Having served his witch faithfully for many years, Grimalkin the black cat is given leave to travel through the mountains, eventually settling down on a small farm with a white cat and a kindly human couple. Helping his new feline companion chase the mice and rats, Grimalkin is not long in realizing that his new home is beset by bad luck - so much so that the farmer is thinking of selling the land. Determined to help his new friends, he seeks out his former mistress and together, witch and cat, they set all to rights on the farm, catching and imprisoning the wicked imp responsible for all the mischief.

Apparently based upon a Welsh legend - the story of The Cat of Cwm Ffernol - this witchy picture-book makes for an engaging read, with an appealing story of magic and kind deeds, and quirky illustrations from the inimitable Quentin Blake. I'd love to learn more about the original legend that provided the inspiration for this story - I've never run across it in any of my collections of folklore - but leaving the dearth of source note aside (and, after all, this does not bill itself as a folktale retelling, but as an original story), The Witch's Cat is a pleasant read, and a welcome addition to my 'witchy-witches' project! ( )