“Close Encounters of the Furred Kind: New Adventures with My Sad Cat & Other Feline Friends” 

By Tom Cox

Thomas Dunne (265 pages, $24.99)

Fans of cat man Tom Cox and his merry band of pets can rejoice -- his fourth book about life with four demanding cats is available on our shores. Those who don't know Cox or his wildly popular social media accounts (@MYSADCAT, @MYSWEARYCAT, @Cox _ Tom, plus Facebook and Instagram) will want to get better acquainted after reading this charming book.

“Close Encounters of the Furred Kind” successfully continues the saga of ’70s rock lover/journalist/rambler Cox and his singular felines: Ralph, the longhair tabby with a remarkable resemblance to Warren Beatty and self-esteem to match; Shipley, the football hooligan (“Living with Shipley -- especially around mealtimes -- was a lot like living with a large furry meatfly”); Roscoe, the girl with a businesslike manner and possibly a Blackberry hidden in her fur; and the most famous of the foursome, The Bear, a wizened, sad, ancient cat with an even more ancient soul and a taste for broccoli.

In “Furred,” cat chaos resumes when Tom and girlfriend Gemma decide to move to the other side of England, from Norfolk to the greener pastures of Totnes (“Twinned with Narnia,” proclaims the sign at the town's entrance) in Devon. If you’ve moved with cats, you'll understand why Tom’s mother said, anxiously, “I think you might regret this.” He does not, of course, reveling in the Devonian scenery, loaning himself out as a dog walker and making friends with local owls. (TNS)

By Melissa Davis

The Seattle Times