A fellow cat lover and friend mailed two books to me around Finals Period, which now that I’m on Winter Break, I’ve had the chance to read.

By Ingrid King:

Purrs of Wisdom                                     Purrs of Wisdom: Enlightenment, Feline Style

Each book is a collection of essays that offer suggestions for living a healthier life, with mention of cats tossed in. The books are a good easy read, when you want something simple to relax with at the end of a work day.

At first thought, each chapter sounded like something I’ve already heard in therapy, but with cats thrown in. I thought eh… is this a mindfulness book, a cat book, or just another cat lady’s musings? 

Inspired by her own two cats, almost every chapter ends in the suggestions of petting or playing with your cat. I wondered if the book was worth reading, because it was so simple.  

When I finished both books, however, I realized that even if these are things I already know (what I’d call a ‘duh’ moment), sometimes you need to be reminded of the obvious. For instance, being grateful for small moments and cherishing them help remind me to stop fixation on every single bad moment that comes my way. That isn’t easy for someone like me, who is admittedly a pessimist. Yet even a pessimist like me can’t deny that treasured moment do happen.

Also, who am I to not appreciate cats being mentioned at every moment possible?

And I certainly won’t disagree that cats are great therapy. Manny and Clue really helped me with losing Patches, and there have been stressful school assignments where petting Scrabble has been what’s grounded me and helped me focus on what needs to be done. When I was a typical teenager arguing with her mom, Patches would sense my anger and begin yowling. My mom would say “You see? Now you’re upsetting Patches too!”

Normally, I can’t study in the house, because a kitty will curl up next to me, and next thing I know, they’re either eating my reading, or have managed to convince me that I need to take a nap with them.

Now that I’m on Winter Break, I feel less guilty about spending time with the cats. The other day, for instance, I was reading my kindle when Clue climbed into my lap and happily napped. I put down my kindle (mostly because he likes to punch it when I’m reading), and happily savored having my baby boy purring. At least until Manny also climbed into my lap and they began an “I’m going to groom you/ bite your face” session. Then they both tumbled off my lap and I resumed reading my kindle.

You have to be grateful for tiny things like the moments you get with your kittens, and I think that’s one of the points the author makes.

Anyway, I’d give the books 3/5 stars, paws, or whatever you rate. Nothing complicated to read, but helpful suggestions that you may need a refresher on, or may be hearing for the first time. Also, cats. I would say that if you had to pick only one of the books to read, to read Purrs of Wisdom and skip the Englightenment version. Many of the essays overlap, so it can feel redundant.