I just finished reading Cat Lady Chronicles and – spoiler alert – I loved it!
I love cats. Always have. As a kid, I’d spend hours on my stomach on the ground as I tried to gain the trust of feral kittens that were born in my backyard bushes. My ultimate goal was to find them all good homes. I have never given up this practice although my tools have become more sophisticated than a wiggly jump rope that I used to tame the kittens and now include humane traps, cages, a battery of veterinarian hospitals for exams and spay/neuter and an entire network of foster homes, no-kill shelters and like-minded rescuers. So yeah, go ahead and say it. Call me a Cat Lady.
Cat Ladies have gotten a bum rap in the media and in the public’s mind. Contrary to popular opinion, we are not homeless, loveless, childless recluses who wear our cats on our sleeves. We don’t eat out of bowls decorated with frolicking cats and kittens, sleep under comforters embroidered with images of our favorite felines or pad around in cat slippers. (I do own a pair of socks with cats on them. I’ll confess to those but the vast majority of my wardrobe is cat-free, if you exclude the cat fur that is inexorably woven into it.)
And, while I’m proud to be a Cat Lady, I kinda hate the term simply because of the images it conjures up.
Several weeks ago, I received some information about a new book called Cat Lady Chronicles, written by Diane Lovejoy, an art book editor who chronicles her experience with her own rescued cats. I received a review copy and, as a cat lover, art appreciator and stylista, I happily pored over every page. Lovejoy imbues her book with humor, beautiful color plates of cats – and their ladies – in art, black and white illustrations and photos. It’s an art book meets humor book meets biography – and it is delightful, relatable, funny and touching.
Lovejoy references her career as she weaves in tidbits about cats in art throughout her narrative. She anthropomorphizes her cats but doesn’t infantilize them. The book, while certainly about feline behavior and the joys of sharing your life with one or more of these fluffy beauties, is also about how the cats have changed Lovejoy’s perception of her world and the human beings who inhabit it. She writes with an easy charm that often made me laugh out loud.
Cat Lady Chronicles would make a perfect gift (Note: I resisted the temptation to write purrfect) for the cat lover in your life. But why not extend the joy to animal and art lovers in general? Cat Lady Chronicles is a beautiful homage to felines, yes, but it’s certain to be enjoyed by humans of all stripes, even those who aren’t owned by a cat.
Make someone happy. Purchase Cat Lady Chronicles here:
