Originally published April 6, 2014, North Bay Nipissing News
Cat Champions: Caring For Our Feline Friends
Rob Laidlaw
Pajama Press Inc.
2013, 64 pages
ISBN: 9781927485545
ages 8+
Cats are wonderful animals. Unfortunately, millions of cats around the world suffer needlessly. If this suffering is to be significantly reduced future generations will have to do a much better job protecting cats than past generations have done.
Education will play a key role in improving the lives of cats and Cat Champions: Caring For Our Feline Friends by Rob Laidlaw informs the reader about these amazing animals and how they can help them. Topics covered include a description of cats, feral cats, cat colonies, cat shelters, cat sanctuaries, and more.
Throughout the book “Cat Champions” are featured. These inspiring stories highlight the good work done for cats by young people in areas such as fund raising, socializing, educating, adopting, fostering, volunteering etc. You will also read about important subjects such as socializing cats, the importance of neutering (spaying/castrating) and the importance of adopting cats in need – including adopting adult cats.
Much needs to be done to minimize the suffering of cats. Reading Cat Champions: Caring For Our Feline Friends and following some of the advice and inspirational examples is a good start. This book is an ideal one for families considering getting a feline family member to read together. It is also an important one for teachers to read and discuss with their students.
Paw Prints at Owl Cottage
Denis O’Connor
Thomas Dunne Books
2013, 232 pages
ISBN: 9780312577070
I enjoyed reading Denis O’Connor’s book Paw Prints in the Moonlight. The book was about O’Connor rescuing a kitten, whom he called Toby Jug, and their life together at Owl Cottage in Northumberland, England.
Paw Prints at Owl Cottage continues O’Connor’s life with cats as Denis and his wife Catherine return to Owl Cottage where they restore the house – and acquire four more Maine Coon cats: Pablo, Carlos, Luis and Max. Reading about Denis and Catherine’s lives with their feline companions is entertaining, often heartwarming and occasionally heart-wrenching.
Animal books written from personal accounts are usually a joy to read. Books written by James Herriot and Denis O’Connor fall into this category. Complementing the entertaining stories are eight colour pages of paintings of the cats in these books. Paw Prints at Owl Cottage is a nice follow-up to Paw Prints in the Moonlight and highly recommended for those with feline family members.
