Cats and Cozy Mysteries Go Together Like Scones and Clotted Cream

~ We are delighted to welcome Pat Smith as the newest contributor to The Blood-Red Pencil ~

When I think of cats and mystery novels, my mind always swings to fond memories of reading Lilian Jackson Braun's delightful 29-book series, "The Cat Who...," launched in 1966 by E. P. Dutton with the publication of "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards." Starring the intrepid feline sleuths, Koko and Yum Yum, the series clearly favors the cats as they use their abilities to solve murders with only a bit of help from their human, a newspaper reporter named Jim Qwilleran. Koko, in particular, seems to have an almost psychic ability to point out overlooked clues and evidence so Qwill can solve the crimes and see justice done. But Qwill always gives credit to his beloved cats for their assistance and shows his gratitude by spoiling them shamelessly.

While Braun was not the first and certainly will not be the last to feature a feline in her mystery novels, as both a cat lover and avid reader of mysteries, I often find myself wondering how cats came to play such an essential role in so many mystery series. They seem to be particular stars in the cozy genre, where almost every amateur sleuth has a feline companion or two.

Considering what good listeners most cats are (or pretend to be) it seems only natural that mystery writers, many of whom have real cats curled on their laps or near their keyboards as they write, should include a puss or two in their novels. With their comic antics and uncanny ability to suss out all their human's quirks, cats make the perfect foil for an amateur sleuth. And readers can't seem to get enough of the combo. According to research I conducted for this post, many cozy mystery writers who feature cats in their novels end up selling millions of books, even if they only have six or seven titles in their series.

A cat's involvement in a mystery can range from mere window dressing, such as Moishe in Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson mysteries, to taking the lead in solving the crime, such as Midnight Louie in Carole Nelson Douglas's Midnight Louie series.

If all Moishe does is loudly badger Hannah for more shrimp treats and listen to her talk when they're alone at home, then Midnight Louie is his polar opposite. Critics have called Midnight Louie the feline equivalent of Sam Spade. He is so dominant a feline mystery stalwart that in many of the 28 Midnight Louie books his human doesn't even appear.

In other series, such as Leann Sweeney's best-selling Cats in Trouble books, Syrah, Merlot and Chablis don't do any active sleuthing, but the three cats play an active role nonetheless. They are so critical to the emotional life of the widowed protagonist, quilt maker Jillian Hart, that the books wouldn't work half as well without them.

What's your favorite mystery series featuring cats and why does that particular series appeal to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Patricia B. Smith is a journalist who is the author of 11 published books, including Idiot’s Guide: Flipping Houses, Alzheimer's For Dummies and Sleep Disorders for Dummies.

Ms. Smith is also an experienced professional developmental editor who serves as an Editorial Evaluation and Developmental Coordinator for Five Star Publishing. She works with private clients as well and has helped many authors land their first publishing contracts. Many of her clients have achieved notable success, including two winners of the Missouri Writers’ Guild Show-me Best Book of the Year Award.