(Found) A cat with a prehensile tail?

[Dena F. Williams]

Hi there! I read a book in high school in the 80s, but I'm not sure when it was written. I think it was a novel, not a short story, but I'm honestly not sure. It was about a boy (or a man?) who lives alone and has a cat with a prehensile tail. There are also some other things around his house that are a little bit off, but I can't remember anything other than the cat. At some point, it turns out he's not living on earth, but he's on a spaceship and the aliens have wanted to make him feel like he's a boy living on Earth, only they didn't realize things like cats don't have prehensile tails. I can't remember if he was a human boy that they raised or a non-human that they wanted to think he was human ... or something like that. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[psychotick]

Hi

Somewhere in the distant past I read something like this - but all I can remember is that he was actually the last human being / survivor and the aliens were caring for him. Does that sound right?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Dena F. Williams]

Hello Greg, and any others!

This does sound right. Also, I queried my friends, and they were able to dig up the answer! It's Race Against Time by Piers Anthony!