Doreen Tovey
Encyclopedia
Doreen Tovey was an English
writer and cat
lover.
She was the author of more than a dozen books about the life she and her husband 'Charles' (real name René) shared with their Siamese cats and other animals in Somerset
, England. The books have sold more than 120,000 copies in ten countries and many of them are still available and in print from publisher Summersdale,
.
She was president of the Siamese Cat Club, President of the West of England Cat Club and President of the RSPCA for North Somerset.
on 24 October 1918. At this time a flu epidemic was raging and her mother died from this leaving her two week old daughter to be brought up by her Grandmother, as her father, being an engineer, was away from home for long periods of time.
It was this upbringing that introduced Doreen to a variety of pets, as Grandmother was an inveterate rescuer of anything in need.
Together with her Aunt Louisa they shared a house with cats, dogs and an owl called Gladstone whose perch on the bathroom door dictated that the use of this room was a swift one as no heat could be kept inside with the continually open door.
Doreen went to Grammar School and passed her matric (as it was called then), she would have loved to go to university but knew her grandmother could never have afforded it.
After a couple of boring jobs she joined Imperial Tobacco
and was with them for many years. Starting as a typist, then a secretary
and, when they discovered that she could write, in their public relations department.
It was here that she met Rene, who was in the Accountants Department. They met on the staircase one day and six months later Rene went to war in the Royal Navy
.
Rene came home on leave and they were married in Bristol by special licence on a Monday afternoon and spent a two-day honeymoon on a farm and Rene went back to war.
She spent most of the time Rene was away with her Aunt Louisa who made life quite fun for Doreen after the austerity of her Victorian grandmother, who loved her dearly but had set ideas how a young lady should be brought up.
Two and a half years later Rene was on his way home. His convoy coming via the Cape
to avoid the still roaming enemy submarines, the war was still on and he was sent to London where Doreen was transferred to be with him. He was then posted to a shore station in the West Country
and Doreen and Rene set about to find their dream cottage
. They rented a very dilapidated ex public house with an earth closet, the dream cottage put on hold, both back working in Bristol for their old firm, Doreen now as their statistical librarian, writing reports that were read by the Board. A job normally only considered for a man.
After a couple of further moves, a Georgian relic and a happy period in a farm, they found the perfect place at Rowberrow
, Somerset. They had also found a baby squirrel, which had fallen from its drey and Rene refused to climb the thirty feet necessary to return the little bedraggled mite to its nest. So Blondin became part of the Tovey family and unwittingly the reason Doreen and Rene got their first Siamese cat, Sugieh.
Blondin was a hoarder and the cottage soon became infested with mice looking for Blondin’s nuts and pieces of bread that he had stuffed under cushions and carpets for his rainy day. Whilst the mice had plenty to eat they did not cause too many problems but when Blondin caught a chill and died, their supply died too and they took to eating anything and everything. Doreen decided to get a cat and having seen a neighbour’s Siamese out for a stroll one day on a rather fetching collar and lead, decided that a Siamese would be the answer, she could also have a litter and maybe raise the Tovey finances.
Sugieh produced a litter of four kittens. Doreen decided that one’s fortune was not going to be made that way and when Sugeih died whilst being spayed (a far less straightforward procedure in the mid 1950s than it is today), decided to keep a sealpointed boy called Solomon and his bluepointed sister Sheba.
The antics of these kittens, a donkey called Annabel and the following Siamese inmates of The White Cottage were to bring Doreen world wide recognition of her books and writings, starting with ‘Cats In The Belfry’ published in 1957. The Canadian Government sponsored her and Rene on a trip to the Rockies
to write about the Canadian Wildlife, with special focus on Grizzly bears. This trip can be read about in ‘The Coming of Saska’. When they finally saw their first Grizzly they discovered they had locked themselves out of their motor home. But Doreen and Rene survived to recount their adventures.
After Rene’s death Doreen continued to write and her first book after his death was ‘Waiting in the Wings’ in which she describes that she still felt his presence and that he was guiding her in what she did.
Her writing stopped with the onset of arthritis and because so many of the people the she had based her characters on were no longer in the valley.
She was President of the Siamese Cat Club, a position she was very proud to hold and attended as many of the Club’s shows as she could was also President of the RSPCA for North Somerset.
Needless to say, being Siamese and contrary, Sugieh was not interested in the mice. What she did do was to race up the curtains and hurl herself at the birdcage.
After Sugieh dies, Toveys keep two of her kittens, Solomon and Sheba, who are succeeded over the years by Seeley, Shebalu, Saska, Shantung and Saphra, all of whom in their own way are as utterly devilish and enchanting as only Siamese cats can be.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
writer and cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
lover.
She was the author of more than a dozen books about the life she and her husband 'Charles' (real name René) shared with their Siamese cats and other animals in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. The books have sold more than 120,000 copies in ten countries and many of them are still available and in print from publisher Summersdale,
.
She was president of the Siamese Cat Club, President of the West of England Cat Club and President of the RSPCA for North Somerset.
Biography
Doreen was born in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
on 24 October 1918. At this time a flu epidemic was raging and her mother died from this leaving her two week old daughter to be brought up by her Grandmother, as her father, being an engineer, was away from home for long periods of time.
It was this upbringing that introduced Doreen to a variety of pets, as Grandmother was an inveterate rescuer of anything in need.
Together with her Aunt Louisa they shared a house with cats, dogs and an owl called Gladstone whose perch on the bathroom door dictated that the use of this room was a swift one as no heat could be kept inside with the continually open door.
Doreen went to Grammar School and passed her matric (as it was called then), she would have loved to go to university but knew her grandmother could never have afforded it.
After a couple of boring jobs she joined Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
and was with them for many years. Starting as a typist, then a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
and, when they discovered that she could write, in their public relations department.
It was here that she met Rene, who was in the Accountants Department. They met on the staircase one day and six months later Rene went to war in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
Rene came home on leave and they were married in Bristol by special licence on a Monday afternoon and spent a two-day honeymoon on a farm and Rene went back to war.
She spent most of the time Rene was away with her Aunt Louisa who made life quite fun for Doreen after the austerity of her Victorian grandmother, who loved her dearly but had set ideas how a young lady should be brought up.
Two and a half years later Rene was on his way home. His convoy coming via the Cape
Cape
Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...
to avoid the still roaming enemy submarines, the war was still on and he was sent to London where Doreen was transferred to be with him. He was then posted to a shore station in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
and Doreen and Rene set about to find their dream cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
. They rented a very dilapidated ex public house with an earth closet, the dream cottage put on hold, both back working in Bristol for their old firm, Doreen now as their statistical librarian, writing reports that were read by the Board. A job normally only considered for a man.
After a couple of further moves, a Georgian relic and a happy period in a farm, they found the perfect place at Rowberrow
Rowberrow
Rowberrow is a small village, within the parish of Shipham, near Churchill and Shipham in Somerset, England.Rowberrow is close to the Dolebury Warren iron age hill fort....
, Somerset. They had also found a baby squirrel, which had fallen from its drey and Rene refused to climb the thirty feet necessary to return the little bedraggled mite to its nest. So Blondin became part of the Tovey family and unwittingly the reason Doreen and Rene got their first Siamese cat, Sugieh.
Blondin was a hoarder and the cottage soon became infested with mice looking for Blondin’s nuts and pieces of bread that he had stuffed under cushions and carpets for his rainy day. Whilst the mice had plenty to eat they did not cause too many problems but when Blondin caught a chill and died, their supply died too and they took to eating anything and everything. Doreen decided to get a cat and having seen a neighbour’s Siamese out for a stroll one day on a rather fetching collar and lead, decided that a Siamese would be the answer, she could also have a litter and maybe raise the Tovey finances.
Sugieh produced a litter of four kittens. Doreen decided that one’s fortune was not going to be made that way and when Sugeih died whilst being spayed (a far less straightforward procedure in the mid 1950s than it is today), decided to keep a sealpointed boy called Solomon and his bluepointed sister Sheba.
The antics of these kittens, a donkey called Annabel and the following Siamese inmates of The White Cottage were to bring Doreen world wide recognition of her books and writings, starting with ‘Cats In The Belfry’ published in 1957. The Canadian Government sponsored her and Rene on a trip to the Rockies
Rockies
Rockies can mean the following:* Rocky Mountains, a North American mountain range* Colorado Rockies, a Colorado Major League baseball team* Colorado Rockies , a former NHL hockey team that became the New Jersey Devils...
to write about the Canadian Wildlife, with special focus on Grizzly bears. This trip can be read about in ‘The Coming of Saska’. When they finally saw their first Grizzly they discovered they had locked themselves out of their motor home. But Doreen and Rene survived to recount their adventures.
After Rene’s death Doreen continued to write and her first book after his death was ‘Waiting in the Wings’ in which she describes that she still felt his presence and that he was guiding her in what she did.
Her writing stopped with the onset of arthritis and because so many of the people the she had based her characters on were no longer in the valley.
She was President of the Siamese Cat Club, a position she was very proud to hold and attended as many of the Club’s shows as she could was also President of the RSPCA for North Somerset.
The cats
Most of Tovey's books are about the Siamese cats she and her husband owned. The Toveys bought their first Siamese cat, Sugieh, a Blue Point, because they were overrun by mice.Needless to say, being Siamese and contrary, Sugieh was not interested in the mice. What she did do was to race up the curtains and hurl herself at the birdcage.
After Sugieh dies, Toveys keep two of her kittens, Solomon and Sheba, who are succeeded over the years by Seeley, Shebalu, Saska, Shantung and Saphra, all of whom in their own way are as utterly devilish and enchanting as only Siamese cats can be.