The City of Lost Cats, Tanya Lloyd Kyi
The City of Lost Cats, Tanya Lloyd Kyi
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The City of Lost Cats

Author: Tanya Lloyd Kyi

Narrator: Angelique Lazarus

Unabridged: 6 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tundra Books

Published: 03/04/2025

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

A stubborn young girl named Fiona stumbles upon an abandoned house full of stray cats, just as it is threatened by a demolition team, a leadership crisis, and two potentially malicious parakeets. Can Fiona save the house and all its inhabitants? A new middle-grade novel by critically acclaimed author Tanya Lloyd Kyi.

When Fiona wanders into an abandoned mansion down by the harbor, she discovers the house is full of stray cats (and two chaotic parakeets). Fiona feels a great deal of sympathy for the animals; she understands what it's like to need a safe home. Ever since her parents died, she's been struggling to adjust to the tiny apartment where she and her Aunt Tanis now live. And Aunt Tanis has little time to spare for Fiona, between her job at The Municipal Hall and her horrible, hair-gelled boyfriend. 

When the mansion is threatened by a demolition team, Fiona is determined to save "The City" and its residents. But the cats have their own priorities. Cot (short for Cottonball Fluffikins Magnificent III, a name he refuses to acknowledge) has lived in the mansion for two years and is the self-proclaimed king. He's convinced the demolition effort has been organized by the recently arrived parakeets. Those birds have got to go! 

Cot's feline rival, Piper, is sure she can intimidate the demolition team and force them to leave, if Fiona will simply stay out of her way. And the parakeets . . . well, the parakeets just want to go home.

As the demolition team begins tearing down the house next door, Fiona looks for any help she can find — at the library, the butcher shop, and even at The Municipal Hall. Can the efforts of one small girl and an assortment of animals stop a luxury condo development? Can they create something better in its place? 

It's going to take some quick thinking on the part of Fiona, not to mention the cooperation of all the cats, to give The City a future.

About The Author

TANYA LLOYD KYI is the author of more than thirty books for children and young adults. She grew up with a racoon-sized tortoiseshell cat named D.C. (for Darn Cat), who would have felt right at home in The City. Tanya has worked in the past as a graphic designer, an editor and a dishwasher. (She considers herself entirely qualified for that last one.) Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is cheese and her favorite book is A Wrinkle in Time. When she's not telling cat tales, Tanya teaches at the UBC School of Creative Writing in Vancouver, BC.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Katie on April 21, 2025

A middle-grade story about housing crisis told by various POVs including cats? That's something I've never thought I needed to read but here we are.......more

Goodreads review by Maria on April 18, 2025

A quick and amusing middle grade book that probably works really well for its middle grade audience, but doesn't offer very much food for thought for adults (if you ask me). One of my absolute favourite tropes to hate within middle grade books is when the adults won't listen to the child protagonist.......more

Goodreads review by Susan on March 22, 2025

I was not hooked automatically by this book but it quickly caught me up in the story of a young girl who has gone through major traumas and lives with what seems to be an uncaring aunt. She runs away and discovers an abandoned mansion that is the home of a clowder of cats. Cot is the leader but he i......more

Goodreads review by Greeshma on March 21, 2025

I was not expecting a book about young girls, cats and rescuing abandoned pets would also be a story about Canada's housing crisis but I guess even children's books have a way of intertwining with the current issues of the day. Fiona is a young girl in search of her Destiny. She soon realizes that s......more

Goodreads review by Page_2_Pen on November 01, 2024

Aunt Tanis never listens, ballet is stupid, and Fiona just wants read since all the girls in her class are mean. When Fiona’s parents were in a tragic accident, she began a new life with her aunt, who means well, but sometimes just doesn’t have a clue. So when she signs Fiona up for ballet camp, all......more


Quotes

One of CBC Books' 20 Canadian children's books to read this summer (2025)
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Book for Kids and Teens, Fall 2025
A 2026 Saskatchewan Young Readers Choice Diamond Willow Award Nominee


PRAISE FOR The City of Lost Cats:

"A gratifying, bighearted tale about community, belonging, and cats." —Kirkus Reviews

"Kyi offers a timely tale, told from a variety of intersecting perspectives, that blends heart and humor with sharp social insight. . . . The story’s structure—plus the incorporation of news bulletins, whimsical commentary in verse, and community calls to action—make it an irresistible read for cat lovers. . . . a layered portrait of a girl discovering her voice in a noisy world; readers will likely find her wishes for independence and connection deeply relatable." —The Horn Book

"Fiona's fervent and compassionate narration alternates with chapters told from the POVs of the delightful felines, verse-spouting parakeets, and a pure-hearted demolitionist, making for a rounded, nuanced story. Themes of agency and community activism inject this endearing tale of misfits with infectious hope." —Publishers Weekly

"Kyi portrays Fiona's emotional state and the cats' signature qualities (from neediness to aloof independence) with equal sensitivity in this appealing story, which reveals some surprises as the action unfolds." —Booklist

"This ambitious multigenre novel provides enough twists to keep readers engaged and wondering how all the distinct elements will come together in resolution." —School Library Journal

"This middle grade novel builds momentum and creates a strong sense of urgency with perspectives shifting among cats and humans, as well as inserts of lost pet flyers, online news articles advocating for affordable housing, and suspicious town hall messages. . . . Fans of the community-driven action in Escabasse’s Taxi Ghost will be captivated by Fiona’s ambitious nature and self-sufficiency, which inspire her neighbors in butcher shops, libraries, and even on the demolition team, to unite for the things they believe in." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books


Awards

  • Diamond Willow Award
  • Silver Birch Award for Fiction