Disappointing. Although for a self-published book it really was well done- I didn’t notice any typos, the writing itself was okay, and it only occcasionally got repetitive- as far as I could tell. Because honestly, I started skimming after just a few chapters and didn’t really read the whole thing. Here’s why.
This little memoir is about a cat. The author worked in a veterinary hospital and when cats were up for adoption at the hospital, she’d usually take one in as her office cat. She was so enamoured of Buckley- a small tortishell female- that she wanted to adopt the cat permanently and take her home. But fretted about how Buckley would get along with her resident cat, who’d been solo feline in the house for many years. Cats always require quite an adjustment period to new arrivals, but this was done so abruptly. Convinced that the two cats were destined to be good friends because she felt they had a spiritual connection, the author pretty much put them together from day one, then got upset because there was lots of hissing and posturing, and took Buckley back to her office three times before finally keeping her at home for good. Must have been very stressful for the cat, to say the least.
The story continues to tell how the cats did finally get along and to effusively exclaim over the peace and joy this cat’s presence brought into the author’s life. She tells how she changed jobs, started her own business, and then had to deal with Buckley’s ongoing health issues- made more difficult because the cat (and her owner) got very stressed when receiving medical treatments. The end, when Buckley’s health finally begins to fail, is very sad as you see the cat go through her last moments, cared for very tenderly.
I just- couldn’t connect to this story. I felt iffy about it from the very beginning when the author goes on and on about how admirable animals are because they simply live in the moment and don’t let their past affect them, but then talks about how this cat had always dreamed of having a forever home (back when Buckley was a stray). So the cat doesn’t remember it’s past, but can feel hope for a projected future it imagines? I don’t get that. Then pretty soon in the narrative it’s apparent the author believes she has telepathic communication with her cats, in mental pictures and feelings- sometimes via a medium from afar. A lot about feelings in this book. She’s an “energy healer” too. Not trying to be too critical- this was unquestionable a very sweet cat, who meant a lot to her owner, and her story is quite heartwarming. Too much of it was just too far out there for me.
Borrowed from the public library.