"Catwalk" is the true-to-life story of Tiger, a young, comfort-loving tabby cat who suddenly finds herself adrift in a big, impersonal, and occasionally hostile world. Her odyssey ultimately takes her halfway across the continent, and brings her in contact with such diverse characters as a Cajun fisherman, a game warden and his wife, a trio of hoboes, and a Mexican-American family. This engaging narrative will strike a note of recognition with anyone who has ever been "owned" by a cat. Tiger doesn't solve any murders or save anyone's life, but she is guaranteed to get under your skin. Suitable for adults and all but the youngest children.
Kathie Freeman was born and raised in Thousand Oaks, then a quiet rural area of Ventura County in Southern California. A life-long lover of animals, she got her first cat at the age of seven, a mellow marmalade tom named, appropriately enough, Goldie. At the age of nineteen she moved to the San Fernando Valley where she met and married her husband, a fellow cat lover. They got their first cat about a year later, and have never been catless since. Her husband is a sucker for strays, and brought home, on average, one cat per year from the various job sites where he worked. During their 42 years together they have found room in their hearts and homes for more than 2 dozen cats, all but one of which have been rescued strays. Even though all their animals have been spayed or neutered, at one time they were “parents” to 13 cats and 2 dogs. At present they live in Fallbrook with 1 cat. Ms. Freeman didn’t start out to be a writer; the classes she took in high school were heavily weighted toward science and math, with the general idea of becoming a nuclear physicist. However, a college education was not in the cards, and following a serious back injury, she found herself with a lot of time on her hands. After reading everything in her personal library, she started writing some stories of her own, polishing and practicing until she felt she was ready for the big step. “Catwalk, a Feline Odyssey” took two years to write, with another three years of rewrites and editing before it was finally ready for publication. Ms. Freeman is currently working on a follow-up book to “Catwalk”. A Spanish language version of “Catwalk” is also in the finishing stages.
I read this book when I was ten or eleven. I don't remember where I got it, or where it is now (unfortunately I think it was lost in the move). I didn't even remember I'd read it until about five minutes ago, when I looked at my Timehop app and saw that I had posted about how much I loved it. It was a while ago I read it, so I cant comment on specifics, but I do want to say one thing about this book.
When I read this, I was just starting to learn about the work of animal shelters and rescues. I don't think I even realized it then, but this story truly impacted me in a huge way. This book was one of the reasons I started spaying & neutering feral cats and fostering kittens. Today, I have spayed/neutered around 200 cats and taken in & adopted out at least 100 kittens, strays, or other unwanted cats. I think I can say that, at least partially, that is thanks to this book. I loved it so much - I can't believe I forgot about it. Kathie Freeman, thank you for helping me find my passion.
This is a story about a cat who wanders around, moving from home to homeless and back to home again. It is a very entertaining book and kept me interested the entire time I was reading it.
It is self-published by the author, but don't let that turn you off. Although you may find errors in the printing and the cover is a little plain, it is a wonderful story and well worth picking up. I hope that the author, Kathie Freeman, continues to write because she seems to be an expert story teller.
I highly recommend this book and it was a pleasant reminder that unknown authors deserve to be noticed. Give this book a chance and spread the word, I think you'll be glad you did!
This book is one recommended for people of all ages. This is a story not only for animal lovers, also even for those that may not like animals. It is a story about heart and home. Reading a story from an animal’s point-of-view is refreshing and unique. This reviewer found this book hard to put down, what is going to happen next, will keep you riveted and loath to put this book down.
For those that are cat lovers, this book will extremely poignant and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The cat knows where her home is; and the people that love her beside the circumstances that brought her to them both.
The main character is a female cat with a never give up attitude that is refreshing and real, although this is a fictional account of her travels. She could be called “peripatetic Tiger, Tuffy, Gypsy, Princess Regina, and Kiki” along her adventure not of her own making. What will her final name be and who will she be with? You will have to read this engaging book to find out. This book is one recommended for people of all ages. This is a story not only for animal lovers, also even for those that may not like animals. It is a story about heart and home. Reading a story from an animal’s point-of-view is refreshing and unique. This reviewer found this book hard to put down, what is going to happen next, will keep you riveted and loath to put this book down.
For those that are cat lovers, this book will extremely poignant and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The cat knows where her home is; and the people that love her beside the circumstances that brought her to them both.
The main character is a female cat with a never give up attitude that is refreshing and real, although this is a fictional account of her travels. She could be called “peripatetic Tiger, Tuffy, Gypsy, Princess Regina, and Kiki” along her adventure not of her own making. What will her final name be and who will she be with? You will have to read this engaging book to find out.
Catwalk: A Feline Odyssey by Kathie Freeman is a charming, creative book, just the type of fiction that makes perfect reading for an afternoon. Waves of nostalgia washed over me as I thumbed through the pages, as I was reminded of the books I read when I was younger.
The book is written from the point of view of a cat, a sassy, sweet-tempered girl, who narrates her own story with a delightful voice. Her odyssey begins with her first home, as the pet of a young couple. Conflicts arise and she is soon abandoned by the pair, pregnant and alone, to fend for herself. The rest of the book recounts her adventures as she finds a new place to live, becomes an accidental stowaway, and then has to find her way back home.
The book is suitable for most ages and is an enchanting read. The author does an excellent job of capturing the character of a cat and maintaining a believable note of feline authenticity. Scenes and settings are also shaped with a wonderful realistic touch, with rich three-dimensional characters.
It does sag a bit in the middle, stretching the credibility just a bit, but not enough to detract from the enjoyment. In addition, the ending did leave a few loose endings dangling, which distracted me from the happy conclusion. These are not major problems, simply minor quibbles.
Catwalk is an appealing book and I recommend it happily.
Since there are no reviews for this book I guess I'll do the honor.
This is an interesting book about a cat's life that just takes you from one place to another as the main character finds new friends and gets called new names. It follows her from her birth to when she finally found her home and the people she wanted to stay with.
The characters she meets are all very different- from a young couple to a large family to workers to hobos (excuse me, "vagabonds"). I like the variety but it's possible to get stuck on some characters and be disappointed when they must part.
If you think this tale in which a cat travels from Los Angeles to Texas and then BACK is unbelievable then believe this- Real cats have a "homing instinct," meaning it's likely for what happened to our pretty kitty protagonist to happen to any cat in the real world, albeit they might run into less people.
The problem I have with this book is the unbelievable amount of typing errors. I can't even count how many times quotation marks were left open. Come on, get an editor! Other than that it was fairly well written.
This book is one recommended for people of all ages. This is a story not only for animal lovers, also even for those that may not like animals. It is a story about heart and home. Reading a story from an animal’s point-of-view is refreshing and unique. This reviewer found this book hard to put down, what is going to happen next, will keep you riveted and loath to put this book down.
For those that are cat lovers, this book will extremely poignant and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The cat knows where her home is; and the people that love her beside the circumstances that brought her to them both.
The main character is a female cat with a never give up attitude that is refreshing and real, although this is a fictional account of her travels. She could be called “peripatetic Tiger, Tuffy, Gypsy, Princess Regina, and Kiki” along her adventure not of her own making. What will her final name be and who will she be with? You will have to read this engaging book to find out.
I had the pleasure of reviewing Catwalk: A Feline Odyssey by Kathie Freeman. I have always had a soft spot for cats and still do to this day. I am definitely what you would call a cat-lover or a crazy cat lady! Anyone who feels the way I do about cats will absolutely love this book, but make sure you have a tissue box handy!
This book is just okay; it reads more as a statement of facts, instead of an engaging story that immerses the reader into the plot. Although told from the cat's P,O.V., it usually centers on the human events taking place, where the cat just happens to be present. If you want to read a cat-centric novel that pulls you in, read "The Abandoned," by Paul Gallico.
If you like cats and adventure stories, this is the book for you! Kathie Freeman has created a spunky feline protagonist that you can't help but root for and a colorful world of natural and human wonders for her to explore. Touching, funny, wise & unique - I've never read a book quite like this.