15

Following this guide I'll try to include everything I do remember about this book.

The Book

  • Around 2004, probably not published long before that
  • Read in French - don't know if it was translated from/to another language or not
  • I do remember the cover was blue but I can have mistaken
  • Paperback
  • Probably for teens (borrowed from school library)
  • Probably not part of a serie

The Story

  • A reporter (not sure) have two cats, a male and a female
  • Pretty sure the female cat's name was Colette or something like that
  • Someday the male cat began to talk
  • Male cat says every cat knows how to talk like humans but don't want to
  • Male cat wants to eat in special plates and better food
  • Female cat doesn't want to talk and is stubborn to act like before her owner knew about it all
  • The human has a girlfriend
  • She doesn't believe him
  • The human recorded the cat talking about everything but she just said that it sounds like his voice trying to talk like a child
  • The human arranges a meeting between his girlfriend and the cat but the cat became ill and unable to talk
  • The human began to imagine tails on his colleagues reflecting their mood according with what the cat told him
  • At the end of the story he gives up to make someone believe that cats can talk and when going out with his girlfriend he can hear through the door his female cat talking to the other cat
7
  • Part of the info reminds me of Histoire d'une mouette et du chat qui lui apprit à voler (Story of a seagull and the cat who taught her to fly): cats reveal to an human that they can talk, breaking a taboo (which a female cat didn't want to break), one of the French covers is blueish... But the other don't really match.
    – Jenayah
    Jul 13, 2018 at 9:53
  • Any of these ring a bell? Also this list though it doesn't specify if the cats are talking (link in French)
    – Jenayah
    Jul 13, 2018 at 10:10
  • @Jenayah Thanks for the links (the second one is the same that the first one, you should have made a mistake) but I couldn't find it...
    – user102399
    Jul 15, 2018 at 9:39
  • Ah sorry, here's the one I meant!
    – Jenayah
    Jul 15, 2018 at 9:59
  • @Jenayah Unfortunately there is nothing on this link that rings a bell...
    – user102399
    Jul 15, 2018 at 19:39

1 Answer 1

6

When searching through a huge list of books with "cat" in the name I finally found it!

"Conversations with my cat" from David Fisher

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I thought it was published near 2004 but it was published in 1995.

Found some quotes (only in french, couldn't find any in english) matching my descriptions

Someday the male cat (whose name is Bombard) began to talk

"Tu ne comprends donc pas le français ? demandai-je. J'ai dit pas maintenant. -Et moi je dis maaaiinntenant ", me répondit Bombard. Et cet instant marqua à jamais l'écroulement de l'univers douillet que j'avais connu jusque-là... Mon chat parlait !

Roughly translated into english:

"Don't you understand French?" I asked, "I said not now." "And I'm saying noooow," Bombard replied. And this moment marked forever the collapse of the cozy universe that I had known until then ... My cat was talking!

Talking about the tail reflecting emotions

La différence sans doute la plus significative entre le français et le caudal, c'est que, si le français sert à exprimer des pensées et des idées, on utilise le caudal pour communiquer des sentiments. D'ailleurs, on appelle souvent le caudal le “langage des sentiments”.

In english:

Perhaps the most significant difference between French and caudal is that if French is used to express thoughts and ideas, the caudal is used to communicate feelings. Moreover, the caudal is often called the "language of feelings".

The main character (or at least human) has a girlfriend who doesn't believe him

Alice posa sa main sur mon épaule. "David, fit-elle avec douceur, les chats ne parlent pas."

In english:

Alice put her hand on my shoulder. "David," she said gently, "cats do not speak."

He his a reporter with two cats

Found that in a summary but couldn't find actual quotes

David est un journaliste ordinaire qui vit avec ses deux chats.

David is an ordinary reporter living with his two cats.

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