The Coach House cats - Marilyn Edwards

As The Coach House Cats opens it is evident that the time has come to have Pushkin, the Russian Blue tom, and Titus, the ginger moggy queen, neutered. This was indeed the plan for Fannie, the tortoiseshell, but with her longed-for pregnancy well under way it must now be postponed. Fannie's due date for her kittens arrives and, in the time honoured tradition of cats and the best laid plans, unexpected problems arise.

Following this drama, the household finds itself in turmoil again with the arrival of a black Bengal kitten, called Gilly, who massively disrupts the peace of both cats and people resident in The Coach House and sends Fannie in particular spiralling into despair.

With a fine eye and ear for the world of natural history, Marilyn Edwards is able to write about bird and plant life, and indeed farming and village life in general, with both charm and passion. But as always, it is her observation of cats and their ways that make her books so utterly magical.