The Secrets of Lost Cats: One Woman, Twenty Posters, and a New Understanding of Love

by Dr. Nancy Davidson MD

You've seen them. Hanging on telephone poles and posted on supermarket bulletin boards. But have you ever wondered about the stories behind them?

When her orange tabby, Zak, disappeared, Nancy Davidson did what countless people before her had done. She made a lost cat poster. And after days of frantic searching, she found him. Nancy was ecstatic. Zak seemed happy, too―although being a cat, it was hard to tell. Zak may have remained his old self, but Nancy had changed. From that moment on, she became acutely aware of lost cat posters. She studied their language, composition, and design. She was drawn to their folk art. Mostly, however, she was intrigued by the messages themselves―the stories behind the posters. It wasn't long before Nancy reached out to other owners of lost and found cats to offer empathy and support. They told hilarious and often poignant stories. They sought advice. That's when Dr. Nancy, the cat lover and the seasoned therapist, stepped in and offered insights brought to light by her shrewd, but never self-serious analysis. What they told her―and what she learns – creates a captivating look into the heart of our relationships with our pets and each other. For seven years, Dr. Nancy followed the lost cat trail discovering answers to a question that eventually touches all of What will you do for love? The Secrets of Lost Cats traces the evolution of Nancy Davidson's seven-year passion for lost cat posters. From the astonishing, almost implausible posters she encounters across the country―and indeed, the world―to the daring, dedication, and emotional complexity of the cat owners themselves, The Secrets of Lost Cats offers readers an absorbing journey that illuminates love, loss, and learning to love again, even more deeply.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Cats, Memoir, Psychology

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 23, 2013

Reviews

[Tara Basavanhally · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best things that I love about winning a first-reads giveaway copy is that it exposes me to books I probably would not have read if I was making the decision to purchase them on my own. While this book about lost cats and their owners seemed like it would have been a casual, heartwarming book to read in my spare time, I probably would not have gone out of my way to buy it at first glance. Now that I've finished reading it, I realize I am so glad I was one of the lucky winners to receive a copy.

In "The Secrets of Lost Cats", author Nancy Davidson writes a memoir of the several years she spent collecting lost cat posters, inquisitive to learn the stories behind the lost cats and how their owners dealt with each of their unique situations regarding their missing loved ones. Given that the author is a clinical psychologist, she easily deciphers the actions and behaviors of the owners during their times of vulnerability and also relates these emotions to her own personal struggles with family and loss. Although I teared up quite a bit during this book, I found that the author's witty sense of humor made this a lighthearted and enjoyable read that anyone can relate to.

Definitely get this book if you're looking for a wonderful feel-good book which will make you laugh, cry, be inspired, and ultimately, develop a new understanding of love :)

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not really about the secrets of lost cats; it's more about their owners. The upside of that is that is was less depressing than I was expecting it to be.

A few days after I checked this book out at the library, I found a cat. Actually he'd been hanging around the neighborhood for months, always running away when I would say "hi kitty". Then he attacked and ate a bird in our birdbath, while I was watching. I tried chasing him to get the hopefully still living bird back. But to no avail. He was not letting his dinner go. And I began to wonder if maybe he was in fact a lost cat.

Several days later I saw him duck into the bush behind the birdbath. Thinking this would end poorly for the bird I went out and called to him. This time he burst forward eager for some love. (Maybe chasing him around counted as a positive interaction for him?) He had no collar. He had a matted sore on his belly. After a while we got some kibble, which he ate like he was starved. Then he crawled in my lap.

Of course by this time Animal Control was closed for the night. We decided to take him to be scanned for a chip to the pet store a couple blocks away, he was not a fan of the drive and protested loudly from the cage. The kind ladies at HSSV scanned him and found no chip. I was concerned that we had catnapped the kitty. But they assured me that taking him to hssv would make sure he was well taken care of and the first place his owners, if he had any would look. He really didn't like the car ride during rush hour. I felt totally like I betrayed his trust by taking him to the shelter. I tricked him with love and kibble and then abandoned him.

I called and asked about him after a couple days, and they told me he had no chip, and that he had some sores which they patched up. Their behavior assessment was that he was reactive to other cats, and might not work out with my senior cat. Despite their many non-hostle interactions at the window. But if I wanted to try it, it is very slow process that might takes months. I'm not sure that my kitty was wanting to do more than say hi to his outside pal. Maybe he'd resent not being the center of attention.

No one has claimed the stray kitty. So now he's for adoption.

I've put up signs and scoured the lost cat ads. But either he was lost so long ago they stopped looking or he was abandoned. I don't want to think such a sweet affectionate cat would be abandoned, but no one has claimed him yet.


I've been reading a lot of lost cat ads lately. One thing that strikes me as odd is the number of people who don't post a picture of their cat. Especially their senior cat. I also see this a lot in the lost cat ads that Home Again sends out. I mean it's their darling kitty, surely they have at least one photo? And do they not realize that the internet was clearly made to post cat pictures?

The other odd thing was to post non-specific ads like
"Lost Chi in Martinez-tiny blond escape artist ran off today...very friendly, loves people.

she requires meds for seizures."

What kind of animal are they looking for? Or maybe it's their grandmother? Maybe they just missplaced their spritual wellbeing?

What I'm saying is, if you don't have a picture of your pet, NOW is a good time to take one, just in case you get separated.

If you do lose your pet, don't give up hope, keep checking the ads. The kitty we found had been in the neighborhood from Oct-July before he came up to us and we realized he was a stray.

When you post an ad, it is great to add a picture. It's also great to add a species.

After reading this book it's made me start analyzing the posted lost cat ads. I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I'm just hoping I can reunite the stray kitty with his owner.

So this review is much like the book, more about my own discoveries.

[Amanda]

I won a copy from a goodreads giveaway and didn't even realize it until I got it in the mail today! I'm so excited to read it!! :)

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be an interesting book, and parts of it were, but overall I wouldn't recommend it. After Nancy Davidson's cat Zak goes missing and she creates a lost cat poster, she can't help but notice other lost cat posters wherever she goes. She also starts collecting the lost cat posters and contacting the owners to hear their story and find out if their cat was ever found. A few of the stories are really interesting, but then a lot of the stories are sad or the owner doesn't want to talk - I guess she only included those to show the range of reactions from the pet owners. Davidson is also a therapist and so she goes into a LOT of detail about how people react to stress/loss/emotions/etc. She also goes into a LOT of her own personal history and somehow tries (not successfully in my opinion) to tie that into these lost cat stories. Overall, it was disappointing. I think the idea of following up with lost cat owners to see what happened is an interesting idea, but in this book it didn't play out too well in my opinion. I love animals, cats especially, but I wouldn't recommend this one.

She did include some helpful tips at the end of the book about finding your lost cat and what to do if you find a seemingly lost cat. She also encourages people to adopt pets through the Humane Society, which I definitely appreciate.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

You've never read a book like this before. I really liked it. The author is a psychotherapist who becomes obsessed with lost cat posters after her cat was lost. She begins to contact the cat owners and listen to their stories. She begins to analyze the posters, guessing quite accurately who might have written the poster. Many of the cats were returned to their owners, some were lost. It's mostly a pretty uplifting book. The stories are surprising and interesting. I won this book in a Firstreads giveaway.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be very entertaining. The author is a great story teller and does so with humor, psychotherapy, insight and intrigue. Each chapter gives the reader insight into the lives of the cat owners. Did they find their cat and what did they learn about the experience? While i found each story about the lost cat posters interesting, it was the authors insight and sharing of her own journey that added depth and a longing to learn more about her. I definitely recommend it as a very good read!

[Audrey Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this book to be a set of heartwarming anecdotes about people finding their lost cats. It's quite a bit darker than that; not all the cats are found, not all the endings are happy. The author, a psychotherapist, draws upon her own life experiences and those of her clients to link the topic of lost pets with loss in general and how people cope with it. When I finished reading this book, I found myself thinking about some things in new ways, but overall it was a sobering read, rather than warm and fuzzy.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nancy Davidson explores the unusual topic of missing cats and the posters that people make when their cats go missing. Her exploration of this topic came up when her own orange tabby went missing. She made posters to help find him and discovered a myriad of other missing cat posters in her area. She has a degree in clinical psychology and wanted to know the stories of the people who lost their cats. So whenever she found a lost cat poster, she would try to contact the owners. Some were open to her and some were not. This was such an interesting and usual topic that I sped through this book!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr Nancy Davidson shares some wonderful insights into the nature of people in general, not just cat lovers. In this book she shares about her passion and interest in Cats, their owners and what she is able to discern from the Missing Cat Posters she finds posted wherever she goes. One is able to identify with some of the narrative in that we all share a common bond-Humanity. Great book for cat lovers and anyone really.

[Kent District Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’m more of a historical fiction fan, but really found myself enjoying this memoir. It’s one of those non-fiction books that reads like fiction because it’s so well-written. Whether you’re a cat-lover or not, I recommend this book because of the warmth and insights shared by the author as she delves into the lives of random cats and their owners.” – Laura at Plainfield

[Timothy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an amazingly good book

What could have been a cloying and cute book is far from that. This is a meditation on lives - the owners of the lost cats, the cats themselves and, maybe most important, the authors life. This is so much more than I expected when I started it.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A therapist who starts saving and hunting for posters of lost cats after her own cat disappeared for a few days. The book is more about the author and her relationships than looking for lost cats.

[Laura Lewakowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dont see as many lost cats signs as I do lost dogs. But now I am drawn to the online posts. Interesting stories here.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked The Secret of Lost Cats: One Woman, Twenty Posters, and a New Understanding of Love by Dr. Nancy Davidson. Dr. Davidson is a psychotherapist and the memoir starts out with her losing her cat, Zak. She fortunately finds Zak, with some of her clients' help (she contacted a psychic who led her to Zak) and after she finds Zak, she takes up the cause of noticing lost cat posters on her travels. Through these posters she learns different meanings of love. In the story of one poster, she comes out as a lesbian. Back in the 1950s when she was growing up, she discovered a book about the deviancy of homosexuality. This threw Dr. Davidson into a deep depression and kept it repressed until the mid-1970s. Her sister had just died and her mother was visiting. The sister was her mother's favorite and through Dr. Davidson's spite of saying, "you loved her better than me because she was not a lesbian," the mother came out and said, "I accept you for who you are, but it makes me sad that most of the world will not accept my daughter for who she is." That was poignant and an important lesson in the book.

Throughout the book we not only see human attachment to cats, but through these posters we see how humans belong, form relationships with others in those turbulent times, and how communities are former. Although the call number was 636, the Dewey Decimal system for animal non-fiction, it totally could fit into the 616, the Dewey Decimal number for psychology. I chuckled a bit and had a new found appreciation for why psychology subjects were so close to the animal books - they really do tie together well. I would recommend The Secret of Lost Cats: One Woman, Twenty Posters, and a New Understanding of Love by Dr. Nancy Davidson.

[Philk81 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this an intriguing book filled with humor, insight, compassion and direction from cat owner and self styled Nancy Drew sleuth, Dr. Nancy Davidson. Part handwriting analyst, part urban detective and part animal psychologist - she can really put things together pretty quickly!

A practicing Couples Therapist who works in New York (and LA) and resided in New Haven while writing this, Dr. Davidson had a bit of an obsession with finding out everything possible behind the owners and creators of some 20 odd lost cat posters. She would even carry out her missions while on vacation trips.

There is Broadway Lucy, lost in Manhattan, Maddy, the Blue Sky Leather Shop cat (Montana), Zak (her own big orange tabby) and even a couple out of the U.S. cats - Amsterdam Sam and Spanish Snoopy who Nancy investigates. Sometimes a story unfolds and she is able to meet the owner and offer some level of direction or comfort or maybe is just able to satisfy her own relentless investigative drive.

A humorous and rewarding book on many levels which thankfully includes a picture of each poster, this is a collection of short stories woven together by some larger themes and issues pertinent to her own life. In the end, Dr. Nancy provides a multifaceted look at the deep bonds, interrupted, between cat owners and their beloved feline friends.

-Phil
- See more at: http://nashvillepubliclibrary.org/off...

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like her writing style, and the stories felt like it was all over the place and there was a lot of stuff put in that didn't have anything to do with the story. It was like, her are a couple of stories about lost cats in between my personal life and my clients problems. It would have usually taken me an afternoon to read this book. It ended up taking several days just because it was so scattered. I did like the last couple of chapters, but I wouldn't have read it if I thought it was a biography. Also I don't think breaking and entering should be the first idea to rescue a cat. It should be a last resort. Why didn't she try to call her neighbors and see if they had a key they left with somebody there? Did she ever offer to fix the broken window? Was she ever honest and told her neighbors she had broken in to rescue her cat? It bothered me through the whole book about her cavalier attitude of "just break in and get the cat." The last time I checked, breaking and entering was against the law... Anyways, I wouldn't recommend this book to others.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting memoir by a therapist who became interested in "LOST CAT" posters and the stories behind them after her own cat went missing. Her main point is that people's reactions to the experience of having their cat go missing reflect their wider attitudes towards the world, other people, and even their own sense of identity.

As a cat person, I was a little apprehensive when I started reading that this book would be too sad for me, but she doesn't include any truly awful stories--most of the cats are found, and the owners of those that aren't mostly seem to be able to at least start to move on with their lives. I found the narrative to be a bit unfocused at times, particularly when she starts delving too deeply into the psyches of the cats' owners with little more to go on than the poster and a brief phone call, but overall this was an enjoyable and fast read that should especially appeal to cat lovers.

[Althea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as a giveaway, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I thought maybe it would be a kind of "feel good for the soul" collection of heartwarming reunions for lost cats and their owners, which would have been fine. Instead, I found a much more interesting, intricate and intimate account of one woman's investigations into lost cat posters to connect to her own life, her own career, her own family and eventually her own grief over the death of her beloved cat, whose initial disappearance (and recovery) is what set the whole Nancy Drew, Cat Detective into motion. I was left wondering about my own lost cats over the years and how I'd handled their disappearances. Thankfully, she also included tips on what to do if you lose your cat or find someone else's. It is definitely worth a read.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Dr. Nancy Davidson’s cat, Zak, disappeared, she was forced to make a poster featuring her lost feline. With this poster, she discovered the world of lost cats and their posters.

Nancy Davidson quickly morphed into Nancy Drew. She was fascinated by the mysterious posters and the lost cats featured on them. Had the cats been found? How did they become lost? And just who are the owners of these lost cats?

So, Nancy starts noticing the posters and calling the owners. What follows is a compilation of lost (and found) cat stories.

This was an okay read, but it could have been better with proper editing. I really did not care for the author’s personal information and therapy stories. Focus on the cats, Dr. Nancy!

[Trixi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit different than I thought it would be, but still enjoyable. The author is a psychologist, and this definitely plays into the book as she describes and relates to the owners of the lost cats. When her cat went missing, she posted lost posters and then started noticing others in her daily activities. Each chapter is about a lost cat that Nancy discovers a poster for and then follows up with the owners to find out what happened. In some cases, the cat was found, in others the cat had still not been located by the time Nancy followed up. The owners describe what they have or have not done to locate the cat, what people they came in contact with upon their searches did and if the cat was not found, how they have coped with that.

[Don O'goodreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secrets of Lost Cats by Nancy Davidson, appropriately written by a psychologist, is a bit schizophrenic. Mostly it's about lost cats and their owners, but for a little bit is is a memoir of the author's inner struggle with loss and commitment. As a reader, I loved the first part (cats, cats and more cats) and mostly ignored the rest. Fortunately for me, the cats dominated, as is only right.

In summary, if you like cats, (you know who you are), this is the book for you.

For more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2013/0...

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway on July 12, 2013. I received the book on July 20, 2013.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Davidson, a psychologist, investigates the stories behind lost cat posters found in her neighborhood and travels. Being a clinical psychologist, Davidson can’t help but analyze every pet owner, which wasn’t what I was expecting from the book.

I currently have a beloved cat and have had cats throughout my life. I liked the book but didn’t love it. I’m a strong advocate for responsible pet ownership. Some of the stories were sad because the owners were either uneducated on proper care or were irresponsible.

The end of the book offers tips on what to do if your cat is missing or if you find a stray cat.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this one for armchair psychologists and cat lovers. It is non-fiction about a psychotherapist who becomes interested in lost cat posters and what the posters tell us about the individuals who make and post them. It was more about the people than the cats although the cats are also important to the stories obviously. Each poster is shown at the beginning of each chapter. An interesting read.

[Pat Jennings · Rating 3 out of 5]

A psychotherapist becomes enthralled with "lost cat" posters after loosing her own cat. She begins to call and interview the people who have lost their cats, collecting their stories and revealing how lost and found pets, relationships, and things effect lives. Interesting read. Thought it was slow at first but truly enjoyed the last half of the book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard of this book when a patron asked me to put it on hold for her at the library and I decided to check it out too and I'm glad I did!

I liked it very much, I'm probably bias to cat books since I have a cat but I honestly think the book is well written and very insightful, not just about the cats but the owners as well.

[Laura Cushing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a psychologist whose cat went missing. An interesting look at how we love our cats, how we look for them when they go missing, and what that says about us as people. 20 missing kitty stories as well as stories about her therapy clients can get a little sad in places, but overall positive.

[Lori M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Easy to read, not a book you must read all at once (easy to put down for a few days and pick up where you left off). some stories have happy endings, some don't, but I found myself crying at both the happy and sad at times. definitely worth a read.

[Meredith Ann]

too scattered for my tastes. i thought it would be more cohesive, with stories about the lost cats and their journeys home to their owners. the author is all over the place and every time i felt i was beginning a "story", it immediately changed.

[Sarah Ewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quiet gem of a book. On the surface it looks to be about lost cats, and it is, however, it is also about life and love. It is about the life journey we take on in loving cats and learning to love again. Loved this book.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've all seen the lost pets posters and felt for the owners that put them up. This book goes to the owners to get the story behind the poster, with a bit of therapy on the side.