Book Review ~ Purrseverance: Inspiring Stories of Cat Resilience and Hope by Sierra M. Koester

 

What do cats do when faced with adversity? They persevere. "Purrseverance" contains 16 accounts of how our feline friends triumphed over life's challenges: from the cat who learned to trust after surviving a hoarding situation, to the cat who conquered a life-threatening illness, to the cats who persisted and eventually found their loving forever homes. Each account is told through the eyes of the cat. These tales show that even seemingly hopeless situations can turn around. These stories will inspire you to keep going and persevere when facing adversities in your own life. "Purrseverance" was compiled by award-winning cat writer and enthusiast, Sierra M. Koester.

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I've been looking forward to the release of this book since the call went out for submissions. I actually contemplated submitting a story myself, but thankfully none of the cats in my life faced the challenges the kitties in this anthology have had to deal with.

Many of the cats in Purrseverance I've had the privilege to "know" thanks to their blogs and social media presence - Evan, Carmine, Brian, Sawyer, Ellie Mae, Harvey (just to name a few), and I consider their owners as friends - but the beauty of this book is that each cat has written their own compelling story in their own unique voices. Some stories end happily, others with the inevitable, but each and every one showcases the strength and resilience of the feline spirit and the unbreakable bond they form with the humans in their lives.

There's no way I could pick out a "favorite" story, but one in particular affected me greatly. Whisper was a blind feral cat fostered by a lady dealing with the hospice care and eventual death of her mother. As both of them come to terms with their new normal, they help each other cope and heal. Then they're hit with another blow - Whisper is diagnosed with lymphoma.

This particular passage forced me to put the book down and have a good, therapeutic cry, "I had taught her a lot about getting beyond fear and loss. We had encouraged each other past panic and paralysis. Now I was showing her how to keep living in the small, precious moments we had left together."

We have so much to learn from these precious souls we share our lives with. The "tails" in Purrseverance are a lesson for all of us to live in the moment, to be brave in the face of adversity, and most importantly, to never give up.