The Mouse Butcher

The Mouse Butcher is a book by Dick King-Smith, and was first published in 1981, by Victor Gollancz Ltd, with illustrations by Wendy Smith. In 1983 it was published as a Puffin Books paperback with the ISBN 0140314571.

The Mouse Butcher ia about a community of cats who live on an island, largely within the buildings there. "Gradually, as time passed after the going of the humans, the cats of the island dropped into the habit of assuming amongst themselves their late owners' titles." The main character, and the butcher of the title, is Tom, and the book focuses on his attempts to woo and impress Diana, a daughter of "Colonel Bampton-Bush". This leads to Tom confronting the near-legendary monster of Hobbs' Hole.