The Cat and the Curmudgeon

Polar Bear the Christmas cat is back, continuing to thwart Amory, his keeper. Featured in the bestselling The Cat Who Came for Christmas , Polar Bear became a celebrity, but refused to act like one. Amory tries to improve the cat's socialization with cat videos (Mews and Feather Report), but Polar Bear is more interested in his fan mail with its gifts of catnip. Amory tries to train himself to train the cat, without result. Visiting Black Beauty Ranch in Texas--the refuge operated by the Fund for Animals--the author recalls the Fund's rescue of the Grand Canyon burros, wild goats of San Clemente Island and wild horses from the Nevada desert. Polar Bear, somehow, behaves when meeting the refugees, including Nim, the chimpanzee trained in sign language. On a later visit to Martha's Vineyard, Amory finds an orphaned white kitten, Polar Star. Pet owners and animal lovers will enjoy these lighthearted tales. BOMC selection. (Sept.)