The Cat Who Came for Christmas

Cleveland Amory
Back Bay Books (2007)           
ISBN 9780316058216
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (9/07)

I like all animals, but consider myself to be a true dog lover.  I especially love the big, ugly, slobbery ones.  Cats don’t quite fit into this category for me.  When I read, “The Cat Who Came for Christmas,” I developed a new appreciation for cats.  Cleveland Amory has written a heartwarming story about his experience with a cat that he agreed to temporarily foster.  For some reason, this strange creature managed to sink his claws into his heart - not literally, of course.

After cleaning up the dirty, not-yet-named feline, Cleveland discovered that the cat was actually white.  He did some extensive debating about what to name this creature.  He finally came up with Polar Bear and it seemed to fit.  Cleveland still agreed to foster other animals, including a big rambunctious puppy, an overactive kitten, and a pigeon.  Polar Bear was not very appreciative of them.  These chapters were really fun to read.
           
In addition to Polar Bear’s story, the author also throws in some facts about the history of cats and his experiences with the Fund for Animals.  These sections were very interesting.  Reading about the history of cats and how they were revered in ancient times gave me a better understanding of why they evolved to be so haughty.  The parts about the Fund for Animals, which he founded in 1967, were extremely interesting.  Cleveland got heavily involved with some very strong efforts to stopping the illegal slaughter of whales and the inane clubbing of seals.

“The Cat Who Came for Christmas,” is a great book to curl up with.  Even if you aren’t a cat lover, I think you will enjoy it, I did.  I also believe that it would make a great gift for a cat lover.

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