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Seven Cats and the Art of Living
Jo Coudert did not start out with seven cats. She began with just one, Kate, a gorgeous tortoiseshell Persian who knew exactly who she was - the apple of her mistress's eye.
But as Jo a New Yorker, began spending weekends, and eventually all her time, at GoWell, a small house in rural New Jersey, she began to acquire cats - or, more accurately, they acquired her: strays, waifs, orphaned kittens, homeless toms, and cats who came to dinner and never left. Seven Cats and the Art of Living tells about the cats - Kate, Poppy, Chester, Socksie, Trot, Bitty, and Sweet William - who shared GoWell with Jo and her dog Freebie.
Their stories are instructive, quietly inspiring, written with simplicity, and a joy to read. From Poppy, whose early mistreatment gave her a mistrust of the world and all creatures in it, to abandoned Bitty, whose innate cheerfulness made every day an adventure and every human a friend, these are cats that will capture our hearts. But more important, through the lessons they teach about forming character, choosing attitudes, daring to love, taking risks, feeling fear or acting with courage, and living in the past or living in the moment, these are cats that can enrich our lives.
But as Jo a New Yorker, began spending weekends, and eventually all her time, at GoWell, a small house in rural New Jersey, she began to acquire cats - or, more accurately, they acquired her: strays, waifs, orphaned kittens, homeless toms, and cats who came to dinner and never left. Seven Cats and the Art of Living tells about the cats - Kate, Poppy, Chester, Socksie, Trot, Bitty, and Sweet William - who shared GoWell with Jo and her dog Freebie.
Their stories are instructive, quietly inspiring, written with simplicity, and a joy to read. From Poppy, whose early mistreatment gave her a mistrust of the world and all creatures in it, to abandoned Bitty, whose innate cheerfulness made every day an adventure and every human a friend, these are cats that will capture our hearts. But more important, through the lessons they teach about forming character, choosing attitudes, daring to love, taking risks, feeling fear or acting with courage, and living in the past or living in the moment, these are cats that can enrich our lives.
- GenresAnimalsNonfictionCats
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1996
5 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 8, 2019
Very much what it promises: cute cat stories accompanied by equally cute sketches of said cats, interrupted by philosophical musings about how they are similar to humans and/or what life lessons we can learn from their behavior. Could have done without the second part, but there was enough written about the cats' idyllic indoor/outdoor life at her country (later permanent) house that my curiosity is piqued re: the book she wrote about Gowell.
January 1, 2021
Oddychovka o tom, že mačky a ľudia sú si podobnejší, než by sa zdalo.
November 16, 2011
I did enjoy this book but mostly because I love cat behavior stories. It's quick and easy so perfect as an in-between filler between more substantial reads. I found the author's style a little rambling and off-putting; it reminded me of a minister attempting to work a Sunday morning sermon around day-to-day activities. Just when one of the cats begins creeping into your heart or tickling your funny bone, suddenly you're supposed to be learning some moral lesson about it in the next paragraph - and typically the next and next as well! I'd guess the philosophizing about life's lessons takes up at least three to five paragraphs for every one of actual kitty antics. This is not a terrible thing, even rings true - but just isn't what I'd bargained for. Personally, I find a little of it goes a long way.
The rambling style is further disconcerting in that the author jumps around so in the descriptive narrative itself. While realizing it is probably less tedious to describe each cat one by one, I felt Coudert was overly loose in taking up the story of one pet, only to switch to an entirely different time and litter almost instantly. Her writing is not tight in many instances, and I found myself wondering what other sorts of writing she is accustomed to doing.
The rambling style is further disconcerting in that the author jumps around so in the descriptive narrative itself. While realizing it is probably less tedious to describe each cat one by one, I felt Coudert was overly loose in taking up the story of one pet, only to switch to an entirely different time and litter almost instantly. Her writing is not tight in many instances, and I found myself wondering what other sorts of writing she is accustomed to doing.
December 18, 2017
A fun book structured on the authors favorite cats over her adult life. I loved the author's illustrations
This pretty little hard back book fell into my hands during a visit to a new used book store in our small town. I think I will keep this one on my already sagging shelves
This pretty little hard back book fell into my hands during a visit to a new used book store in our small town. I think I will keep this one on my already sagging shelves
September 29, 2019
A good read for any cat lover. It truly is a story of love, loss, and the lessons each cat brings to our life. The author does tend to ramble a bit but each chapter brought to mind memories of my own cats past and present. I even had tears well up while reading "The End".
November 20, 2023
Jo Coudert has a wonderful style of writing and looking at life, in all of its messy forms.
And having cats is the bonus of life!
And having cats is the bonus of life!
December 17, 2024
A very good book . I would highly recommend it. Stories about each cat and the lessons each cat can teach about life.
September 14, 2009
According to my GoodReads account, I started reading this book nearly a month ago, at the very beginning of December; and to my horror, this is the only book I have read thus far this month. Granted, this month was filled with hard candy making, planning to go to Eastern Kentucky to see my sister through surgery, then having her down here in SouthWestCentral Louisiana instead over Christmas – but it still seems that I should have read more. In any case, this book is an easy read, and one that I enjoyed reading.
Basically, the author uses seven cats she has known and loved over the last twenty years or so to illustrate salient points about how one should (or should not) approach life. One of her cats was initially in a family with hyperactive children, and developed an initial distrust of the world; alas, this cat was set in its ways, and refused to let the author’s demonstrated love and care change its initial negative view of the world. Another cat, adopted literally from off the street, tried far too hard to be loving, and in consequence, was not as loved as much as other, more self-possessed cats. Yet another cat set about with great energy to the work of capturing rodents and other small animals (not killing them, but capturing them), illustrating the author’s views on the value of work in everyday life.
Obviously, it helps to be a cat person to really enjoy this book; while the author has had dogs in her life, dogs she has loved, she says that the basic cat / person relationship is a better paradigm for human / human relationships than the typical dog / human relationship. Fortunately, I am very much a cat person (currently taking care of ten cats, outdoor, indoor, and both), and so I enjoyed reading this book, both for the stories about the cats, and for the stories about things that the experiences of cats suggested to the author.
Basically, the author uses seven cats she has known and loved over the last twenty years or so to illustrate salient points about how one should (or should not) approach life. One of her cats was initially in a family with hyperactive children, and developed an initial distrust of the world; alas, this cat was set in its ways, and refused to let the author’s demonstrated love and care change its initial negative view of the world. Another cat, adopted literally from off the street, tried far too hard to be loving, and in consequence, was not as loved as much as other, more self-possessed cats. Yet another cat set about with great energy to the work of capturing rodents and other small animals (not killing them, but capturing them), illustrating the author’s views on the value of work in everyday life.
Obviously, it helps to be a cat person to really enjoy this book; while the author has had dogs in her life, dogs she has loved, she says that the basic cat / person relationship is a better paradigm for human / human relationships than the typical dog / human relationship. Fortunately, I am very much a cat person (currently taking care of ten cats, outdoor, indoor, and both), and so I enjoyed reading this book, both for the stories about the cats, and for the stories about things that the experiences of cats suggested to the author.
December 31, 2009
According to my GoodReads account, I started reading this book nearly a month ago, at the very beginning of December; and to my horror, this is the only book I have read thus far this month. Granted, this month was filled with hard candy making, planning to go to Eastern Kentucky to see my sister through surgery, then having her down here in SouthWestCentral Louisiana instead over Christmas – but it still seems that I should have read more. In any case, this book is an easy read, and one that I enjoyed reading.
Basically, the author uses seven cats she has known and loved over the last twenty years or so to illustrate salient points about how one should (or should not) approach life. One of her cats was initially in a family with hyperactive children, and developed an initial distrust of the world; alas, this cat was set in its ways, and refused to let the author’s demonstrated love and care change its initial negative view of the world. Another cat, adopted literally from off the street, tried far too hard to be loving, and in consequence, was not as loved as much as other, more self-possessed cats. Yet another cat set about with great energy to the work of capturing rodents and other small animals (not killing them, but capturing them), illustrating the author’s views on the value of work in everyday life.
Obviously, it helps to be a cat person to really enjoy this book; while the author has had dogs in her life, dogs she has loved, she says that the basic cat / person relationship is a better paradigm for human / human relationships than the typical dog / human relationship. Fortunately, I am very much a cat person (currently taking care of ten cats, outdoor, indoor, and both), and so I enjoyed reading this book, both for the stories about the cats, and for the stories about things that the experiences of cats suggested to the author.
Basically, the author uses seven cats she has known and loved over the last twenty years or so to illustrate salient points about how one should (or should not) approach life. One of her cats was initially in a family with hyperactive children, and developed an initial distrust of the world; alas, this cat was set in its ways, and refused to let the author’s demonstrated love and care change its initial negative view of the world. Another cat, adopted literally from off the street, tried far too hard to be loving, and in consequence, was not as loved as much as other, more self-possessed cats. Yet another cat set about with great energy to the work of capturing rodents and other small animals (not killing them, but capturing them), illustrating the author’s views on the value of work in everyday life.
Obviously, it helps to be a cat person to really enjoy this book; while the author has had dogs in her life, dogs she has loved, she says that the basic cat / person relationship is a better paradigm for human / human relationships than the typical dog / human relationship. Fortunately, I am very much a cat person (currently taking care of ten cats, outdoor, indoor, and both), and so I enjoyed reading this book, both for the stories about the cats, and for the stories about things that the experiences of cats suggested to the author.
August 21, 2009
I love cats and I love this book. Jo Coudert makes some very interesing and amusing observations about people and life through the lives of her cats. This is a book you can enjoy more than once.
August 16, 2011
I am not a 'cat' person, but I have read and re-read this book. When I have felt a bit blue, I've picked it up and it helped me put things in perspective. Defintely some life lessons to ponder -
January 19, 2013
book club selection. Cats as a life lessons.
January 30, 2014
Good book to getting through life
September 14, 2015
Surprisingly profound. Courdet has the ability to read the individual characters of cats and extrapolate their behavior to that of humans, individually & in relation to others.
December 3, 2015
Very philosophical memoir of the lessons learned from a lifetime of cats. Deep.
July 11, 2016
Second reading before taking it to the library for their book sale. A wise book. I thought about saving it for a granddaughter on her 14th birdthday but decided it probably wouldn't work.
July 25, 2016
Great book! Cats are our teacher, they celebrate life by living in moment. We have lots to learn from them.
April 20, 2017
Another scumbag who claims to love cats while letting them go outdoors which leads here to cute anecdotes like finding the frozen corpse of one of their cats months after the cat disappeared, and having to put a cat down after it was savaged by a raccoon. Trash. May they never have another cat.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews