Good book. Good author. Loved the characters and the plot. Look forward to reading more of her work.

Felix the Railway Cat by Kate Moore

Title: Felix the Railway Cat
Author: Kate Moore
First Published: Aug17
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 272
Price on Amazon: Paperback £4.00 Kindle: £4.99
ISBN: 1405929782

Back in the day, all the railway stations had railway cats. Garath and Andy both work at Huddersfield train station in Yorkshire. To pass the time and scare away boredom while on shift the pair passes around ideas on ways to make the station better. When one day one of their ideas take on a whole life of its own and before anyone knows it, things are being put in place to make it happen. What is this idea? A railway cat. When Felix arrives at the station at only eight weeks old, nobody is prepared for life-changing effects one little cat can have on an entire station.

I got this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Now I am a huge cat lover, I have had cats my whole life and I love books about Cats, my favourite being the series following Alfie the Doorstep Cat as this reminds me so much of my little furry friend, so seeing this book and hearing all about it made me very excited, however, I must say I got halfway through the book and nothing seemed to be happening, the cat had gone to the station yet the story didn't seem to be progressing after that. I must admit I did give up on this book. I just couldn't imagine it getting any better.

I have chosen to give this book a single star out of five as I couldn't finish it. I wouldn't recommend it nor would I attempt to finish it. I feel a bit let down as I had heard so many good reviews on this book but I myself could not get into it.

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My husband was the first to mention Felix to me. I loved reading more about her life at Huddersfield station and how she came to be there. She's a proper celebrity kitty now!

I found this to be an interesting read, but I have to say that at first I had to check that it was not a book for children as the style led me to believe that it was. I had not heard of Felix, so did not know until I checked that he really existed. I enjoyed the cat tales, but it is written in a very amateur stye.
However it is a definite for a cat lover.

When Huddersfield Train Station decided to get a railway cat for their station, they had no idea how the tiny fluffy kitten will affect their lives and the lives of their passengers. From helping a child come out of his shell to providing comfort to a runaway child, Felix changed everyone's lives. But it's a chance friendship with a commuter that brings Felix into the media spotlight and international stardom.

I follow Felix the Huddersfield Cat on Facebook (not sure how I discovered this fan page, truth be told!) and love it. So when this was chosen, I was a little thrilled. And it was a fun read - what I expected. It was fun, gentle, candy floss read. Something you can read on the beach during the summer holidays. There is a few sad moments but it feels very heartwarming.

I do have some issues with this. Mainly, the writing style. I couldn't gel with it. It was as if the author could decide who they were writing for. For an adult audience (on NetGalley, this is under the category of "General Fiction (Adult)") or for a younger, child friendly audience. At times, the writing felt confusing over target audience.

But cat lovers and fans of Felix will love reading this on a train with their cup of coffee on their morning commute.

I am in love with Felix. She is more than just an amazing cat, she is the glue that keeps the Huddersfield community together. With more than 100,000 likes on Facebook she is more popular than many celebrities. Having a cat at the station makes everyone happy - from workers to irritated commuters. Even those who originally doubt the value of a station cat are quickly won over by her personality, beauty and persistence. She is far more than her job description- Senior Pest Controller.

Kate Moore’s book is all about relationships. It is tender, funny and quintessentially British. It isn't just Felix who has charm, but all of her friends and coworkers as well. I enjoyed how Moore takes readers from the very start, when she was just an idea through her kitten hood, training, and ultimately becoming a beloved fixture always willing to lend a paw or redirect queues when they pass through a sunny spot.

I have to admit, my husband and I were eager to learn more about Huddersfield after reading about Felix.

Felix the Railway cat is an amazing book, perfect for animal lovers of all ages. It is a wonderful pick me up on a stressful day.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Felix the Railway Cat from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

If you are more into literary biographies or the lives of great historical figures then this book may be a bit of a change for you. I was initially a little put off by the slightly intrusive descriptions of all the human characters involved but, to be honest, this is mostly a book about Felix and the cat descriptions are all pretty spot on. This is not to say that the people are not important to the book - the main message is that Felix is an important part of the team at Huddersfield station and that, in a good team, everyone has a role to play and everyone is valued. The story follows the initial slightly madcap idea to get a station cat, through to Felix's early days on the platform (including the slightly awkward moment, post-naming, when the vet confirms that Felix is not a male cat but is, in fact, a queen), her attempts to thwart the local crow population and on to social media stardom. It is a cheering book to read (unlike most internet stars not a whiff of scandal has been attached to our feline heroine's name) although it was not without its sadder moments. And, as those of us who have cats know, there are plenty of amusing incidents and heart-in-the-mouth moments to report too.

Now, excuse me. I think I need to plan a little jaunt over to Huddersfield on my next day off. By train, of course...

The last two books I read before Felix the Railway Cat, involved females with PTSD and nasty flashbacks of horrible things they had endured. I decided I needed something totally different- this certainly fit the bill!

Some of the staff at Huddersfield Station decided they needed a cat. After a long campaign it was agreed that a 'Pest Controller' would be a good addition to the staff. We follow Felix from a tiny new-born kitten to her current status as Star of TV, Theatre, Facebook and of course her home at the Station!

An enjoyable gentle read that was exactly what was needed. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers I have now joined her followers on Facebook!

This was a delightful book about a cat who is employed by Huddersfield railway station. Two lads used to kick about ideas about things to introduce to the workplace and one of their ideas was to get a kitten. They sneakily introduced the kitten once the manager opposed to the idea was on secondment. Everyone (well almost) fell in love with the kitten and wanted to be a friend. They bought toys and treats.

The kitten had a wonderful way of creating a positive workplace atmosphere so that the staff were looking forward to coming to work every day. She found favourite places to sleep no matter how inconvenient it might be to other people. Two of the lads would kick a toy down a corridor for her to chase (not sure how that would go down in most workplaces mind you!).
She came into contact with some customers who changed their travel plans and there was a very touching scene where an autistic boy travelled to see her.

I loved the daily interactions with the staff , the customers and the cat. I wondered at points whether the cat was still at Huddersfield- but I looked up her facebook page and she's still working and living there. Like other travellers I may be tempted to visit the station at some point- it sounds like a wonderful building and the added bonus of maybe spotting the cat would be lovely.

This is ideal for cat lovers as Felix is a wonderful mix of mischief and companionship.

'Felix The Railway Cat' by Kate Moore is an animal lovers (and particularly a cat lovers) dream read. Named Felix in a poll when the employees of Huddersfield Railway Station, part of the Trans Pennine Express, are informed the tiny 8-week-old kitten is a tom-cat when she joins them as a team mate; everyone has their first shock when the local vet announces Felix is a she-cat. From then on the station ‘pest controller’ continues to surprise her ‘family’ with her intuitive and hospitable behaviour with the station customers, with her sense of fun and with her generously given and eagerly sought companionship. She spreads goodwill everywhere she goes and soon becomes a celebrity in her home town.
This heart warming collection of stories about her antics, triumphs and failures is filled with love and humour, though is also tinged with sadness when station employees who grew to love Felix depart for pastures new. When new employees are hired, Felix soon endears herself to them and loves nothing more than accompanying her human friends on their security tours or supervising their work. Open for 24 hours every day except for a two day break over Christmastide, the station supervisors organise their teams into alternate shifts so Felix is always able to seek out the company or help of her team mates. She is a real diva, glamorous and fluffy, confident and full of joy.
When Felix is ‘promoted’ to ‘senior pest controller’ and given a special uniform complete with a bona fide name tag and in the Trans Pennine Express colours, her popularity goes viral. Her Facebook page, designed and administrated by a customer-admirer attracts international interest and Felix rises to the occasion with a calm and confident public photo-shoot attended by myriads of reporters. She is just such a special cat that visitors from abroad as well as from her own country flock just to catch a glimpse of her, or even maybe the chance to pet her.
I really enjoyed reading this true and beautifully written story about Felix The Railway Cat. Felix receives bags full of treats through the post that she happily shares and her human friends donate to other cat charities. Royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Prostate Cancer UK to further spread her charitable work. I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Michael Joseph for my copy of this book, sent to me in return for an honest review. It’s a real gem, with many, many more interesting adventures Felix has had in her lifetime; she is still a young cat so who knows what else she will achieve in her working life. I have viewed and ‘liked’ her Facebook page and will look forwards to following her antics, watching her videos and enjoying her photographs. My heart has been well and truly hoodwinked by her vivacious personality.

There won’t be many cat lovers who don’t fall for Felix! This is a warming and beautifully told story following in the tradition of Caspar the commuting cat and A Street cat named Bob. In most of these stories cats accidently come to a situation or lifestyle but in this case the railway cat is very much planned….
In 2008 railway announcer Gareth, already known for madcap and funny ideas suggests that Huddersfield station needs a cat. Soon he has his fellow workers on board and with the creation of a fictional mouse, head office finally give permission for a cat! Amongst all the kittens born at that time it was a black and white ball of fluff born in a railway worker’s airing cupboard that is chosen, and everyone, even the gruffest of the staff would have their hearts melted by the newly named Felix. Although her dubious job title is pest controller, Felix is best at customer relations, calming down heated confrontations and cheering up tearful children and before long has worked her magic on the entire station.
I fell in love with Felix, who, like Street-cat Bob, Larry the Downing Street cat and other famous felines they have a way of capturing our hearts or lightening the day. This is an entertaining story with anecdotes about her amusing antics, some funny, some sad and some heart-melting. Felix brings comfort, breaks the ice and disarms people in the way only animals can. Now Felix has captured hearts everywhere. My favourite thing about this story is the touching and simple way a little cat can bring so much joy, bringing out the best in people. It is a gorgeous story. I now have the urge to take a train ride to Huddersfield myself…..