A Cat in the Window by Derek Tangye

A Cat in the Window is the second instalment of the Minack Chronicles.  In the first, A Gull on the Roof, Derek Tangye recounted how he and his wife Jeannie gave up life in London in the 1950s and moved to a small farm in Cornwell with intention of growing flowers and vegetables for the markets.  In that book, the reader met an assortment of humans and animals, including the Tangye's beloved ginger cat Monty.

A Cat in the Window is all about Monty.  Tangye has a cordial dislike of cats at the beginning of the tale, having been raised in a dog-loving household; however, it is not long before the small ginger bundle of a kitten that is Monty has wormed his way into Tangye's heart.

For the first half of his life, Monty lived with his humans in the suburb of Mortlake, near Kew, before they moved to Cornwall, where he spent the remainder of his life.  Tangye describes how Monty quickly adapted to life in the country, happily sharing the land with an assortment of birds.

There is not a lot of depth to this short book, but that is not the point of it.  It is the celebration of the life of a friend who was loyal and affectionate for 16 years.  If you have ever had the privilege to share your life with a cat, you will identify with a lot of the things the author mentions. It is a simple, honest and sincere tale about a friend with a tail.