THE CAT WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD

Thoroughly engaging, hilarious account of a small white kitten and the two British writers (Longden and his wife, who's almost totally blind) who ``adopt''—or, rather, appropriate—him from their unsuspecting next-door neighbor. In the first few months after the kitten's arrival, the endearing little fellow manages to make a colorful household even more colorful. His escapades include accidentally getting locked in the refrigerator by his blind benefactress (to thaw out the kitten, Longden dresses him in a cat shirt made out of long underwear— hence the kitten's adopted name, ``Thermal''); finding his way home after being trapped in a garage for a month; and getting locked in a nearby house that's under renovation. And when two other cats—a classy female named Tigger, and a mangy, frightened stray named Arthur—join the Longden household, the mayhem is further multiplied. Part of the charm of Longden's tale is his unabashed anthropomorphizing: ``After dinner I went back to work,'' he says, ``Thermal came with me. If he was going to be a writer himself he'd better see how it was done. He lay down beside me and thought hard for thirty seconds or so until he fell asleep—this being a writer seemed a very pleasant occupation.'' It is Longden's keen observations of feline—and human— nature, though, and his delicious wit that put him in a league with the likes of Cleveland Amory and that make this a treat that cat lovers, and humor fans in general, shouldn't miss. (Twenty-four line drawings—not seen.)