Years ago I read a novel

[pscot]

about a guy who had a mutant, mind reading cat. The rats had become much bigger and smarter too. Anyone recall who wrote it?

[lazarus]

1. my wife, haele

says it was a series of short stories, if she recalls correctly. The cat was named S'Kittie or something like that, and the cats were bred to work with pilots or navigators.

She's going to look further.

Edit: On further research, she found a book called Catalyst, by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough.

The group of short stories is from an anthology called Cat Fantastic. They were written by Mercedes Lackey. She's fairly sure that's what you're thinking of, as they involved giant rats, too. And diplomacy!

[pscot]

2. the book I'm trying to recall

was almost surely written before 1960. Macaffrey's earliest publication date is 1967, I believe. The flavor of the story was more Harlan Ellison; A Boy and his Dog. But I think it predates Ellison. It had a post-apocalypse theme IIRC.

[Codeine]

3. Ah, I know this one, if you happen to see this thread bump.

"Star Man's Son" by Andre Norton.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Mans-Son-Andre-Norton/dp/0345325885

[pscot]

4. That's it

I remember the white hair. I probably read it shortly after it was published. Paperbacks were 25 cents back then, the same price as a gallon of regular, and every drug store had a rack of them. Thanks. I had completely forgotten about this post.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. I was going to say "Daybreak 2250 AD" --

that was the reissue title. Bought mine through Scholastic Books, IIRC.