Kindles and Clowders: Catopia: A Cat Compendium by Caroline Repchuk

"One small cat changes coming to an empty house to coming home."

The mysterious power of cats to adapt themselves to humans has made them arguably the country's most popular pet. Caroline Repchuk's Catopia: A Cat Compendium celebrates cats in a book that mirrors its subject--pleasant to look upon, full of curiosities and complexities, and comfortable to hold on your lap.

Catopia is beautifully illustrated, befitting its subject, and provides enough interactive features such as tiny story booklets, flaps to lift, and even a movable astrological wheel for your cat to keep any child fascinated, but one of the book's best features is its informational sections; Kitten Caboodle; Cats of the World; Feline Folklore; Catnaps (Sleep); Dreaming of Cats; The Aristo-Cat; On the Prowl; Cat Chat; Literary Chats;, Cat Ancestry; and Inspiring Cats.

Nuggets of cat lore include such tidbits as the fact that cats sleep more than sixteen hours a day (prompting the quote "I never heard of a cat who suffered from insomnia!") or that black cats are lucky on board ship, as the pet of a fisherman's wife, or as the subject of a dream. If it's love or money you seek, dream of a tortoise shell cat or a ginger tom. If it's popularity you crave in a pet, the Persian is at the head of the top ten list.

Repchuk lists many common plants which are poisonous to cats--azaleas, daffodils, ivy, and marigolds, for example--and also tells us about Teddy Roosevelt's cat Slippers and Winston's Churchill's cat Jack, both of whom were privy to most councils of state with their masters. And who could forget the wonderful story of Koko's Kitten, named All Ball, the beloved pet of Koko the sign-language gorilla, or Ninja, the cat who traveled 850 miles to return to his old home. As a bonus, the book is replete with cat quotations, each a jewel in itself.

If you know someone who has an only cat, a kindle (two or more kittens), or a clowder (a group) of cats, or someone who just wishes he did, Catopia is the purr-fect birthday, cat-adoption, hostess, or anytime gift.

"Life is hard.
Soften yours with a cat."