Here is a witty, intelligent and poignant story that is similar to those played out across the world - what to do with your homeless cats? The author takes us down the road with her as she becomes more and more deeply entangled in a web of heartache and joy, courtesy of the urban cats she befriends and ultimately takes responsibility for. It is a story for anyone who loves cats, but it is especially valuable for those of us who find ourselves in the same situation. It is full of humor, small and large disasters, and much information on her experience with TNR (Which she sometimes calls "Trick, Neuter, Return"). I wish I had had this book in the early nineties when I was in the quagmire. Buy it - read it - be thankful for it!
Basically, this book is about Nina Malkin's feeding a feral group of cats in her backyard and she gets involved in the TNR Program (Trap Neuter Release). She names her Ferals mostly after rock stars and tv personalities and their comical antics. While I deeply admire anyone who feeds and cares in any way for feral cats, there were a few things that I didn't care for in this book. Ms. Malkin has one stray who died, so she just throws the corpse into the dumpster and she attempts to make this comical.?! Also, there was an unattractive feral tom cat who's not very healthy and he was sleeping in an old kitty condo in their backyard and Ms. Malkin and her husband chase him away "because he's ugly". Later when setting a TNR trap, they trap the same "ugly" tom cat. Rather than take him to get neutered, she releases him in order to trap a more "attractive" cat. Did the author ever think that maybe with a little care, medical treatment and love that the "ugly" cat's looks might improve? Also, if you're conservative about curse words, the author uses quite a few. She also makes a commit about white people & Koreans which is a bit racist, tho I don't think she meant it to seem that way.
Don't get me wrong, there were things I enjoyed in this book too. Being my mother cares for over 70 homeless and stray cats, I really appreciated the author drawing attention to other people (the unsung heroes) who have helped cats. Also, this book gives readers ideas for helping feral cats. As, I should, I do applaude Nina Malkin for all her efforts in the TNR program.
Overall, I'd recommend checking this out of the library first or swapping for it. While there were parts I enjoyed, I doubt I'd read this book again.
Practical inspiration for your own acts of kindness and humanity towards feral animals
In her sassy, humorous memoir, Nina Malkin describes life as an accidental cat lady. She and her husband noticed feral cats in their Brooklyn neighborhood, had their hearts stolen away, and then educated themselves about proper handling of feral colonies. Nina and Jason quickly became Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) advocates. TNR is a grassroots effort to trap feral cats (a humane trap will run you $50), have them neutered and vaccinated, and return them to the wild. A true cat lover can not just feed feral colonies, encouraging continued breeding, so TNR is a true way to show humane support for animals.
Nina lovingly names her cat-neighbors after rock stars Axl Rose and Sid Vicious, and throughout the course of the book, she teaches the reader to appreciate these lost and wild cats on their own terms.
Generally good except...
The book was informative in general, but I became a little weary of the author's sarcasm. I was also greatly disturbed when they disposed of one of the dead ferals in the trash can. That was surprising to me given their level of emotional and financial investment in the cats. I would have expected that a proper cremation would be in order.
Why the racism?
I read up to page 32 where the author complains about some bad tenants
who are white and says "They are textbook examples of what black people
mean when they say white children get no home training."
I've lived in Chicago all my life (57 years) and have
never heard that black people say white children get no home training.
It was a racist slur against white people and since it accused blacks of
a racist belief which I don't believe they even have, it was also anti-
black. Her bigotry disgusted me. I threw the book in the garbage where
all racist trash belongs. I do not recommend this book.
