Meet the Edinburgh cat that has inspired a bestselling book about a time travelling kitty

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


AUTHOR Alex Howard admitted he was freaked out when his little cat went to the door of the back bedroom in his new flat and hissed like she had seen a ghost. But Tabitha's strange behaviour got the dad of one thinking and inspired a book which has become a bestseller.

Feline fans can't get enough of Alex's heartwarming novel about a phantom puss who "haunts" the ever-changing inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement over the course of 12 decades. From the installation of electricity to the arrival of petrol driven cars and television sets, alongside historic moments such as the World War II and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the momentous events of the last 120 years are playfully observed by the wise yet calamitous Grimalkin, the "Ghost Cat".

Alex, who is just back from a book tour in the States, said he is still in shock about just how popular his book has become and says owes it all to his little tabby cat. The 36-year-old writer, who was born in London but moved to Edinburgh for university, said: "It's ridiculous. I just can't believe how well the book is doing. I'm literally blown away.

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Tabitha the cat
Tabitha the cat

"It's now No1 in the Scottish Bestseller Chart which is incredible. Harper Collins bought the rights for it in the States and I'm just back from promoting it in Chicago and New York. It seems the world has taken the 'Ghost Cat' to their hearts which makes me very happy as it's all down to my little eight-year-old Tabby cat Tabitha, who is one of the loves of my life."

Alex, whose novel was named Waterstone's Book of the Month in August, added: "Two days after my wife Ellie and I moved into our Edwardian tenement flat in Edinburgh, Tabitha went and stood at the door of the back bedroom and began hissing into the emptiness. "There was nothing there but she obviously sensed something - the ghost of a cat perhaps? That got me thinking about the first cat that would have lived in the flat and all the historic moments its ghost would have seen in the years which followed. What if I wrote a book about one cat with nine lives who prowled through 12 decades of history?

"I sat down and started scribbling and here I am two years later sharing Grimalkin's adventures with the world and it's all thanks to Tabitha because if she hadn't hissed the thought cascade might not have happened." The Ghost Cat begins in 1902 when Grimalkin breathes his last at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh before returning to oversee two world wars, a coronation and one giant step for mankind.

Fashion, politics and emotions are all explored in the Black & White-published book which highlights the importance and true meaning of cat companionship. And it's not just Tabitha who has inspired Alex - there are other cats, people and places in his life who have played a part in shaping the narrative.

Alex, who is dad to 21-month-old son Sasha, explained: "Although Tabby set the book in motion - Grimalkin is physically based on a cat called Aggie who lived at the Shakespeare and Company bookshop in Paris where I used to work. My first-ever childhood cat Freddie the British Shorthair Blue also deserves a mention.

"The tenement where the story is set is very much based on the Edwardian house we live in now but I've changed the address and made it Victorian. Ellie and I bought it as a doer-upper and peeling back all the layers of wallpaper and discovering floral prints, woodchip and browns and oranges from the 70s inspired the walk back through time."

Alex, who works at Capital Theatres as a creative engagement coordinator for people with dementia, added: "One of the ladies who comes from the dementia friendly community inspired the character of Elaine in the chapter set in the 60s. "She told me about the Beatles coming to the ABC Cinema in Edinburgh in 1964 and it stayed with me.

"I've taken inspiration from so many places. I had a feeling there was something special about this book but I'm still surprised at how many people seem to love it. I finished it just three weeks before the arrival of my little boy Sasha, and it is dedicated to him as his imminent birth stopped me procrastinating and ensured I wrote a cosy read which combines nostalgia and my love of cats but also tackles the big issues in life and in history."

Bestseller The Ghost Cat
Bestseller The Ghost Cat

It's not the first time Alex, whose TikTok page, Housedoctoralex, shows clips of him doing up his home and has nearly 300,000 followers, has had a hit novel about a cat. His first book "Library Cat", which he wrote while completing his PhD, won the People's Book Prize in 2017. The story about Jordan - a black and white tabby - who used to frequent the Edinburgh University library has been translated into French, Korean and Italian.

Alex, who has a PhD in 20th-century poetry, is busy working on next book "The Ship's Cat", which tells the story of a mariner's cat who circumnavigates the globe. The DIY fanatic said: "I had another life as a sailor. When I was a student I sailed all round the world on a leaky old boat as a deckhand on minimum wage. I saw cats in every port and wondered about the stories they would have to tell. A couple of months ago I saw a salty sea dog type cat and thought there's "The Ship's Cat". Like "The Ghost Cat", the book will have folklore at its heart but it will be a much more epic tale."

The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard is available in all good bookshops and online

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