Paw Prints at Owl Cottage

Four kittens. A crumbling English cottage. One touching tale of life in the British countryside.

In Paw Prints at Owl Cottage, the sequel by Denis O’Connor to Paw Prints in the Moonlight, the author tenderly and humorously charts the ups and downs of days shared with feline companions. In his first book, then bachelor Denis detailed his life with his much-loved hybrid Maine Coon cat, Toby Jug.

In the newest release, we come upon Denis more than 20 years after Toby Jug’s passing as the now-married author returns, after some years in the city, to Owl Cottage, his former country home. Here—in West Thirston on the Northumbrian coast—Denis and his wife, Catherine, meet the daily challenges posed by four mischievous little felines whom the couple name Pablo, Carlos, Luis and Max.

Denis O'Connor with Luis

Denis, now a retired psychologist, who takes immense pleasure in applying his skills to the study of animals, and Catherine, an experienced researcher and educator in the field of disruptive and deviant behavior, learn and learn again—over the course of the ensuing years—that a cat can be, not only quite the handful but also the most cherished of friends.

In Episode 29, I chat with beloved best-selling author Denis O’Connor about Toby Jug; Carlos, the out-of-control commando; Luis, the regal and aloof little prince; and Max, the melancholic that eventually lived up to his full name, Maxamillion (the one in a million cat).