| Title | Crazy For Cats: A Purr-fect Love Story |
| Author | Barbara Bradlyn Morris |
| ISBN | 0914839667 |
| About the Author | Writing credits: My first book, The Kennedy Center: An Insider’s Guide To Washington’s Liveliest Memorial was published in 1994. My second book, Crazy for Cats, came out in July, 2002. My free lance credits over 30 years include travel articles and nostalgia and humor pieces in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Newsday, Bon Appetit, House Beautiful, Cats Magazine, The Baltimore Sun, Stars and Stripes and Maryland Magazine. Currently working on a travel narrative book. |
| Publisher | Gollehon Books |
| Website | NA |
| Genre | Cats |
| Price | $12.99 plus tax and shipping. |
| Sample Chapters or Preview | Max, The Mad Balcony Cat My love affair with cats began, ironically, with a cantankerous Siamese who hated me at first sight. I met him 37 years ago in Germany when my husband, Ward, came home one day with an arm-load of mean-eyed, tough-talkin’ cat who took one look at me and glared a warning not to come one inch closer. I suspect that he sensed that I didn’t know anything about cats--and didn’t especially care for them. We were in the bleak seaport of Bremerhaven because Ward, a Navy Lieutenant, had been ordered there a month after our marriage. Our government housing--grim rows of concrete apartment buildings--squatted on a tract of barren land. Each of the apartments was faced with a small, iron-barred balcony, and that’s where I suddenly recalled seeing this cat--on the balcony of a building across the street. I had noticed him because he seemed to be there all the time, a lonely figure, even in the dreariest weather. "Isn’t this the balcony cat ?" I asked. "What’s he doing here?" "He’s ours for a week!" Ward announced. "The Prestons are going to Munich so I offered to cat-sit," he explained. "I thought it would be a good way to introduce you to Siamese cats. They’re really different. Great personalities. Talkative. Kind of dog-like. You’ll love this cat. You’ll see." Good grief, was my husband a cat person? Did he intend to get a Siamese of our own? I did not recall this being in our marriage vows. Ward put the cat down and patted his rear end. The animal smiled up with a look of adoration worthy of the shepherds and wise men. Then, as if to say, I haven’t forgotten you, lady, he flashed me a sullen glance. "Take him back, please," I begged. "I don’t care about cats." "Too late. The Prestons left this morning." Ward’s grin was sly. Too sly, I thought. By now, the cat was sensuously winding and rewinding his body around Ward’s legs while tossing challenging looks at me. I have since learned that with those caressing motions he was marking Ward with his scent. At that moment my husband became that cat’s property! Clearly sensing my defeat, with another loving glance at Ward, the big cat swaggered to the sofa, sprawled languorously, yawned, and went to sleep. Ward beamed. In the morning, Ward went off to work, leaving the cat (named Max) and me to forge a relationship. We turned to one another, and I swear that his eyes were glowing with ill will. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d snarled It’s no good screaming, lady. No one can hear you.... |
| Number of Pages | 246, Paperback |
| Purchase Info | Price $12.99 plus tax and shipping. Available from Amazon and author at barbarasan32@yahoo.com |
| Synopsis | The adventures of the author and her naval officer husband and their cats in Germany, Hawaii, Japan and Washington, D.C. This is non-fiction but is written like a novel with the cats as the main characters, each with his distinct character: There is friskly, flirtatious Trushkie, dramatic Taiho (a ham actor without equal) and cocky Donner a macho cat and escape artist par excellence. A true story of life with pets, it's a book with both laugter and tears--joyful times and sad ones as well. |
| Review by Cathy Areu Jones | What Van Gogh is to art, Morris is to literature. The reader will feel as if he/she is reading a painting -- so colorful, so alive, so beautiful. Many writers claim to paint pictures in their readers' minds, but few are able to pull it off like Morris. She's a polished writer, and it shows with every word, sentence, paragraph, and chapter in this sweet, heartwarming novel. It's supposed to be a simple tale of a husband and wife's life together and their family pets -- cats, of course. But it's much more sophisticated than that. The writing brings the tale to another level entirely. For example, in a middle chapter, when one of their pets almost dies by eating tinsel from the Christmas tree, you can't help but read quickly to find out everything will be ok. Every chapter brings the same sense of urgency. You must flip the page. And you do. I read this book in two days. It's was so easy to jump, and stay, in. Dare I say it? I will: It's a purr-fect little book. You've Never Read About Cats Like This!, November 26, 2002 Reviewer: Julia L. Wilkinson from Alexandria, VA USA Crazy for Cats is a wonderful, warm book filled with humor and dead-on descriptions of Morris's various felines...it will bring a smile of recognition to your face many times if you've ever owned a cat. The perfect gift for any cat lover on your list...or even for anyone who's ever had a beloved pet. Barbara Morris is a gifted writer with a knack for capturing mannerisms and situations with just the right words. This book is chicken soup for anyone's soul!
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| Review by A reader from Greenville | Maine Barbara Morris captures the joys, wonders and tears of owning a pet in this quick and delightful read. My husband and I recently put our cat, Carmella, to sleep. I came home from the vet and re-read the section in the book in which Morris and her husband face the same agonizing decision. I found the author's words both authentic and comforting. If you're a cat owner, or have ever been "owned" by a cat, you'll enjoy reading this tale of one couple's journeys all over the world, and how the cats they lived with made their house, wherever it was, a home.
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