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Hoe katten mijn redding werden
Toen Courtney met haar partner in een nieuw huurhuis trok, had ze nooit kunnen bedenken dat de kolonie wilde katten die in de tuin woonde haar leven voorgoed zou veranderen. Ze had er geen idee van hoe ze, eerst met tegenzin en daarna vol overtuiging, zou gaan geven om de gezondheid en veiligheid van deze dertig verwaarloosde katten. Ze wist niets van de pijn en de harde realiteit van dierenredders. En ze had zich niet voor kunnen stellen hoe de dagelijkse strijd om betere zorg en een breder maatschappelijk bewustzijn een persoonlijke duisternis zou verdrijven die ze al haar hele leven met zich mee droeg.
Hoe katten mijn redding werden is een onvergetelijk verhaal over kattenredder worden, viraal gaan en leren zorgen voor elkaar. Het is een pijnlijk, prachtig en hoopgevend relaas over wat het betekent als je weigert de handdoek in de ring te gooien en blijft zoeken naar manieren om een goed mens te zijn.
Hoe katten mijn redding werden is een onvergetelijk verhaal over kattenredder worden, viraal gaan en leren zorgen voor elkaar. Het is een pijnlijk, prachtig en hoopgevend relaas over wat het betekent als je weigert de handdoek in de ring te gooien en blijft zoeken naar manieren om een goed mens te zijn.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 29, 2025
486 people are currently reading
22697 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,190 reviews
January 1, 2026
When I say this is the single most engaging, thoughtful, inspiring, heartwarming book to come out of 2025, I mean that fully. If you read NOTHING else I review, please read this book.
Courtney, you have a gift. Not only are you a cat whisperer, but your care for the caretakers of cats, regardless of how flawed that care is, and your community as a whole is inspiring in a way that makes me want to go to the creators of Barbie and yell at them until we have a Barbie doll with a dirt-stained shirt, a bright yellow cat trap, and a can of tuna in hand.
This book will make you cry in ways that even the strongest dose of Lexapro cannot stifle, and it will make you reconsider the ways you interact with the more difficult parts of being in community.
To summarize, this book is about cats, but it’s also a book about systemic dysfunction and mutual aid dressed up as three cats in a trench coat. And it’s brilliant.
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this is my most anticipated book for the entirety of 2025 and I'm not even kidding
Courtney, you have a gift. Not only are you a cat whisperer, but your care for the caretakers of cats, regardless of how flawed that care is, and your community as a whole is inspiring in a way that makes me want to go to the creators of Barbie and yell at them until we have a Barbie doll with a dirt-stained shirt, a bright yellow cat trap, and a can of tuna in hand.
This book will make you cry in ways that even the strongest dose of Lexapro cannot stifle, and it will make you reconsider the ways you interact with the more difficult parts of being in community.
To summarize, this book is about cats, but it’s also a book about systemic dysfunction and mutual aid dressed up as three cats in a trench coat. And it’s brilliant.
————————————
this is my most anticipated book for the entirety of 2025 and I'm not even kidding
March 21, 2025
This book is a thing of sheer beauty. From the deep emotional resonance, the nuanced and insightful cultural criticism, and the stunning writing that pulls it all together, it’s a wonderful experience. I loved sitting with this book, these stories, the cats, and the passion for care.
So excited for this book to come out and see people screaming and crying over it.
So excited for this book to come out and see people screaming and crying over it.
August 25, 2024
A really fantastic memoir that's about cats but also not really about cats. Full disclosure, I've followed the author on Instagram and Tiktok for a long time and have been a big fan of her content. She's a natural storyteller, and she's quite moving on social media and in written, novel form.
The author, Courtney, has a powerful voice (her Instagram captions alone have made me happy cry and sad cry more than once) and she is able to convey emotion and empathy in her storytelling in a really forthright manner. Her prose isn't dense, verbose, or overly flowery; she says exactly what needs to be said. The format of the book was really unique and interesting and made moving from lighthearted to really heavy topics very digestible. I read her book very easily in almost one sitting.
I'm really impressed with how vulnerable Courtney was in this book, able to really understand the cats but also very self-aware when her emotions seemingly about the cats were really directed inward. I feel like I intimately know every cat she described, and it was really fun to hear the backstories of cats and events Courtney has mentioned online. She's so introspective and open in this book that I think most everyone will relate to at least one of her characteristics or experiences. Courtney is also just really funny in a silly, kind-spirited way. It's very easy to see why she's been so successful online and in community organizing.
I'm usually skeptical about memoirs written by young people (how much can there be to talk about when you're not even halfway through your life?) but Courtney really told the full spectrum of the human experience. I smiled, shook my head, laughed, cried, and made comments to my own cat while reading this book. There are serious topics discussed, including mental health issues, poverty, unhoused community issues, relationship abuse, grief, and, of course, the hardest parts of pets and animals. Courtney approaches her story and the cast of characters and cats with honesty and respect. I'll definitely buy a physical copy when this book is out and bug everyone I know to read it. I will also read all of her next books, which I hope are forthcoming.
I was thrilled to get this arc, and it didn't disappoint. Thank you, Crown Publishing!
The author, Courtney, has a powerful voice (her Instagram captions alone have made me happy cry and sad cry more than once) and she is able to convey emotion and empathy in her storytelling in a really forthright manner. Her prose isn't dense, verbose, or overly flowery; she says exactly what needs to be said. The format of the book was really unique and interesting and made moving from lighthearted to really heavy topics very digestible. I read her book very easily in almost one sitting.
I'm really impressed with how vulnerable Courtney was in this book, able to really understand the cats but also very self-aware when her emotions seemingly about the cats were really directed inward. I feel like I intimately know every cat she described, and it was really fun to hear the backstories of cats and events Courtney has mentioned online. She's so introspective and open in this book that I think most everyone will relate to at least one of her characteristics or experiences. Courtney is also just really funny in a silly, kind-spirited way. It's very easy to see why she's been so successful online and in community organizing.
I'm usually skeptical about memoirs written by young people (how much can there be to talk about when you're not even halfway through your life?) but Courtney really told the full spectrum of the human experience. I smiled, shook my head, laughed, cried, and made comments to my own cat while reading this book. There are serious topics discussed, including mental health issues, poverty, unhoused community issues, relationship abuse, grief, and, of course, the hardest parts of pets and animals. Courtney approaches her story and the cast of characters and cats with honesty and respect. I'll definitely buy a physical copy when this book is out and bug everyone I know to read it. I will also read all of her next books, which I hope are forthcoming.
I was thrilled to get this arc, and it didn't disappoint. Thank you, Crown Publishing!
November 20, 2025
As someone who almost exclusively reads fiction, I looked at this book and thought: "Yeah, I can totally read and enjoy this cat memoir with the cute cover." I didn't expect that it would turn out to be one of my favorite reads of the whole year. There were of course many cat-related stories in here, from heartwarming to heart-wrenching, and I found myself immediately scrolling through the @poetssquarecats Instagram page to look at all the cats that I was reading about. Cat content always works on me and it was no surprise that I was loving that part of the memoir. But I also did relate deeply to all the personal experiences that the author decided to share. She was talking openly about her mental health and money struggles, about performance pressure and a toxic self-image, about loneliness and the feeling of purposelessness. And about how her life changed in the most unexpected ways when she inherited 30 feral cats. Courtney Gustafson also manages to tell her story in a very engaging way. She often simply presented the harsh reality in a few sentences, while still giving all the necessary information and making an impact on me while reading. Each chapter hooked me right over again and had me thinking by the end of it. It's only a short book, but it didn't feel like it to me. It really gave much more than I would have ever expected.
September 19, 2024
I would rate this book 1000000+ stars if I could. As a person in her mid twenties it made me feel less alone. Also, I greatly admire what the author did and continues to do for the feral cats in her community. I will strongly recommend this when it comes out, y’all will never hear the end of it.
September 6, 2024
“Feral, for all the wildness it implies, just means that an animal was abandoned by the system that created it.”
Full disclosure: I have followed this author on Tiktok and Instagram for years and have been a fan of her storytelling the entire time. I knew going in that I would, if nothing else, at least appreciate this book because I love the cats who were written about and deeply respect the author - the cats and author alike have personally impacted me enough that I got involved with a cat rescue organization in my own community.
This book isn’t a feel-good memoir about how the author started caring for the feral cats in her neighborhood and everyone lived happily ever after - it’s gritty and sad and touches on a lot of tough subjects (both human and cat-related), and it refuses to shy away from the harsh realities of the brutal, short lives that feral cats live. But where there is darkness, there is always hope, and this book does a great job at showing how much change can be affected by one person, so long as they’re armed with hope.
Yes, this is a book about cats. But at the same time, it’s not really about cats at all. It’s about how sometimes it’s easier to love the idea of 30 feral cats who live in your driveway than it is to love yourself. It’s about how animal rescue is inherently political, and how human and animal welfare are intrinsically linked. It’s about wealth inequality and misogyny and what it’s like to suffer from imposter syndrome over the very basics of your human foundation: Am I a good person? Or am I not?
But down to its essence, this book is about friendship and love and community, and about how those of us with the tender, bleeding hearts are the strongest of us all, because those soft hearts take a beating day after day and they still keep coming back for more.
As I said in the beginning, I knew that I would at least appreciate this book because of how attached I already was to the people and the cats it’s about, but I genuinely and truly loved this book. It’s the kind of book that breaks your heart and then puts it back together again - painful and heartfelt and full of love.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
Full disclosure: I have followed this author on Tiktok and Instagram for years and have been a fan of her storytelling the entire time. I knew going in that I would, if nothing else, at least appreciate this book because I love the cats who were written about and deeply respect the author - the cats and author alike have personally impacted me enough that I got involved with a cat rescue organization in my own community.
This book isn’t a feel-good memoir about how the author started caring for the feral cats in her neighborhood and everyone lived happily ever after - it’s gritty and sad and touches on a lot of tough subjects (both human and cat-related), and it refuses to shy away from the harsh realities of the brutal, short lives that feral cats live. But where there is darkness, there is always hope, and this book does a great job at showing how much change can be affected by one person, so long as they’re armed with hope.
Yes, this is a book about cats. But at the same time, it’s not really about cats at all. It’s about how sometimes it’s easier to love the idea of 30 feral cats who live in your driveway than it is to love yourself. It’s about how animal rescue is inherently political, and how human and animal welfare are intrinsically linked. It’s about wealth inequality and misogyny and what it’s like to suffer from imposter syndrome over the very basics of your human foundation: Am I a good person? Or am I not?
But down to its essence, this book is about friendship and love and community, and about how those of us with the tender, bleeding hearts are the strongest of us all, because those soft hearts take a beating day after day and they still keep coming back for more.
As I said in the beginning, I knew that I would at least appreciate this book because of how attached I already was to the people and the cats it’s about, but I genuinely and truly loved this book. It’s the kind of book that breaks your heart and then puts it back together again - painful and heartfelt and full of love.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.
June 10, 2025
This was on my Most Anticipated list and surpassed my expectations. Because I’m a snob and knew only that the author was a young influencer, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the prose and the depth of the social analysis. After Gustafson left academia, she became trapped in a cycle of dead-end jobs and rising rents. Working for a food bank, she saw firsthand how broken systems and poverty wear people down. She’d recently started feeding and getting veterinary care for the 30 feral cats of a colony in her Poets Square neighbourhood in Tucson, Arizona. They all have unique personalities and interactions, such as Sad Boy and Lola, a loyal bonded pair; and MK, who made Georgie her surrogate baby. Gustafson doled out quirky names and made the cats Instagram stars (@PoetsSquareCats). Soon she also became involved in other local trap, neuter and release initiatives.
That the German translation is titled “Cats and Capitalism” gives an idea of how the themes are linked here: cat colonies tend to crop up where deprivation prevails. Stray cats, who live short and difficult lives, more reliably receive compassion than struggling people for whom the same is true. TNR work takes Gustafson to places where residents are only just clinging on to solvency or where hoarding situations have gotten out of control. I also appreciated a chapter that draws a parallel between how she has been perceived as a young woman and how female cats are deemed “slutty.” (Having a cat spayed so she does not undergo constant pregnancies is a kindness.) She also interrogates the “cat mom” stereotype through an account of her relationship with her mother and her own decision not to have children.
Gustafson knows how lucky she is to have escaped a paycheck-to-paycheck existence. Fame came seemingly out of nowhere when a TikTok video she posted about preparing a mini Thanksgiving dinner for the cats went viral. Social media and cat rescue work helped a shy, often ill person be less lonely, giving her “a community, a sense of rootedness, a purpose outside myself.” (Moreover, her Internet following literally ensured she had a place to live: when her rental house was being sold out from under her, a crowdfunding campaign allowed her to buy the house and save the cats.) However, they have also made her aware of a “constant undercurrent of suffering.” There are multiple cat deaths in the book, as you might expect. The author has become inured over time; she allows herself five minutes to cry, then moves on to help other cats. It’s easy to be overwhelmed or succumb to despair, but she chooses to focus on the “small acts of care by people trying hard” that can reduce suffering.
With its radiant portraits of individual cats and its realistic perspective on personal and collective problems, this is both a cathartic memoir and a probing study of how we build communities of care in times of hardship.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
That the German translation is titled “Cats and Capitalism” gives an idea of how the themes are linked here: cat colonies tend to crop up where deprivation prevails. Stray cats, who live short and difficult lives, more reliably receive compassion than struggling people for whom the same is true. TNR work takes Gustafson to places where residents are only just clinging on to solvency or where hoarding situations have gotten out of control. I also appreciated a chapter that draws a parallel between how she has been perceived as a young woman and how female cats are deemed “slutty.” (Having a cat spayed so she does not undergo constant pregnancies is a kindness.) She also interrogates the “cat mom” stereotype through an account of her relationship with her mother and her own decision not to have children.
Gustafson knows how lucky she is to have escaped a paycheck-to-paycheck existence. Fame came seemingly out of nowhere when a TikTok video she posted about preparing a mini Thanksgiving dinner for the cats went viral. Social media and cat rescue work helped a shy, often ill person be less lonely, giving her “a community, a sense of rootedness, a purpose outside myself.” (Moreover, her Internet following literally ensured she had a place to live: when her rental house was being sold out from under her, a crowdfunding campaign allowed her to buy the house and save the cats.) However, they have also made her aware of a “constant undercurrent of suffering.” There are multiple cat deaths in the book, as you might expect. The author has become inured over time; she allows herself five minutes to cry, then moves on to help other cats. It’s easy to be overwhelmed or succumb to despair, but she chooses to focus on the “small acts of care by people trying hard” that can reduce suffering.
With its radiant portraits of individual cats and its realistic perspective on personal and collective problems, this is both a cathartic memoir and a probing study of how we build communities of care in times of hardship.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
May 4, 2025
A sweet memoir that explores how one woman’s relationship with cats transformed her life.
“I loved cats but I had never loved cats like this: at their wildest, their most brutal, the way nature had overtaken them and left only suffering, only starvation and death.”*
Courtney Gustafson moved into a rental house in the Poets Square neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, unaware that the house was the stomping grounds of 30 feral cats. While she at first kept her distance, hesitant to break the rules of her lease, she eventually succumbed to the pleading eyes of the starving, malnourished cats and opened her heart to them.
Gustafson soon found herself intrenched in animal rescue work that extended well beyond her home. With brutal honesty and insightful compassion, she shares how her work saving feral cats overlapped with her work at a food bank and within her local community, where she saw humans suffering in equal measure. She reflects briefly on humanity’s willingness to help animals in need and their staunch unwillingness to show that same compassion for other people.
Each chapter oscillates between Gustafson’s experience with a particular group of cats and how it relates to an experience in her past, this ranges from an abusive relationship and body-image struggles to her experience striving for her PhD and achieving financial security via sharing the cats on Instagram and TikTok.
I appreciate that Gustafson limited the saddest stories about the cats to one chapter and gives us a warning by titling it “In This One the Cats Don’t Survive.” My favorite aspect of the novel is the revelations Gustafson makes about her encounters with men while working in animal rescue and their absolutely appalling behavior.
Don’t pick this up if you only want to read about cats. Do pick this up if you enjoy heartfelt stories of overcoming hardship by connecting with animals and one’s community.
*Note: Quote taken from an advanced reading copy and is subject to change at publication.
“I loved cats but I had never loved cats like this: at their wildest, their most brutal, the way nature had overtaken them and left only suffering, only starvation and death.”*
Courtney Gustafson moved into a rental house in the Poets Square neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, unaware that the house was the stomping grounds of 30 feral cats. While she at first kept her distance, hesitant to break the rules of her lease, she eventually succumbed to the pleading eyes of the starving, malnourished cats and opened her heart to them.
Gustafson soon found herself intrenched in animal rescue work that extended well beyond her home. With brutal honesty and insightful compassion, she shares how her work saving feral cats overlapped with her work at a food bank and within her local community, where she saw humans suffering in equal measure. She reflects briefly on humanity’s willingness to help animals in need and their staunch unwillingness to show that same compassion for other people.
Each chapter oscillates between Gustafson’s experience with a particular group of cats and how it relates to an experience in her past, this ranges from an abusive relationship and body-image struggles to her experience striving for her PhD and achieving financial security via sharing the cats on Instagram and TikTok.
I appreciate that Gustafson limited the saddest stories about the cats to one chapter and gives us a warning by titling it “In This One the Cats Don’t Survive.” My favorite aspect of the novel is the revelations Gustafson makes about her encounters with men while working in animal rescue and their absolutely appalling behavior.
Don’t pick this up if you only want to read about cats. Do pick this up if you enjoy heartfelt stories of overcoming hardship by connecting with animals and one’s community.
*Note: Quote taken from an advanced reading copy and is subject to change at publication.
May 7, 2025
˚₊‧꒰ა 3 stars ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
I originally was going to give this 4 stars, but I found Courtney’s frame of mind quite frustrating to read around half way through.
To preface this, I have been following the Poets Square IG for YEARS. I was there before Francois was adopted and I adore her videos and her cats. This book was a lovely way to get to know the face behind the camera and her experience with trapping cats. It was an autobiography mixed in with stories of the cats she loves so dearly.
However, I found her mindset pretty depressing to read after the midway point. Most notably, the way she spoke of the comments who tried to comfort her after Dr. Big Butt’s death. I understand grief is very complex and she was in a severe pit of depression and self deprecation at that point, but her mocking of her supporters was odd. This happened throughout the book, painting her supporters to be ppl who didn’t understand HER, despite the fact that none of those comments came from a place of maliciousness. I understand where she was coming from but she could have phrased her feelings surrounding it better.
Additionally, her defensiveness and insistence that she shouldn’t and can’t think of herself as a hero or a saviour was borderline pandering for readers to think of her as just that. She didn’t need to delve several times into it throughout the book.
That being said, I enjoyed her stories of the cats and esp the chapter about misogyny within the cat trapping community.
I will continue supporting her account but I’m not sure I would recommend reading this if you’re a fan of her cat work.
I originally was going to give this 4 stars, but I found Courtney’s frame of mind quite frustrating to read around half way through.
To preface this, I have been following the Poets Square IG for YEARS. I was there before Francois was adopted and I adore her videos and her cats. This book was a lovely way to get to know the face behind the camera and her experience with trapping cats. It was an autobiography mixed in with stories of the cats she loves so dearly.
However, I found her mindset pretty depressing to read after the midway point. Most notably, the way she spoke of the comments who tried to comfort her after Dr. Big Butt’s death. I understand grief is very complex and she was in a severe pit of depression and self deprecation at that point, but her mocking of her supporters was odd. This happened throughout the book, painting her supporters to be ppl who didn’t understand HER, despite the fact that none of those comments came from a place of maliciousness. I understand where she was coming from but she could have phrased her feelings surrounding it better.
Additionally, her defensiveness and insistence that she shouldn’t and can’t think of herself as a hero or a saviour was borderline pandering for readers to think of her as just that. She didn’t need to delve several times into it throughout the book.
That being said, I enjoyed her stories of the cats and esp the chapter about misogyny within the cat trapping community.
I will continue supporting her account but I’m not sure I would recommend reading this if you’re a fan of her cat work.
January 8, 2025
This just in: reading this book with your former feral cat beside you, who is happy and purring despite his weird assembly of old scars, will make you want to weep. A hopeful, compassionate, and sometimes melancholy account of what it means to love a creature who has never experienced kindness, and the weird combination of human emotions that comes along with this. While this book is mostly about cats, it is also a compelling memoir that touches on trauma, gender, grief, and loneliness.
Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review!
October 12, 2025
“Feral, for all the wildness it implies, just means that an animal was abandoned by the system that created it.”
[4.5 stars, rounded up]
[4.5 stars, rounded up]
March 8, 2025
Thank you Goodreads for hosting this giveaway and thank you to Courtney Gustafson and her publishers for an ARC copy of this book!
This was a surprisingly somber book, but I think that was what made it so impactful. By using cats to explore how her life was shaped, it created a space for discussion on mental health and the reality that cat rescuers face. I appreciated the raw reflection on taking care of feral cats, and I definitely will be following her Instagram.
This was a surprisingly somber book, but I think that was what made it so impactful. By using cats to explore how her life was shaped, it created a space for discussion on mental health and the reality that cat rescuers face. I appreciated the raw reflection on taking care of feral cats, and I definitely will be following her Instagram.
February 23, 2026
A woman’s new home is infested with 30 feral cats, whatever to do but nurse them to health! In the process, she travels deeper in the animal rescue world, documenting everything online @poetssquare (cause this is real yk, a memoir and not a work of fiction, which (side note) is just one look into how NONfiction my mind has become. Lmao. Its storytelling can be so expansive! How fun to feel my world open up in crevices I didn’t know hid caves behind). I read this in two sittings, my cats in lap of course :)
Each chapter uses cats as a lens through which author Gustafson views life, be that class, beauty, love, etc. Although tickled by this play in form, at times these lenses skewed opinionated, in ways I found lacked conviction or persuasive evidence. Specifically facets that applied solely to Gustafson, such as her desire for male validation, were weaker connections than her reflections on poverty or access—not to say that these more personal connections are invalid, but that they could have benefitted from more soapbox time. Those chapters felt like extrapolation. I don’t know, maybe that’s just me understanding some points more easily than others. I am biased, as a person.
Nonetheless, a very precious read. And I’m excited! Each reading year breaks my world open some new way. I’m happy these cats came to me because now I want more books on animals, plants, fungi, microbes…what else is there to learn???
Each chapter uses cats as a lens through which author Gustafson views life, be that class, beauty, love, etc. Although tickled by this play in form, at times these lenses skewed opinionated, in ways I found lacked conviction or persuasive evidence. Specifically facets that applied solely to Gustafson, such as her desire for male validation, were weaker connections than her reflections on poverty or access—not to say that these more personal connections are invalid, but that they could have benefitted from more soapbox time. Those chapters felt like extrapolation. I don’t know, maybe that’s just me understanding some points more easily than others. I am biased, as a person.
Nonetheless, a very precious read. And I’m excited! Each reading year breaks my world open some new way. I’m happy these cats came to me because now I want more books on animals, plants, fungi, microbes…what else is there to learn???
April 23, 2025
2.5 I read this with no prior knowledge of the author or the cats. I mention this specifically because I think you almost need to; for me, this had a “reading the second in a series with very little context” feel to it!
Story and Cadence:
🐱I found the storytelling poor and suffering from a short attention span. There’s a lot of jumping around in time and introducing characters only to discard them and pick them back up later on. This made the flow feel disjointed and had a very repetitious effect. There’s a lot of meandering and the book felt directionless (it doesn’t end so much as stop, which didn’t help).
🐱The book features cats but Gustafson gives herself equal attention. I had no idea who she was and couldn’t connect with her as a character because she wasn’t fleshed out.
🐱Gustafson admits around 30% of the way through that she mishandled the cat situation but it comes a bit too late and a bit too defensively to land after watching her make mistake after mistake.
🐱 I appreciated the section about misogyny about cats and cat guardians, particularly how some men perceive both, the toxic masculinity around neutering, and how projection and anthropomorphization that can deeply harm pets.
🐱The story lacked emotional hook. There’s a lot of heartache with injured or dying cats and human poverty but the writing was detached and I didn’t feel anything to compel me forward.
Characters:
🐱Despite being around the same age, I couldn’t connect with Gustafson as a character. She comes across as obsessed with how she’s perceived and defensive. I found her actions and inner monologues incredibly frustrating. I genuinely didn’t understand her motivations: she complains a lot about the expense and time of caring for the cats, and I found myself increasingly curious why she took it on. By the end, I was grateful to get out of her head.
🐱I found Richard’s characterization great. I got a good feel for him as a person, I was emotionally invested in his story, and despite his flaws, it was easy to cheer him on!
Language, Writing, and Vibe:
🐱The writing was all over the place: at times, overwrought and flowery descriptions juxtaposed with skating over details about the cats that this reader would have valued spending more time on.
🐱Gustafson spends a lot of time, like the first 25% of the book, justifying the rationale for posting these cats on social media
🐱There was a coldness, a hardness, to this writing that kept me at arm’s length. At one point, Gustafson invites us to look at our cat while she tells us she knows every bad thing that can happen to them. I think it was supposed to be emotive but it felt gratuitously edgy.
🐱Italics, which are commonly used to delineate thoughts, were used as speech in this book. I never got used to that.
🐱The cover is beautiful but I found the vibe navel-gazey with a hopeless, bleak undercurrent.
Maybe this is a different experience for people who are already familiar with this author. Overall, I was disappointed by this book. I feel like these online celebrity memoirs aren’t designed for readership that aren’t already familiar with the story/people already. 🤷♀️
I had my request to review this book approved by Fig Tree / Penguin on NetGalley
Story and Cadence:
🐱I found the storytelling poor and suffering from a short attention span. There’s a lot of jumping around in time and introducing characters only to discard them and pick them back up later on. This made the flow feel disjointed and had a very repetitious effect. There’s a lot of meandering and the book felt directionless (it doesn’t end so much as stop, which didn’t help).
🐱The book features cats but Gustafson gives herself equal attention. I had no idea who she was and couldn’t connect with her as a character because she wasn’t fleshed out.
🐱Gustafson admits around 30% of the way through that she mishandled the cat situation but it comes a bit too late and a bit too defensively to land after watching her make mistake after mistake.
🐱 I appreciated the section about misogyny about cats and cat guardians, particularly how some men perceive both, the toxic masculinity around neutering, and how projection and anthropomorphization that can deeply harm pets.
🐱The story lacked emotional hook. There’s a lot of heartache with injured or dying cats and human poverty but the writing was detached and I didn’t feel anything to compel me forward.
Characters:
🐱Despite being around the same age, I couldn’t connect with Gustafson as a character. She comes across as obsessed with how she’s perceived and defensive. I found her actions and inner monologues incredibly frustrating. I genuinely didn’t understand her motivations: she complains a lot about the expense and time of caring for the cats, and I found myself increasingly curious why she took it on. By the end, I was grateful to get out of her head.
🐱I found Richard’s characterization great. I got a good feel for him as a person, I was emotionally invested in his story, and despite his flaws, it was easy to cheer him on!
Language, Writing, and Vibe:
🐱The writing was all over the place: at times, overwrought and flowery descriptions juxtaposed with skating over details about the cats that this reader would have valued spending more time on.
🐱Gustafson spends a lot of time, like the first 25% of the book, justifying the rationale for posting these cats on social media
🐱There was a coldness, a hardness, to this writing that kept me at arm’s length. At one point, Gustafson invites us to look at our cat while she tells us she knows every bad thing that can happen to them. I think it was supposed to be emotive but it felt gratuitously edgy.
🐱Italics, which are commonly used to delineate thoughts, were used as speech in this book. I never got used to that.
🐱The cover is beautiful but I found the vibe navel-gazey with a hopeless, bleak undercurrent.
Maybe this is a different experience for people who are already familiar with this author. Overall, I was disappointed by this book. I feel like these online celebrity memoirs aren’t designed for readership that aren’t already familiar with the story/people already. 🤷♀️
I had my request to review this book approved by Fig Tree / Penguin on NetGalley
April 7, 2025
Poets Square is a lovely blend of the authors personal story and the story of the thirty cats that changed her life. I loved the way the cats saved Courtney and inspired her to find community and meaning. The thirty cats at Poets Square were only the beginning, they became her livelihood through Tik Tok and Instagram. She found resources to rescue hundreds of cats throughout Tucson AZ. The stories were interesting, The writing felt natural. At the beginning I was concerned this might be a memoir about the author's mental health issues, but it seemed balanced and my take away was that the book was uplifting and inspiring. A cat lovers delight.
Thank you Netgalley for an advance reader copy!
Thank you Netgalley for an advance reader copy!
June 24, 2025
Een prachtig boek over het levensverhaal van Courtney en hoe haar leven veranderde toen ze in een huurhuis terecht kwam met 30 zwerfkatten. Je leest de hartverwarmende en mooie dingen, maar ook de negatieve kanten van het leven als kattenredder.
Doordat dit boek non-fictie is, is het soms extra confronterend hoe het leven en de wereld is. De natuur is natuurlijk niet alleen maar rozengeur en maneschijn, maar ook hard en kil. Zo is het boek ook, niet alles is hartverwarmend en mooi. Er komen thema's langs als seksisme/vrouwenhaat, ziekte, armoede, dood en mental health. Een hoofdstuk voedde wel echt mijn female rage. Als je dat leest denk je meteen weer niet alle mannen, maar mannen.
Ik vind het boek goed in elkaar zitten. Binnen een hoofdstuk wordt het verhaal van de zwerfkatten afgewisseld door een stukje levensverhaal van Courtney. Je leest stukken van haar als kind, tiener/student en volwassenen. En ze geeft je echt een inkijkje in hoe haar leven was zonder het mooier te maken dan het was. Zeker de stukken van haar als kind en student zijn me goed bijgebleven.
Doordat de hoofdstukken in korte stukjes tekst zijn opgedeeld, wilde soms dat het stukje wat ik aan het lezen was nog iets langer door liep. Aan de andere kant zorgde dat ervoor dat je door bleef lezen om weer bij die verhaallijn uit te komen. Het boek heeft een inhoudsopgave en een namenlijst. Persoonlijk vind ik dat altijd een echte toevoeging.
Een goed boek om te zien wat de impact van dieren kan zijn op het leven van mensen en hoe het écht is om een kattenredder te zijn. Niet alleen het lezen van de mooie dingen, maar ook de slechte dingen. Wat mij betreft een dikke aanrader.
Doordat dit boek non-fictie is, is het soms extra confronterend hoe het leven en de wereld is. De natuur is natuurlijk niet alleen maar rozengeur en maneschijn, maar ook hard en kil. Zo is het boek ook, niet alles is hartverwarmend en mooi. Er komen thema's langs als seksisme/vrouwenhaat, ziekte, armoede, dood en mental health. Een hoofdstuk voedde wel echt mijn female rage. Als je dat leest denk je meteen weer niet alle mannen, maar mannen.
Ik vind het boek goed in elkaar zitten. Binnen een hoofdstuk wordt het verhaal van de zwerfkatten afgewisseld door een stukje levensverhaal van Courtney. Je leest stukken van haar als kind, tiener/student en volwassenen. En ze geeft je echt een inkijkje in hoe haar leven was zonder het mooier te maken dan het was. Zeker de stukken van haar als kind en student zijn me goed bijgebleven.
Doordat de hoofdstukken in korte stukjes tekst zijn opgedeeld, wilde soms dat het stukje wat ik aan het lezen was nog iets langer door liep. Aan de andere kant zorgde dat ervoor dat je door bleef lezen om weer bij die verhaallijn uit te komen. Het boek heeft een inhoudsopgave en een namenlijst. Persoonlijk vind ik dat altijd een echte toevoeging.
Een goed boek om te zien wat de impact van dieren kan zijn op het leven van mensen en hoe het écht is om een kattenredder te zijn. Niet alleen het lezen van de mooie dingen, maar ook de slechte dingen. Wat mij betreft een dikke aanrader.
May 3, 2025
This memoir that impressed me quite a bit last year is published now. Recommended! I am also glad to see that there have been some translations announced, and the German one seems to be called "Cats and Capitalism." Very appropriate to the subject! Original review from Sep 15, 2024:
(Had this book been written a bit more recently, there should have been jokes here about a childless catlady.)
The first year of pandemic, Courtney has moved in together with her boyfriend into the rented house at Poets Square, only to realize that the accommodation comes with thirty feral cats. At that point, they were just barely able to provide for themselves (student loans, old medical bills, Courtney would be soon thereafter laid off from her job at a non-profit), so it was very far from an obvious decision that she should extend her sphere of responsibility to care about those thirty non-human persons. This book is about the wild ride that her life has been ever since she opened up to this possibility. It is about an encounter with the animals - their bestiality, their existence beyond the human conceptions of them - but it is also about people, their relationships, economic, and mental health struggles. All told in such a manner that if that was just about the animals or just about the humans, it would be nowhere near as powerful.
"And then at some point I accidentally survived."
I am not an avid reader of memoirs, normally. Somehow. I am so glad that this title, thanks to its catchy cover and the description made it through my filter that usually keeps the memoir literature out. I really needed to read this. It felt surreal sometimes, so many elements of this story were so recognizable and relatable. During the height of the pandemic lockdowns (something about the loosening of human interactions at that point), I also made a special connection with some non-human residents of my block, discovering their bestiality and their amazing non-cultural ways of existence and communication. So it felt a bit like reading a version of the same story from a person who has been thinking many of the same thoughts instigated by this experiences (not shared by most humans) but so much better capable with the words. I am definitely looking out for what she writes next - hopefully she does.
What else is amazing is that all this is real. I mean, as real as stories get. You can search for the author's name and find the cats' instagram account and look at all of the cat characters "in person" instead of just imagining them based on the descriptions.
I got an eARC of this title through NetGalley. The opinion above is entirely my own.
(Had this book been written a bit more recently, there should have been jokes here about a childless catlady.)
The first year of pandemic, Courtney has moved in together with her boyfriend into the rented house at Poets Square, only to realize that the accommodation comes with thirty feral cats. At that point, they were just barely able to provide for themselves (student loans, old medical bills, Courtney would be soon thereafter laid off from her job at a non-profit), so it was very far from an obvious decision that she should extend her sphere of responsibility to care about those thirty non-human persons. This book is about the wild ride that her life has been ever since she opened up to this possibility. It is about an encounter with the animals - their bestiality, their existence beyond the human conceptions of them - but it is also about people, their relationships, economic, and mental health struggles. All told in such a manner that if that was just about the animals or just about the humans, it would be nowhere near as powerful.
"And then at some point I accidentally survived."
I am not an avid reader of memoirs, normally. Somehow. I am so glad that this title, thanks to its catchy cover and the description made it through my filter that usually keeps the memoir literature out. I really needed to read this. It felt surreal sometimes, so many elements of this story were so recognizable and relatable. During the height of the pandemic lockdowns (something about the loosening of human interactions at that point), I also made a special connection with some non-human residents of my block, discovering their bestiality and their amazing non-cultural ways of existence and communication. So it felt a bit like reading a version of the same story from a person who has been thinking many of the same thoughts instigated by this experiences (not shared by most humans) but so much better capable with the words. I am definitely looking out for what she writes next - hopefully she does.
What else is amazing is that all this is real. I mean, as real as stories get. You can search for the author's name and find the cats' instagram account and look at all of the cat characters "in person" instead of just imagining them based on the descriptions.
I got an eARC of this title through NetGalley. The opinion above is entirely my own.
March 9, 2025
I don't remember how I happened upon this book, but suspect I was drawn in by the inviting book title and the whimsical presence of cats on the cover. I do love cats, and at one point in my life owned three along with a dog. While I did enjoy the book, it did somewhat exhaust me as I neared the end with the neverending stories of cat rescues. This book is around 250 pages, but it began to feel like longer. The author Courtney and her partner Tim were renting a place in Tucson, Arizona called Poets Square, and they discovered around thirty feral cats occupying the area. She already had a love of cats having owned one called Bubbles in the past, who was a comfort to her. The author has a history of mental and physical challenges, and these passages about her own makeup were randomly interspersed throughout the book between the cat rescue stories. I actually would have enjoyed more of those glimpses into her person and a little less of the cat stories. Some of the rescue situations were tough to read about with hoarding and people living in condemned buildings and cars. Courtney would handle mammoth cleaning situations clearing mounds and mounds of garbage, while also feeding and caring for loads of cats. She learned rescue techniques like trapping so that she could transport cats to the vet for spaying and neutering, to control the population and help the cats live easier lives. She started posting photos and videos of these rescue cats on social media, and to her surprise garnered a huge audience of likes and interest. Through the success of these postings, she became monetized and also received a steady stream of donated pet food, toys, beds, and other needed items. She started with the cats where she lived, but it branched out to her being called into other rescue situations on a regular basis. Just reading about it I felt overwhelmed for her, and I admire her strength, hard work, and love for these animals that became her mission in life. This was a good read, but I just would have enjoyed the subject matter being balanced out with more human interest content about her personal life along with the cat rescue stories.
Thank you to Crown Publishing for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
Thank you to Crown Publishing for providing an advance reader copy via NetGalley.
August 13, 2025
5 stars. This was wonderful. I loved this book so much, and I’m so proud this author is local to Tucson. This book is about cats. But it’s also about broken social contracts and crumbling institutions and growing wealthy inequality. More importantly, it’s about community care and compassion and how we imperfectly take care of one another. I connected so deeply with this author’s story, and a story so common to our millennial generation. The hope that education and hard work and credentials would help launch some sense of security, only to continue struggling through our twenties and thirties. The constant moving, revolving door of rentals, the decades of life lived in low SES neighborhoods. Her portrayal of the struggling places in Tucson is respectful and empathetic, while honestly revealing the trauma and suffering that results from society’s abandonment and contempt. But the reason I loved this book so much is because it also shows all of the ways in which individuals and communities (and cats) do what they can to help one another, even if flawed and imperfect. What a lovely book.
January 30, 2025
It was impossible not to feel joy watching the cats.
Poets Square masterfully intertwines reflective deeply personal essays with the depth of one's relationship with cats. If I had to pinpoint what I loved most about this book it's how seen I felt through Gustafson's intimate writing style. Most people have an innate sense of care for animals, but this story is one of someone who feels a bone deep responsibility to doing everything she can. You can feel the love and endless empathy oozing off of the pages. I was emotional so many times, but most especially during the section about loss. As someone who's been grieving her cat soulmate for most of the last year, I don't think I've ever seen someone's chaotic and desperate thought spirals mirror mine like hers do. Poets Square explores so much vulnerability and growth, both personally for the author and with the cats themselves, that my heart was so deeply invested throughout.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the arc!
Poets Square masterfully intertwines reflective deeply personal essays with the depth of one's relationship with cats. If I had to pinpoint what I loved most about this book it's how seen I felt through Gustafson's intimate writing style. Most people have an innate sense of care for animals, but this story is one of someone who feels a bone deep responsibility to doing everything she can. You can feel the love and endless empathy oozing off of the pages. I was emotional so many times, but most especially during the section about loss. As someone who's been grieving her cat soulmate for most of the last year, I don't think I've ever seen someone's chaotic and desperate thought spirals mirror mine like hers do. Poets Square explores so much vulnerability and growth, both personally for the author and with the cats themselves, that my heart was so deeply invested throughout.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the arc!
May 8, 2025
Oh, Courtney. Thank you so much for this. Your words have put so many pieces of me back together again. Thank you for the cats. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Your words wove magic threads that stitched my tiny, tender, broken heart back together a little bit.
Edit-
Second read 5/8/25:
I immediately ordered a second copy and reread the book so I could annotate it for a friend. This book fundamentally changed the way I look at things in my own life. I hope the same for everyone else. What beautiful poetry.
Edit-
Second read 5/8/25:
I immediately ordered a second copy and reread the book so I could annotate it for a friend. This book fundamentally changed the way I look at things in my own life. I hope the same for everyone else. What beautiful poetry.
April 28, 2025
Finished this purr-fect book in a day (I used to write cat puns for a living, let me live)! *full review to come*
May 22, 2025
For me this was a coming-of-age story about a young woman in her early twenties who moved far across the country from her small Massachusetts mill town to Tuscon AZ hoping that the geographical change would bring about good things in her dissatisfying life. Little did she know that moving into a small house in the Poets Square neighborhood would change her life forever and bring her challenges and rewards never before imagined. Everything started to change when she discovered that her new abode came with 30 feral cats which would provide catalyst that would change her life forever. Her initial instincts on how to deal with these living creatures did not suit her or the felines well. Through trial and error and eventually the support from like-minded folks near and far she was able to develop a routine that not only drastically improved the lives of the cats but gave her life new meaning and direction.
Very well done, this is the true-life story of the power of doing good, bolstering your community, and establishing a true identity with a meaningful and rewarding existence. One of the few books that I've read that checks the box on two of my favorite themes - Coming of age and Character Transformation. Not your typical memoir, nor not only for cat lovers, but I believe this is also a rewarding and satisfying read for just about anybody.
Very well done, this is the true-life story of the power of doing good, bolstering your community, and establishing a true identity with a meaningful and rewarding existence. One of the few books that I've read that checks the box on two of my favorite themes - Coming of age and Character Transformation. Not your typical memoir, nor not only for cat lovers, but I believe this is also a rewarding and satisfying read for just about anybody.
April 28, 2025
Couldn’t put this book down. It feels like a conversation with a friend that also contains the secrets to the universe. A must read for those grappling with the apathy and overwhelm of a world that seems to be getting worse day by day: a reminder that small actions, when in community, can have a rippling impact.
September 5, 2025
I will be recommending this book to everyone I talk to for a while.
June 9, 2025
Truly one the most, if not THE most, beautifully written book I’ve ever read.
December 9, 2025
The author is the most entitled person I’ve ever read. She needs a new therapist and a reality check.
November 30, 2025
I came for the cats and stayed for the author's personal story that shone through more and more as well as the social criticism.
April 27, 2025
Every single person should read this book. I don't care if you don't give two shits about cats - you need to read this book. Courtney's memoir talking about the 30 cats she accidentally inherited to why everyone should care about people living differently than you and animal rescue has me evaluating my own prejudices and wondering if I do enough to help my feral cats.
This book took me so long to read because I knew I'd be sobbing at every chapter - one chapter is titled "Men Call Cats Sluts" and discusses the casual misogyny of cat rescue and even owning cats. Honestly ever single chapter was hard to read because she talks about the cats she saves and how they are living their best lives to cats she couldn't save and the people who take care of community cats that should be cared about. That's one thing I did not expect out of this book was the caregivers she talks about and how society treats those with less, and how it's easier to donate cat food verses blankets for people who are freezing and without heat. This book will pull on your heartstrings in every way.
I can't believe I got an arc for one of my most anticipated reads! I've been following poetssquarecats for years, and Courtney's page got me into TNR'ing my community cats. So huge thank you to Crown Publishing for an arc!
This book took me so long to read because I knew I'd be sobbing at every chapter - one chapter is titled "Men Call Cats Sluts" and discusses the casual misogyny of cat rescue and even owning cats. Honestly ever single chapter was hard to read because she talks about the cats she saves and how they are living their best lives to cats she couldn't save and the people who take care of community cats that should be cared about. That's one thing I did not expect out of this book was the caregivers she talks about and how society treats those with less, and how it's easier to donate cat food verses blankets for people who are freezing and without heat. This book will pull on your heartstrings in every way.
I can't believe I got an arc for one of my most anticipated reads! I've been following poetssquarecats for years, and Courtney's page got me into TNR'ing my community cats. So huge thank you to Crown Publishing for an arc!
May 19, 2025
I've followed poetsquarecats for years now on TikTok and Insta. This book feels like everything Courtney has been working up to during that time.
Of course, this memoir is about cats, but it's also about how cat's reflect our lives, how the communities cats are in care for those cats and each other. I thought the cats would make me cry. Instead, the part of this book that brought me to tears was a text from a human, grateful for not only the help Courtney gave his cats, but for the friendship they created.
You should read this if you meet any of the following criteria:
1) you care about cats
2) you are struggling finding a space for yourself in this world
3) you care about the people in your community, but maybe aren't sure how to help
4) you want to read a really good book
I truly can't wait to read more from Courtney and to continue following her journey as a cat rescuer.
Of course, this memoir is about cats, but it's also about how cat's reflect our lives, how the communities cats are in care for those cats and each other. I thought the cats would make me cry. Instead, the part of this book that brought me to tears was a text from a human, grateful for not only the help Courtney gave his cats, but for the friendship they created.
You should read this if you meet any of the following criteria:
1) you care about cats
2) you are struggling finding a space for yourself in this world
3) you care about the people in your community, but maybe aren't sure how to help
4) you want to read a really good book
I truly can't wait to read more from Courtney and to continue following her journey as a cat rescuer.
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