An international treasury of cat tales, legends, and myths shares stories about more than thirty different breeds, from the Bobtail who lost his tail chasing mice on Noah's Ark to the Shorthair whose purr lulled Baby Jesus to sleep. 10,000 first printing. It is common knowledge that cats have been the familiars of witches and that they possess nine lives. But how many people know that Buddha and Muhammad had beloved feline companions or that throughout the ages cats have been regarded in a positive manner as healers, caretakers, spirit guides, harbingers of good luck, martyrs, and deities who confer fertility on the fields? The Hausmans, authors of The Mythology of Dogs (St. Martin's, 1997) and other books on mythology, spent two decades researching the lore of cats. The result is an entertaining compilation of legends from ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Asia; folktales from medieval Europe; and literary references from modern poetry and fiction. Each tale concludes with a description of a specific breed that seems to typify the legend. An extensive bibliography is included. More comprehensive than Robert De Larouche's The Secret Life of Cats (LJ 9/15/95), this book is recommended for public libraries with large folklore or pet collections. (Illustrations not seen.)?Florence Scarinci, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, NY Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. There is an invisible danger attached to the Hausmans' paean to cats. It is extremely difficult to sift throuqh the 30 different personalities and almost as many breeds before succumbing to temptation and bringing home a mewing kitten. Other than that, the book is an ailurophile's delight, with literary excerpts and legends to remember. The Cheshire cat (aka British shorthair) evokes Alice in Wonderland memories, while good-luck cats--as exemplified by the Burmese, Chartreux, and Korat--effectively destroy myths of devil affiliations. After a while, the prose occasionally lapses into a sing-song rhythm; all in all, though, a reference for party chatterers, a browser for idle leisure time, and an homage to feline companion animals. Barbara Jacobs