"A tale about a cat that's so touching, it will even make dog lovers purr." --Bruce Goldstein, author of Puppy Chow is Better than Prozac
Good Luck Cat
How a Cat Saved a Family, and a Family Saved a Cat
Description
Lissa Warren’s father needed a retirement companion while his wife and daughter were at work. Enter Ting, a seven-pound Korat who changed his life, and the life of the family. All kittens are mischievous, but Ting “the cat grenade” was real trouble. She was also smart, endearing, and the soul of the Warren family.
In late 2008, Lissa’s father died of a heart attack. The images from that night still haunt her—especially the EKG readout ending in one long, devastating em dash. Less than a year later, Lissa and her mother stared at another EKG readout, this time for Ting. A living feline extension of the man they missed so much—the man they had tried, but failed, to save—she was diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition. The only option was to have a human pacemaker implanted in the cat—a procedure even the best animal hospital in Boston hadn’t performed in a decade. Determined not to lose another family member, they embarked on a medical odyssey on behalf of the gray cat who had been her father’s shadow—a journey that would prepare one of them for her own serious diagnosis.
A gorgeously written memoir about grief, hope, and how pets both complicate and enrich our lives, The Good Luck Cat is a testament to the power of the human—and the feline—spirit.
Reviews
The Good Luck Cat is a story to show all of us that we can willingly create a loving atmosphere of mutual support by putting others’ needs ahead of our own. This story has all the drama and pathos you might expect in a novel, but this is story about real life. The story and the prose are addictive. Once you begin the book, you will probably want to continue until you finish because it is more than a story for cat lovers.
This memoir of love, loss, and a cat touches the reader’s heart. . . .[T]his one is a special and beautiful story about making a family complete, about easing the pain of losing a loved one. It’s about love and devotion and soul, and the good luck Ting both brings and receives. . . .The Good Luck Cat has a strong narrative that holds readers all the way to its satisfying end. But then “Writing is easier with a cat beside you,” the author writes, readily acknowledging the contribution of the nineteen-year-old Ting-pei Warren.
Lissa Warren. . . .is an accomplished editor and publicity director. She’s also a terrific writer. Her memoir, The Good Luck Cat: How a Cat Saved a Family, and a Family Saved a Cat, is beautiful. It’s not just the story of Ting, her family’s Korat cat, who came into their home when her retired father needed a pet to keep him company. It’s also a grown daughter’s love letter to her parents. It’s a story of illness, fear and grief. And eventually, peace, in part from life with Ting: 'The clocks in our house were superfluous; we marked our time by the cat.' I don’t want to give too much away, because part of the pleasure of this book is Warren’s unfolding of the various facets of her story. This isn’t just another book about a special pet – it’s an incredible story of care and determination, love and devotion, and family.
