I had a succession of cats as a child, and when I was six, I watched one of our cats give birth, and then, within weeks, witnessed one of her kittens die. Very early on, cats helped me understand the life and death cycle. As an adult, a series of extraordinary experiences with a stray cat I cared for taught me something further—how thin the veil between life and death truly is. Perhaps because of these experiences, I have an enormous love and respect for feline wisdom, and a deep belief that cats know things we don't. They have much to teach us, if we're open and willing.
There's something poetic about Takashi Hiraide's writing—evocative, almost romantic—that I found deeply restful.
And given that I tend to read in bed at night, The Guest Cat became one of those books that I looked forward to settling down with. Hiraide is a Japanese poet, and though The Guest Cat is not poetry, I found the gentle, lyrical nature of the storytelling just beautiful, as is the cover—a Japanese ink drawing of Chibe, the sweet, neighborhood stray cat featured in this novel.
A bestseller in France and winner of Japan's Kiyama Shohei Literary Award, The Guest Cat, by the acclaimed poet Takashi Hiraide, is a subtly moving and exceptionally beautiful novel about the transient nature of life and idiosyncratic but deeply felt ways of living. A couple in their thirties live in a small rented cottage in a quiet part of Tokyo; they work at home, freelance copy-editing; they no longer have very much to say to one another. But one day a cat invites itself into their small kitchen. It leaves, but the next day comes again, and then again and…
This book has stayed with me for years, which is itself a testament to how remarkable it is.
What makes this Holocaust survival story unique—and what I find profoundly mysterious, verging on mystical—is Malach the cat, whom I came to see as 12-year-old Mala's guardian angel.
There's something inexplicable about their bond that I can personally identify with, and that I hold with wonder rather than question. Some things are better held with wonder than explained.
The incredible true story of a young girl who navigated dangerous forests, outwitted Nazi soldiers, and survived against all odds with the companionship of a stray cat.
Growing up in the Polish village of Tarnogrod on the fringes of a deep pine forest, Mala Szorer had the happiest childhood she could have hoped for. But at the age of twelve, as the German invasion begins, her beloved village becomes a ghetto and her family and friends reduced to starvation. She takes matters into her own hands and bravely removes her yellow star, risking sneaking out to the surrounding villages to…
Archy was living out of the dumpsters of the apartment complex when Louise moved in. She noticed him. He noticed her too.
It took months to earn his trust. He stayed for one year. What happened in that year—and in the years following his death—became the story she spent thirty-five…
I have had a personal experience of an adored cat communicating with me telepathically when he was alive, from a liminal state shortly after he died, and then through a clairvoyant many years later. His simple messages transformed my understanding of death and what comes next.
Reading The Amazing Afterlife of Animals was a profound confirmation of those experiences. Unusual, mystical encounters with our animals after death can be deeply alienating—until you discover that many others have felt exactly the same thing. This book gave me that recognition.
#1 Bestseller & Winner of 16 National and International Literary Awards
If you are grieving the loss of your beloved pet the uplifting and insightful stories within these chapters will help you break through your grief so you can begin healing. Included are actual messages from departed animals who share details about what they experienced as their life ended and from beyond the veil of the afterlife.
You will discover how pets feel about dying, euthanasia, cremation, reincarnation and so much more.
Award-winning Animal Communicator and Afterlife Expert, Karen Anderson, reveals tantalizing evidence that our pets communicate with us throughout…
I first saw A Street Cat Named Bob advertised on the side of a London double-decker bus—Bob, an adorable ginger cat, held tight to James Bowen's chest, larger than life.
I bought the book that day and read it immediately. Oh my goodness, what a tale. James owes his life to Bob, who got him through addiction and living rough on the streets of London. I'm a sucker for a happy ending, and the good news is—there is one.
From the author of A Christmas Gift from Bob, the original bestseller and heartwarming story of the life-saving friendship between a man and his streetwise cat
'[Bob] has entranced London like no feline since the days of Dick Whittington.' (Evening Standard)
'A heartwarming tale with a message of hope' (Daily Mail)
'Reminded me how amazing having a cat can be' (Glamour)
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The uplifting true story of an unlikely friendship between a man on the streets of Covent Garden and the ginger cat who adopts him and helps him heal his life. Now…
Archy was living out of the dumpsters of the apartment complex when Louise moved in. She noticed him. He noticed her too.
It took months to earn his trust. He stayed for one year. What happened in that year—and in the years following his death—became the story she spent thirty-five…
The cover of Lost Cat is, for me, hard to look at. A one-eyed rescued kitten named Gattino, staring out—I knew immediately it would be an emotional read, and I was right.
Losing Gattino becomes the vehicle through which Mary Gaitskill processes deeper grief: her father's death, and the painful unravelling of a cherished fostering relationship.
I picked this up at a well-timed moment in my own life, when I, too, was working through long-held grief, and I cried quite a bit. Honest, raw, and precise—this is grief writing at its most unguarded.
Slow Blink is a memoir about more than the weight of loving something you cannot keep, a lyrical meditation on the mysterious bonds that connect us across species, across time, and across the veil. It recounts Louise’s relationship with a stray black cat whose bond with her transcended the ordinary, changing her understanding of the liminal space between life and death.
Exploring the transformative power of loving something wild, this memoir reveals how one cat taught her that love persists even when we must let go.
