It's a cold morning in Iowa, the ice creeping through every crevice of the city street and buildings. So cold that perhaps it seemed merciful to put a kitten through the book chute of a library, when really there was a drop into a cold metal box, with up to an additional twenty-four hours before the kitten could be found. There was no warmth where he landed, only what was really an ice-cold refrigerator.
We've all heard about Dewey, the library cat from Spencer, Iowa, and his special ability to bond with anyone who walked through the library doors. He knew what each person needed, whether it was to play a game with him, or for him to simply curl up in a lap and fall asleep. He just knew what you needed. This is Dewey's "magic."
In
Dewey's Nine Lives -- The Legacy of the Small-Town Library Cat Who Inspired Millions
, Vicki Myron partners with Bret Witter to tell us about his magic once again.
Scheduled for release this Tuesday, October 12th, there are two new stories about Dewey and seven other stories of those who were inspired to tell Vicki about how their cat brought out the very best in them. It is a book to inspire us all to remember how valuable our animals are.
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Just so you know...I cry a lot through books about how an animal can make you feel, their inspiration, and their complete and total unconditional love to us, but it's such a good cry. I just love to be reminded of how incredibly important animals can be in our lives and how they deserve our mutual love, respect, and protection. An animal can't speak for themselves and tell you what's right and what's wrong, or what hurts. We have to do that for them, to help them, and care for them, to stand up for them when something is wrong or inhumane. But sometimes it's forgotten what an animal's love can do for them, the inspiration that they can provide.
Dewey's Nine Lives reminds you that the magic of an animal's love and devotion can be found everywhere, not just in one library in Spencer, Iowa -- but one little cat named Dewey had such an amazing story that it brought out the personal stories of people with their own cats, in such an incredible outpouring of love, inspiration, and most especially, the amazing bond one can have with their precious pets.
Dewey's Nine Lives is such a feel good book that reminds us of the importance of animals in our lives, perfect for the holidays!
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So in honor of Dewey, and in preparation for the new release this Tuesday, I figured I'd do a short tribute about the cat that is in my life.
Three years ago, I would have told you that I was a dog person only. But that was before a small dark gray and white kitten began to hang out in our backyard. My husband and I never really knew what to do with him, especially since every time we opened our door, he took off.
A couple of weeks later on Valentine's Day, it was a cold night in North Florida -- about twenty degrees. We were packing to go on a short vacation and I was excited -- it was my birthday present to my husband and he had no idea where we were going. In the midst of our packing, we happened to look out our slider door and saw the little kitten sitting at the door and facing us. And he was mewing. Loudly. I'm sure I actually heard him say, "let me in," but that could just be me...
We opened the door and instead of running off, he walked in with a bit of assurance that made us smile. When we sat on the floor, he immediately got onto my lap and fell asleep. Twenty minutes later, he was still asleep, and needless to say, I hadn't finished any more packing for our early 6 a.m. flight.
We managed to give him a little food and some water but we didn't know where to put him in the house, considering my husband was incredibly allergic to cats. Putting him back outside seemed like a bad idea, but we weren't sure what else to do. So we crafted a home for him out of one of our thick plastic storage boxes, layered it with blankets and towels and shielded it from the cold, facing it towards the house in a protected corner. We were terrified that it wasn't enough, but when we looked outside later on in the night, we saw he had curled up deep down into the blankets and looked incredibly comfortable. We put food and water out in the back and left for our short trip. We were nervous, but typically characteristic for North Florida weather, we knew it was going to warm up the next day, and warm up it did.
We came back and found that the cat was still in the backyard, and he was still purring. I was ready to take him to the local shelter, but I held back. I was getting used to seeing him in the backyard, running to see me when I opened up the back door, and I was jokingly calling him Puppy the Cat. And my husband was building up some sort of tolerance -- he didn't sneeze or get red and puffy eyes anymore. After many doctor visits, it was clear that he was ours. And we never considered changing his name -- it's fun to take him to the vet and announce that Puppy the Cat was ready. But what truly made him our cat, so ferocious we are now to protect him, was when we learned that this kitten had actually been a pet of someone in our neighborhood. And when this neighbor's girlfriend left him, he decided to get back at her by kicking the tiny kitten out of his house in the cold weather. There was no doubt anymore, this cat was mine.
About three months later, we found a stray Vizsla/Pit Bull mix that we brought home. There was no fur on her chest, and the collar had grown into her skin. We immediately fell in love with how peaceful and sweet she was and named her Roma after the city we love so much, but we questioned if this dog and this cat could get along...
I've shared this picture with you before, but I think it answers the question we had. What do you think?
Happy Reading,
Coffee and a Book Chick
, to be released May 1st by Greenleaf Book Group, is like being with friends, commiserating over marriages, children, and life in general. I adored this book - it fit perfectly in my own life right now. Haven't we all questioned whether or not we're at where we want to be, where we thought we should be, at this stage? It's not as though you don't love what you have, it's whether or not you feel grounded, as if you're really living your
