I have a confession to make: the main reason we chose you out of the cattery at the Humane Society four years ago was that you were so pretty. We'd originally intended to get a black cat, but when we saw you sitting in the window seat with your beautiful tabby mask and your snowy white fur, we wanted to pick you up and cuddle you.
You were so mellow when we held you. You didn't try to squiggle away or bite us. You sneezed a few times, and we thought you might have asthma or allergies, but that didn't deter us. When the Humane Society called the next day and asked if we still wanted you, we said yes! We wanted to claim you before someone else snapped you up.
We didn't know you'd already been in the cattery for two years, since you were a baby kitten.
We didn't know you had a polyp growing in your ear, one that would give you repeated upper respiratory infections, one of which would leave you so weak I thought you were dying in my arms on the way to the vet's office.
But you're a fighter. A dose of antibiotics, and the next day you were trying to chew out your catheter in your kitty cage at the vet's. Laser surgery took care of that icky polyp, and you haven't had a sick day since.
Now you are our big, 14-pound, mellow ball of kitty snuggliness. You love everything warm, from sunbeams to the bedroom space heater, and you're very picky about which brand of kitty treats we can feed you. You never jump on the kitchen counters or beg for human food, preferring your dry Purina. You know how to sit, although you haven't mastered "fetch" or "go make me a cup of tea."
And you don't mind when I change the words to a Lady Gaga song so it's all about you. You're beautiful in your way 'cause cats make no mistakes. You are the striped cat, baby, you were born that way - and you were born to be our kitty.
Love,
Your human, Erin
Review
A Letter To My Cat, edited by Lisa Erspamer, collects letters by the famous and the not-so-famous, all of whom are the caretakers to extraordinary cats. Among the cats is Lil Bub, who is famous just for being the most adorable thing ever.
Bub was the runt of her litter and has some birth defects, but she is still a being of pure sweetness and light. Then there's Matilda, the official cat of the Algonquin hotel. And Buddy, who saved his human Rick's life when Rick went into sudden cardiac arrest. Buddy wouldn't leave his mommy, Jennifer, alone until Jennifer checked on Rick, and she found Rick not breathing.
Cat can be heroes in lots of ways. Charlie is a certified therapy cat; children can read to him, and he listens and purrs in a totally non-judgmental way, helping them increase their reading confidence. Kinky Girl started life as a stray, but turned out to be the perfect cat for teaching kids to be kind to animals and for ministering to people in hospice. Burma helps her human, Stephen, recover from the psychological effects of being an Iraq War veteran - and inspires him to bring awareness to the issue of homeless veterans.
All the cats are good cats - even if they pee in the bag on the way to the office.
Some of the human caretakers who appear in this book include Rosanna Arquette, comedy writer Ellie Barancik, chef Anne Burrell, reality TV star Mayte Garcia, actress/author Gina Gershon, actress/mental health activist Mariel Hemingway (not really a "cat person," surprisingly, given her granddad Ernest's fondness for polydactyl felines), designer India Hicks, children's book author Nina Laden, (men's) NBA player Brook Lopez, Bridesmaids actress Wendi McLendon-Covey, Dr. Mehmet Oz, rocker Joe Perry, Kimberly Schlapman of the country band Little Big Town, and True Blood actress Kristin Bauer van Straten.
Synopsis
The follow-up to A Letter to My Dog takes on cats, with celebrities writing letters of love and gratitude to their beloved pet felines.
Alluring, elusive, mysterious—the cats in our lives are not always easy to get to know. But as with all pets, they have unique personalities and stories to tell. Alongside beautiful four-color photos of their cats, A Letter to My Cat collects personal letters from celebrities offering love and gratitude for all that their cats bring to their lives.
About the Editor
Lisa Erspamer is president of Lisa Erspamer Entertainment and Unleashed Media. Previously, Lisa served as chief creative officer and executive vice president of programming and development for OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, as well as co-executive producer at The Oprah Winfrey Show, where she produced hundreds of shows. The creator and coauthor of A Letter to My Dog and A Letter to My Cat, Lisa lives with her dogs Lily and Grace in Los Angeles.
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.
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Cats are probably the most adorable creatures on this planet. At least that is what cat lovers would say, but there are times when they can get very unpredictable and you would just want to get your way into their minds to think like cat. You want to know what a cat likes and does not like and before that, you would also want to know whether you should get yourself one or not.
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