Open main menu

Lilian Jackson Braun (June 20, 1913–June 4, 2011[1] ) was an American writer. She is most well known for her "The Cat Who..." series of mystery books. The books are about the life of former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum. She wrote 29 books in "The Cat Who..." series. Braun also wrote several collections of short stories. She did not like to use technology such as computers. She wrote her books on a typewriter[2] or in longhand.[1]

Lilian Jackson Braun
Born(1913-06-20)June 20, 1913
Willimansette, Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts
DiedJune 4, 2011(2011-06-04) (aged 97)
Landrum, South Carolina
SubjectCat Who

After writing her third book, The Cat Who Turned On and Off, Braun took time off from novel writing. She starting working for the Detroit Free Press. She worked there for 30 years. She started as "The Good Living" editor. She wrote feature articles on interior design, art and architecture. She also wrote reviews of kitchen gadgets and household products.[1][3]

List of booksEdit

The Cat Who novelsEdit

  1. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (1966)
  2. The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (1967)
  3. The Cat Who Turned On and Off (1968)
  4. The Cat Who Saw Red (1986)
  5. The Cat Who Played Brahms (1987)
  6. The Cat Who Played Post Office (1987)
  7. The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare (1988)
  8. The Cat Who Sniffed Glue (1988)
  9. The Cat Who Went Underground (1989)
  10. The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts (1990)
  11. The Cat Who Lived High (1990)
  12. The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal (1991)
  13. The Cat Who Moved a Mountain (1992)
  14. The Cat Who Wasn’t There (1992)
  15. The Cat Who Went into the Closet (1993)
  16. The Cat Who Came to Breakfast (1994)
  17. The Cat Who Blew the Whistle (1995)
  18. The Cat Who Said Cheese (1996)
  19. The Cat Who Tailed a Thief (1997)
  20. The Cat Who Sang for the Birds (1998)
  21. The Cat Who Saw Stars (1999)
  22. The Cat Who Robbed a Bank (2000)
  23. The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (2001)
  24. The Cat Who Went Up the Creek (2002)
  25. The Cat Who Brought Down the House (2003)
  26. The Cat Who Talked Turkey (2004)
  27. The Cat Who Went Bananas (2005)
  28. The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell (2006)
  29. The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (2007)
  30. The Cat Who Smelled Smoke (Unfinished)[3]

Short storiesEdit

  1. The Cat Who Had 14 Tales (1988)
  2. Short and Tall Tales Moose County Legends Collected by James MacKintosh Qwilleran (2002)
  3. The Private Life of the Cat Who… Tales of Koko and Yum Yum from the Journals of James MacKintosh Qwilleran (2004)

Other websitesEdit


  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Lilian J. Braun, 97". 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  2. Berman, Laura (2005-01-11). "Author packs more than nine lives into career of cat mysteries". The Detroit News. p. 01B. Archived from the original (NewsBank) on 2005-01-11. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Thomas, Carol (2011-06-07). "Lilian Jackson Braun, author of 'The Cat Who ...' mysteries, dies at 97". Clarity Digital Group LLC. Retrieved 2011-06-07.