Friday, July 3, 2015

Rescued: The Stories of 12 Cats Through Their Eyes Review

Cover of Rescued: The Stories of 12 Cats Through Their Eyes
Every cat has a story.  Do you ever wonder what your cat's life was like before he claimed you?

Milita was given to my dad, along with her five brothers and sisters, by a friend who could not care for all the cats.  She spent a year being an outdoor cat in the country.  Her life was okay.  My dad made sure she had food and water, and she had plenty of cat companions to keep her company.

When I decided to move from Indiana to Colorado to attend graduate school, my dad knew I wanted a cat and suggested I take Milita with me because she was the friendliest kitty in her litter.  So that's just what I did - I brought her cross-country to Colorado with me, and she's been living like royalty ever since!  Milita has been an indoor-only cat for the past 11 years, and I don't think she misses the outdoors at all.  She enjoys being spoiled, loved, and having her every demand met.

Though I know Milita's story, Carmine's beginnings are a total mystery to me.  I wonder what he experienced in his first four months of life and how he ended up in the PetSmart adoption center where I met him.

The stories of the cats in Rescued: The Stories of 12 Cats Through Their Eyes were an eye-opening experience to me.  I could feel the hurt, confusion, and sadness some of the kitties in this book felt when they wound up in shelters or on the streets.  These stories are a testament to how resilient cats really are.

Each cat's rescue story in the book is unique; some made me smile and laugh while others made me cry, but in the end, they all find their forever homes and humans to love them.  I really love that so many of the cats and their humans featured in Rescued have gone on to help other kitties in need.

Among others, Rescued features a library cat, a cat who stars in films, and cats who blog.  Though each story is unique, they all speak to the compassion, care, and love of cat adopters and to the resilience and strength of cats.

One of the stories that touched me most in Rescued was Lucky's tale.  An unknown person poured a caustic substance all over Lucky's body, which resulted in severe burns.  Yet when he was rescued, he showed his gratitude by purring and making biscuits.  Through the love of people around the world, enough money was raised to cover Lucky's surgeries and medical expenses.  I find it really amazing that he was able to move forward and love humans despite his tragic past.  What an inspiration!

Rescued was edited by our blogging colleague, Janiss Garza, creator of the Sparkle Cat blog.  Please be sure to visit her blog; it is fantastic!

A white cat laying in some grass

Rescued Helps Cats in Need

Each author who contributed to Rescued selected a shelter to receive a portion of the book's proceeds for one month.  This month is Browser's month, and he and his human decided to support Paws and Claws Animal Shelter.  Browser found himself a home in the Pine River Library in 2002 and has been living there since.  He enjoys meeting new people and sitting with the children during story time.  You can learn more about him on his blog.  

Rescued is a must-read for any cat lover.  You can purchase Rescued on Amazon in paperback or Kindle edition.  If you pick up a copy, I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of Rescued: The Stories of 12 Cats Through Their Eyes free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  Receiving the free book did not influence my opinion in any way.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

17 comments:

  1. That really is such a great book and all of the stories are touching. You are right, it's a must read!

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  2. We love Rescued! Our mom read us all the stories and we were amazed at how much we learned about the kitties featured. Definitely a wonderful, uplifting read!

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  3. I'm always amazed and inspired at the power of cats to forgive and move on in life. Years ago there was a big orange tabby cat at PAWS who had been used to train fighting dogs. He was pretty beat up and scarred. But he was also the most loving, sweetest natured kitty. Fortunately someone rescued him, brought him to PAWS and he was adopted soon after.
    The Rescued book is a wonderful read.
    xxoo

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  4. We must get Mum to get us this book so we can listen to her reading it to us.
    Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx

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  5. My human says thanks for the awesome review! :)

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  6. This is such a cool book! I will have to get my paws on a copy one day. Hopefully a lot of kitties will be helped because of this book!

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  7. We must tell Mum to get the book absolutely ! Purrs

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  8. The book sounds terrific. Also, interesting to learn more about Milita's history. I don't think I knew that story about her!

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  9. We need to purchase this book. We've heard excellent things about it, but just haven't ordered it yet. Thank you for sharing your story about Milita.

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  10. Great review...this is such a special book. I've wondered about each of my cat's beginnings since I've always adopted adult kitties.

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  11. Great review... it really is a must read, we love this book. Thanks for sharing Milita's story.

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  12. I love Rescued! I like that it is from the cats' point of view and didn't make me cry because it focuses on the positive.

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  13. TW still hasn’t had time to finish ours. She bought one for a friend’s birthday and hopes she likes it too.

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  14. I love that idea - such a great idea for a book. I've always wondered about the lives my pets lived before we adopted them. It's so easy to make assumptions but I really have no clue about their past. Thanks for sharing this book & Militas story.

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  15. Sounds like amazing book. We rescued two kitties, one was abandoned and the other a feral (crazy wild!) who has now been rehabilitated, vetted, and is a wonderful part of our family. He is just the sweetest! I'll have to check out this book! Thank you for sharing!

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  16. Sounds like a good read! Looks like I have yet another book to add to my reading list!

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