Cat Tale

The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther

By: Craig Pittman

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

“Craig Pittman has a remarkable talent for telling stories set in the Sunshine State that never fail to fascinate and entertain. Sure, Cat Tale has plenty of laughs and Florida weirdness, but Pittman has written a truly inspirational story about the panther’s brush with extinction, and the human beings who were determined to save the species. You won’t be able to put Cat Tale down.” (Gilbert King, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Devil in the Grove)

It wasn’t so long ago when a lot of people thought the Florida panther was extinct. They were very nearly right. That the panther still exists at all is a miracle - the result of a desperate experiment that led to the most remarkable comeback in the history of the Endangered Species Act. And no one has told the whole story - until now.

With novelistic detail and an eye for the absurd, Craig Pittman recounts the extraordinary story of the people who brought the panther back from the brink of extinction, the ones who nearly pushed the species over the edge, and the cats that were caught in the middle. This being Florida, there’s more than a little weirdness, too.

An engrossing narrative of wry humor, sharp writing, and exhaustive reportage, Cat Tale shows what it takes to bring one species back and what unexpected costs such a decision brings.

©2020 Craig Pittman (P)2020 Harlequin Audio

Cautionary tale

I very nearly skipped downloading this title because I thought I already knew most of “the story” but this work has far more information than I ever gleaned from earlier articles and books. Every person who owns property in Florida or loves wildlife or even just vacations in Florida needs to read this book, and then join any or all of the groups trying to “save” what remains of wild Florida before it’s paved over.

Daily deal snag

But had I known the book was out there, I would have paid full price. Not a born Floridian but am in Key Largo as often as I can be. I have heard bits and pieces of this story from locals.

Locals have a tendency to "over tell" local lore/gossip, what shocked me after listening to this is the fact they didn't over tell it, in fact if anything none of them had as much info about this mess as one should have when it happens in your back yard.

Floridian or not this is a good listen for the education in how egos, money and politics can send things in very bad directions.

Narration is great and he nails local names! Don't know if he is from FL or just did the DD to get it right. As someone who gets beyond annoyed by narrators who can't get names of places pronounced right, I was very happy!

I’m one of those citizens the author

mentions that was environmentally “radicalized” by Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” 50 + years ago... Worse, I recall a trip to the Florida Everglades… A magical place in my adolescent mind… in 1973 and my poor mother hitting with her car what we were sure what is a Florida panther late one evening on our way out of the park. She was heartbroken. In any event, Not only was I an easy mark or anything panther, I’m a sympathetic audience for almost any story or Crusade on behalf of endangered species. Clearly I come from a not so neutral perspective. In the intervening five decades I’ve also been all over the world... or at least a fair portion… And I have been an attorney dealing with state and federal Bureaucracies for much of it. All of which is a long unnecessary preamble to say this is an important book on a narrow subject and I wholeheartedly recommend. The writing is not supercharged and the subject necessitates some tedious details, but my hats off to The author for his expose. Confirms my dislike of almost anything governmental.

really enjoyed this informative book

Learned a lot about Panthers, Florida and politics of protecting animals/habitat. This book is quite engaging and enjoyable.

Greed versus nature.

Very interesting puzzle and invasion of natural habitat for the Florida Puma through the years. The true story from the perspective of the scientists, trackers and veterinarians who obviously cared about their eminent extinction.

Worth a listen even if you don't live in Florida

I enjoyed this for the history and context of the Florida panther's struggle. I was not as thrilled with the first part of the book, which focused on the "weird" part of the title -- I guess I don't have much chill about endangered species and hunting, so I would have like it to be treated more seriously. But when it got into the misdeeds of developers and politicians, it picked up a lot and there's plenty to outrage the listener!

The one thing I might have liked is some natural history of the Florida panther (behavior, life cycle, habitat needs), which there wasn't much of. But for a cat lover and fan of wildlife in general (and foe of evil developers and grifters) this is well worth a listen.

Good story

Kept my attention! Some dull parts, but a lot of fun, too. While it seems hopeless at times, there is hope at the end

the Panthers will to survive despite continual roadblocks

the corruption that blocked any decision that would have helped with the panther habitat preservation was despicable.
I admired those biologists who continued fighting for what they believed in

so very interesting

I really liked this book to learn about things I had suspected as I used to live in SW FL and had friends involved with the Panther Refuge. I think the author tries to end things on a positive note but there is so much development pressure throughout FL. It's disheartening to hear how government agencies are not always doing what you hope. Although now working for one, I see the issues brought to light in this book are throughout. I hope more read this book and get active in supporting protective measures for our beautiful FL. thank you Craig, thank you.

Wildlife, money, politics, corruption, greed, ego and lost opportunities

Well read, well-composed tale of Florida’s saga around their state animal, it’s survival and those who worked for and against that goal. Quirky, informative and detailed, it’s not exactly a page-turner, but it kept my attention and I’m glad I listened.