Cats to take center stage during book signing

WEST GOSHEN » The owner of a private cat shelter in Philadelphia will be signing his book, “Cat O Nine Tails,” this evening from 6 to 8 p.m., at West Chester Book Outlet, in the West Goshen Shopping Center.

Gael Czartowski ran Webb’s Jewelers in West Chester and got to know several of the cats depicted in author Alex Miller’s book.

She said that many stray and feral cats walked through the jeweler’s front door and were fostered by Czartowski since 2007, at Leo’s Rescue, and then were adopted by Chester County residents.

“This is the first book I’ve ever seen or read that tells the plight of feral or stray cats and kittens,” Czartowski said. “By the time you finish a chapter you feel like you know the cat in a whole new light.”

Cats are considered self-sufficient and sometimes cat owners dump the family pet.

“People think that because cats are so self-sufficient that they survive – but they don’t survive well,” she said.

Photos add an additional element to the book.

“The pictures are great so that the reader actually feels as though he or she knows the cat that is mentioned,” the retired jeweler said.

The signing will take place today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the West Chester Book Outlet at the West Goshen Shopping Center, with light refreshments provided by Arianna’s.

“This is the first book I’ve ever seen or read that tells the plight of feral or stray cats and kittens. By the time you finish a chapter you feel like you know the cat in a whole new light.” — Gael Czartowsk

SUBMITTED PHOTO Alex Miller will be signing his book, “Cat O Nine Tails,” this evening from 6 to 8 p.m., at West Chester Book Outlet, in the West Goshen Shopping Center.