The Carpenter and the Cat - Susan Kay Phillips

By Kelly Nelson, Illustrated by Ann Calverley

Reviewed by Susan Kay Phillips

This month our children’s picture book is about human – animal connection. THE CARPENTER AND THE CAT, by Kelly Nelson, illustrated by Ann Calverley, is a true story of Ron Venden, a retired carpenter from the Town of Exeter in Green County, Wisconsin, and an abandoned kitten, Almond.

Almond, the kitten, and his siblings were born high up in the hollow of a maple tree on the farm of Ron and Marie Venden. When Almond’s mother moved his siblings from the tree hollow, she did not take Almond.

Hungry and frightened, Almond meowed again and again for his mother but his mother did not return. Fortunately, his human neighbor, Ron heard him. Thus began a loving and inspiring relationship between Ron and Almond.

Ron quickly located Almond’s hidden home high in the maple tree. He fetched his ladder, climbed up and reached into Almond’s home in the hollow of the tree. But terrified Almond scratched Ron’s hand and refused to leave his home. Undeterred, Ron resolved that he would take care of this tiny, frightened creature. Armed with kitten food and other treats (including some of Marie’s meatloaf), Ron began a twice a day ritual of bringing his ladder to the tree, climbing up, and leaving water and nutritious food for Almond.

Ron’s neighbors became curious about his twice a day climb up into the tree. He shared with them the story of the little kitten. A neighborhood girl supplied a name for the kitten – Almond. The story of Almond, the Tree Cat, spread quickly. A local television station did a human interest story about Ron and his tree dwelling cat. An article was published in the local newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal. Now, the phone at Ron and Marie’s house began to ring off the hook. People wanted to hear about Almond and meet him. Ron even got a call from a cat enthusiast in Japan who wanted to arrange a visit!

Slowly, Almond came to trust Ron, but did not want to leave the comfort and safety of his tree hollow home. As Wisconsin winter approached, Ron used his carpentry skills to create an insulated, weatherproof cover for the hollow in the tree. Almond, now nearly grown, sported a very thick coat of fur. He seemed perfectly content in his cozy tree home or sitting in his tree observing the neighborhood.

Winter moved on into spring, and still Almond, now fully grown, refused to leave his tree. Then one fateful day, Ron found Almond lying on the ground beneath his tree, clearly in pain. Ron and Marie rushed Almond to a vet only to learn that Almond’s right back leg would need to be amputated. The vet bill would be $4000. Ron and Marie wanted to help Almond but did not have money for the surgery.

Word spread quickly about Almond’s accident. An anonymous donor called Ron to say he would pay the vet bill. Almond’s surgery was completed and he was reunited with Ron and Marie. Now Almond became an indoor cat who followed Ron around the house, watched squirrels through the windows and curled up on the couch to watch Ron’s favorite TV programs with him.

Ann Caverley’s colorful illustrations perfectly match the well written story. In a newspaper interview, Caverley recounted how she took many photos of Almond assure that she would accurately represent the color patterns in his coat. As she has drawn him, Almond has a very endearing and alert appearance. This book is a touching real life story that will appeal to many children.

Reviewer’s Note

This lovely story of Ron and Marie Venden and their tree cat friend, Almond, continues on. Almond is now a healthy fifteen-year-old, enjoying his life as a beloved animal companion. In a 2025 article in the Wisconsin State Journal, Ron Venden stated that he “kind of enjoyed” taking care of Almond up in the maple tree and thought that Almond stayed there because he was getting such good care. He also made the comment “It’s a pretty amazing story, really. Who would’ve thought this would have ever happened.”

Kelly Nelson, the author of the story, sums up the feeling she hopes children will get from the story with a quote from Mother Theresa, “not all of us can do great things, but all of us can do small things with great love.”

Almond’s story is not available to read in the Wisconsin State Journal archives online because of a firewall. However, here is a YouTube video of Ron on his ladder taking food to Almond that can be accessed through this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4qva7GkmMw

All quotes are taken from a May, 2025 article in the Wisconsin State Journal.

Thank you for reading!

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