Could Chew on This: And Other Poems by Dogs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What the Dog Did Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Boy: My Life in Seven Dogs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cat People Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dogtology: A Humorous Exploration of Man's Fur-ocious Devotion to Dogs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLetters from a Little Black Cat: and other rescue stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dover Anthology of Cat Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5CLEO: The Cat Who Mended a Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dog Years: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life Lessons from Your Cat Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Life Lessons from Your Dog Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dog Stays in the Picture: How My Rescued Greyhound Helped Me Cope with My Empty Nest Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cats Work Like This Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrays: The True Story of a Lost Cat, a Homeless Man, and Their Journey Across America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Cat Named Darwin: Embracing the Bond Between Man and Pet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Penny: The Story of a Free-Soul Basset Hound Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Listen to Your Cat: The Complete Guide to Communicating with Your Feline Friend Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Dogs For You
Your Dog Is Your Mirror: The Emotional Capacity of Our Dogs and Ourselves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucky Dog Lessons: From Renowned Expert Dog Trainer and Host of Lucky Dog: Reunions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Puppies For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Home Cooking for Your Dog: 75 Holistic Recipes for a Healthier Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ultimate Service Dog Training Manual: 100 Tips for Choosing, Raising, Socializing, and Retiring Your Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5100 Ways to Train the Perfect Dog Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cesar Millan's Short Guide to a Happy Dog: 98 Essential Tips and Techniques Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Arthur: The Dog who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dog Training For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Puppy Training: Owner's Week-By-Week Training Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDog Food Cookbook: 41 Healthy and Easy Recipes for Your Best Friend Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Signs From Pets In The Afterlife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5BEHAVIOR ADJUSTMENT TRAINING 2.0: NEW PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR FEAR, FRUSTRATION, AND AGGRESSION Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5MINE!: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO RESOURCE GUARDING IN DOGS Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Puppy Training Guide How to Train Your Puppy, Puppy Training Tips, Tricks, Advice & Secrets Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dog Breeds: Top 20 Dog Breeds: Everything About Health, Temperament, Training and Grooming Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Dogs Learn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before and After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy, and Well-Behaved Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Amazing Afterlife of Animals: Messages and Signs From Our Pets on the Other Side Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chihuahuas For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5ON TALKING TERMS WITH DOGS: CALMING SIGNALS 2ND EDITION Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Fur Person [Illustrated Edition]
114 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5There are some lovely descriptions that capture the physical behavior of cats so exactly that I could see Tom Jones, larger than life, as well as many beloved cats of my own. I loved the narrator voice that lets us see the world from Tom's view.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A gentle lovely story of an amazing cat. The most amazing thing about him is that he is true to every cat I've ever known. The voice of the story resonates deeply, as he is by turns wary, comforted, confused, terrified, and loved. There is even gentle humor when the Gentleman Cat goes to the vet, and comes back a Gentle Cat!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elegant prose and a deep understanding of cat psychology.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fur Person started out life as an orphan being raised by s young freckled faced boy. It wasn't the best way to start out but it did provide him shelter and steady food. At age six months he decided to take a stroll and never looked back.
With a white bib and white tip of a tail, he became a Gentleman Cat About Town. He learned to cadge food from various grocers, enjoy glorious conquests and adept at standing up for himself. He also learned to sleep with one ear listening and ready to move when danger neared. After two years of this lifestyle he felt he needed a change.
He needed a housekeeper: someone who would provide good meals for him on a regular basis, a warm and safe place for him to sleep, and the proper respect and treatment he required. It was not as easy a job as he thought it may be. And that is the tale of how the Cat About Town become Tom Jones, Fur Person.
This is a charming story told from a feline point of view. I think it would be enjoyable to adults and children alike. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Short and sweet. All cat lovers of all ages will love this delightful book. Thoroughly steeped in cat attitude and mannerisms, humor and wisdom abound.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Actually the edition I read was not listed--I read the reprint--a 1978 edition. This was one of the truest and sweetest books that anyone who has had a cat (male or female) would love. I found myself crying when they moved and when he was homeless for awhile. I think this would be an excellent gift to give all of your cat loving friends. The illustrations (there are a few) are WONDERFUL. I would definitely read this again.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fur Person is a book that I think any cat lover will cherish. I reread it every couple of years and can always see so much of my cats in Tom Jones (even though my cats are girls). We follow Tom Jones on his journey from a Cat About Town to his discovery of a loving family, and his evolution with his new family, Brusque Voice (May Sarton) and Gentle Voice (Judy Matlack), from Gentleman Cat into a Fur Person. I would imagine that May Sarton took some literary freedom in relating Tom's early years before he became part of her and Judy's family, but his time with them is based on his true adventures. It's a charming little story that any cat lover can relate to.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5?When he was about two years old, and had been a Cat About Town for some time, glorious in conquests, but rather too thin for comfort, the Fur Person decided that it was time he settled down. This question of finding a permanent home and staff was not one to be approached lightly of a May morning like his casual relationships with various grocers in the neighborhood, kind but vulgar people who did not know how to address a Gentleman Cat. Not at all. This was to be a systematic search for a housekeeper suitable in every way. Every cat knows that the ideal housekeeper is an old maid, if possible living in a small house with a garden. The house should have both an attic and a cellar, the attic for fun and games, the cellar for hunting. Children, I regret to say, are to be avoided whenever possible. They are apt to distract the housekeeper from her duties, and their manners leave much to be desired.? And so begins Sarton's account of Tom Jones' life prior to his bedding down in Sarton's lap. Helps one to understand cats and Sarton.
Book preview
The Fur Person [Illustrated Edition] - May Sarton
This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com
To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – picklepublishing@gmail.com
Or on Facebook
Text originally published in 1957 under the same title.
© Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.
Publisher’s Note
Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.
We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.
The Fur Person
By
May Sarton
Illustrations by Barbara Knox
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4
CHAPTER I — Alexander’s Furpiece and the Cat About Town 5
CHAPTER II — An Adventure 11
CHAPTER III — An Escape 14
CHAPTER IV — A Dish of Haddock 17
CHAPTER V — A Home-coming 20
CHAPTER VI — The Fur Person Gets a Name and Fights a Nameless Cat 24
CHAPTER VII — Tom Jones Keeps Everything Under Control 27
CHAPTER VIII — Poor Jones Has A Hard Time 30
CHAPTER IX — Glorious Jones or The Catnip Hangover 33
CHAPTER X — The Mouse Is at Large! 36
CHAPTER XI — The Great Move 40
CHAPTER XIII — The Eleventh Commandment or the Reflections of a Window-box Cat 44
REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 49
CHAPTER I — Alexander’s Furpiece and the Cat About Town
When he was about two years old, and had been a Cat About Town for some time, glorious in conquests, but rather too thin for comfort, the Fur Person decided that it was time he settled down. This question of finding a permanent home and staff was not one to be approached lightly of a May morning like his casual relationships with various grocers in the neighborhood, kind but vulgar people who did not know how to address a Gentleman Cat. Not at all. This was to be a systematic search for a housekeeper suitable in every way. Every cat knows that the ideal housekeeper is an old maid, if possible living in a small house with a garden. The house should have both an attic and a cellar, the attic for fun and games, the cellar for hunting. Children, I regret to say, are to be avoided whenever possible. They are apt to distract the housekeeper from her duties, and their manners leave much to be desired.
The Fur Person owed his life to a small freckled boy, but he was very good at forgetting things he wished to forget, and this was one of them. It was quite true that the boy named Alexander had howled so loudly when a man from the Animal Rescue League came with a black bag that his mother had relented and said, looking down at the litter, Well, you may keep just one, Alexander. But you’ll have to choose quickly.
The one with the rather long tail,
Alexander said without a moment’s hesitation, and dived into the box to rescue the small wobbly velvet pillow who was to turn into the Fur Person, but who was still so small that his ears were not yet unbuttoned and he could barely see out of vague blue eyes. The discomfort of having no mother but only an awkward boy was considerable, but his own proper mother, who would have licked him into shape and provided warm milk whenever he so much as murmured, had disappeared shortly after giving birth to five kittens with very high desperate voices. Instead, Alexander came (when he remembered it) with a medicine dropper and some inferior cow’s milk, carried the kitten around inside his leather jacket and was apt to squeeze him rather too tight; that may be why the Fur Person grew into a somewhat long and straggly cat. He slept on Alexander’s bed and on very cold nights sometimes wound himself round Alexander’s neck, and thus came to be known as Alexander’s Furpiece. He bore with Alexander and Alexander’s whims until he was nearly six months old. Then one fine summer day, having licked his shirt front into white splendor and examined with pride the white tip of his tail, and seen that every stripe was glossy along his tiger back, he swaggered out like any young dandy, and what began as an extended rove and ramble ended in a way of life, for he never came back.
As a Cat About Town he developed a stiff hippy walk; he had a very small nick taken out of one ear; and sometimes he was too busy to bother about washing for days at a time. His shirt front became gray, the white tip of his tail almost disappeared, and his whiskers sprang out from his cheeks with the strength and vitality of porcupine quills. He learned a great variety of street songs, how to terrify without lifting a paw, how to wail a coward into retreat, how to scream a bully into attacking just a fraction of a second too soon, how to court a gentle middle-aged tabby as well as many a saucy young thing; he