Vintage Picture Books Featuring Cats and Kittens

I have always been attracted to books about cats and kittens, although I never actively collected them.  In early June 2016, I saw an eBay listing for White Princess by Elva Dittman.  The book was showing in one of my saved searches, which was for "Cupples and Leon."  Cupples and Leon published the book in 1945.  I thought the book was adorable, so I found a copy with a nicer dust jacket on AbeBooks and purchased it.

Remember that you can click on any photo to see a larger version.

I wanted to find more books like it, but I was at a loss as to how to proceed.  I tried some searches using "cat" and "kitten" but did not find anything.  Rather, I did not find anything that appealed to me; I did not want books with cartoonish pictures.  I forgot about trying to find more of these books for quite some time.

In late 2017, I decided to try again.  I found The Antique Cat by Bianca Bradbury.  It was published in 1945 and is about a scruffy alley cat who finds a home in an antique shop.

This next book is one that I purchased eight years ago in a thrift store.  One Kitten Too Many by Bianca Bradbury and Marie C. Nichols was published in 1952.

Cats and More Cats by Diana Thorne and Connie Moran was published in 1945.

I then stumbled upon the books of Clare Turlay Newberry.  Newberry specialized in drawing cats, and her books are currently available in reprints.  I decided that I wanted vintage copies with dust jackets, which is not an easy task.  Most old picture books lost their jackets soon after falling into the hands of young children.

In Drawing a Cat from 1940, Clare Turlay Newberry explains her technique.

Percy, Polly, and Pete was published in 1952.

Babette was published in 1937.

Mittens was published in 1936.

Smudge was published in 1948.

Ice Cream for Two was published in 1953.

April's Kittens was published in 1940.  I opted for an FLB library edition, which has an illustration that appeals to me more than the dust jacket art of the original edition.  I love library editions, so this book is perfect for me.

Pandora was published in 1944.  The second photo seen below shows one of my favorite passages from the book.  Cat owners are used to that kind of behavior.

The Kittens' ABC was published in 1946.

All of these books are delightful, and I love them.