Cooper, Gwen. Homer’s odyssey : a fearless feline tale, or how I learned about love and life with a blind wonder cat, New York : Delacorte Press, 2009.

This is an inspirational, funny and heart-warming book about a cat that lost both eyes soon after birth from a life threatening infection, and Gwen Cooper, the 24 year old who works in a non-profit organisation running volunteer programs, has two cats from a past relationship and is asked by her vet to adopt a handicapped four week old kitten.  Despite her far from ideal financial and accommodation circumstances, Cooper’s heart melts when she holds the tiny ball of fluff and he snuggles in and starts purring loudly.   Homer’s fearless nature and amazing personality teaches Cooper about love and acceptance and changes her into the woman she had always hoped to be.  This book with its inspiring stories of a loving, courageous cat who doesn’t let the fact he is blind get in the way of a full and happy life, together with the daily happenings of a young single woman will appeal to cat/animal lovers as well as women who can relate to Coopers situation and her changing outlook on life, acceptance and love.

Homer’s odyssey : a fearless feline tale, or how I learned about love and life with a blind wonder cat is on the bestsellers list for:- New York Times and the Northern California Independent booksellers Association.

You can follow Homer’s continuing adventures on - http://www.gwencooper.com 

 

Dosa, David. Making the rounds with Oscar : the inspirational story of a doctor, his patients and a very special cat, London : Headline, 2011.

This book is written by David Dosa,  a geriatrician at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre in Providence, Rhode Island. After Dosa wrote an essay about Oscar’s special ability to predict when a patient was about to die, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007, the story became a global one and this fascinating book is about his work and about Oscar.  Oscar was adopted by the centre as a stray kitten in 2005 and the dementia unit became his home.  Oscar is usually aloof, like many cats and does not actively seek the companionship of humans, but when a patient is near death he will jump onto their bed at least two to four hours beforehand, snuggle up to them and purr contentedly as if giving them a sense of comfort until they pass away.  He then stays with them until the undertaker takes them away and watches them go down the corridor, as if bidding them farewell. The book is a fascinating read and includes interviews with various people who have had firsthand experiences with Oscar and they talk about their thoughts and the feelings that they and others have about Oscar.

Making the rounds with Oscar : the inspirational story of a doctor, his patients and a very special cat is on the bestseller list for:- Barnes & Noble, New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Booksense and Amazon.com.

Coombs, Rosie. Paddy boy : the adventures of a northern farm cat, New York : Raider Publishing, 2011.

This is the story of Rosie and a much wanted ginger kitten who she named Paddy Boy. It looks at the special relationships that can develop between humans and animals, and it takes you through his early months as a kitten on a farm and the muddles he manages to get into, through to his adult years, with heart-warming, funny and sometimes unbelievable tales of happenings on a northern farm. This book is an easy read that is suitable for both adults and children.

Romp, Julia. The cat who came back for Christmas : how a cat brought a family the gift of love, New York : Penguin, 2012.

 

This book written by single mother Julia Romp, shares her true story about living with her son George, an autistic child who was not diagnosed until he was ten years old.  It wasn’t until a stray black and white cat who they name Ben, comes into their lives that George engages with the cat and his world opens up for the first time and Julia is finally able to reach her son. After three years of progress and many happy times, Ben runs away whilst Julia and George take a rare holiday, and George regresses back into himself. Determined to find their lost cat, she sets out on a mission to get him back, and finally the news comes through of his whereabouts just four days before Christmas, and the family is reunited once more. This is a touching story of a mothers love and devotion to her son and the little cat who formed a close attachment to him.