Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology

by Caroline Paul, Wendy MacNaughton (Illustrator)

Overview

A Finalist for the 26th Lambda Literary Award

Caroline Paul was recovering from a bad accident and thought things couldn't get worse. But then her beloved cat Tibia disappeared. She and her partner, illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, mourned his loss. Yet weeks later, Tibia waltzed back into their lives. His owners were overjoyed. But they were also...jealous? Betrayed? Where had their sweet anxious cat disappeared to? Had he become a swashbuckling cat adventurer? Did he love someone else more? His owners were determined to find out.

Using GPS technology, cat cameras, psychics, the web, and animal communicators, the authors of Lost Cat embarked on a quest to discover what their cat did when they weren't around. Told through writer Caroline Paul's rich and warmly poignant narrative and illustrator Wendy MacNaughton's stunning and hilarious 4-color illustrations, Lost Cat is a book for animal lovers, pet owners, and anyone who has ever done anything desperate for love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608199778
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	04/09/2013
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	753,582
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Caroline Paul (http://www.carolinepaul.com/) is the author of East Wind, Rain (HarperCollins, 2006) and Fighting Fire (St. Martin's, 1999). Wendy MacNaughton (http://wendymacnaughton.com/) is the creator of the acclaimed Rumpus illustrated column, Meanwhile, and her work has appeared widely in publications including The New York Times, Print Magazine, GOOD Magazine, PEN America and Bon Appetit.

Editorial Reviews

The self-deprecating author’s note sets the stage for this hilarious, and moving, account of Paul’s relationship with her two cats. In the note, the 40-ish Paul (East Wind) qualifies the accuracy of her story by noting that she was on painkillers for some of the time (while recovering from a plane crash) and asking the reader to also take into account “normal confusion for people our age.” The author’s note is followed by a New Yorker–like map of San Francisco, as seen by a cat, divided into areas of Fear, Large Threat, Total Death, Other Cat, Food? and Home. Her experiences with Fibby and Tibby (full names Fibula and Tibia) range from farce, as she attempts to track Tibia’s travels out of the home by means of a GPS device, to tragedy. The humor of the opening continues throughout, augmented by diagrams such as one of an animal shelter volunteer, with an arrow pointing to the woman’s “kind, crazy eyes.” Even non–cat lovers will find this an engaging read, charmingly illustrated by Paul’s partner, McNaughton, as Paul easily makes her strong emotions for her pets accessible and universal. Illus. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"As author Caroline Paul and illustrator Wendy MacNaughton chart their discoveries in the feline world, they unfurl an uncommonly charming and wise tale." - Alexis Madrigal, The Atlantic

"Cute without being treacly, LOST CAT has an appeal that even dog partisans will have to acknowledge." - Sarah Rothbard, Slate.com

"A tender, imaginative memoir infused with equal parts humor and humanity...an absolute treat from cover to cover." - Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

"If, however, you are even mildly curious about the psychology of cat-owners (whether you are one of them, or have long eyed them suspiciously) brethren, there is a book for you. Caroline Paul's LOST CAT: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology is revelatory...it moves easily and hilariously from one sentence and chapter to the next. Like the storyline, though, the form only appears simple; in truth, it's ingeniously crafted...All of this may sound a little over the top, and it is, especially for such a short book. But the effect is a fiercely charming narrative that sneaks up on a reader, just as the best fantastical books do...LOST CAT is an incredibly endearing work, a snapshot of the madness of loving and agonizing over and chasing after animals." - Jillian Steinhauer, Los Angeles Review of Books

"This poignant, witty gem of a story is accompanied by MacNaughton's quirky and amusing full-color illustrations. I laughed, I cried..." - BookPage.com

"This addictive read, marvelously illustrated by Wendy's ink-and-wash drawings, will captivate all pet lovers." - Nancy Bent, Booklist

"Hilarious and moving...Even non-cat lovers will find this an engaging read, charmingly illustrated by [Caroline] Paul's partner, [Wendy] MacNaughton, as Paul easily makes her strong emotions for her pets accessibly and universal." - Publisher's Weekly

"A delightful read for all those of us who would be lost without our cats." - Suzy Becker, two-million-copy New York Times bestselling author of All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat

"The writing and drawings are funny. Nutty. Heartwarming. Smart. Loopy. Full of Love." - Maira Kalman

"You may say that love is not a word for feelings between people and books. I say I loved this book. I felt giddy when I read it. I smiled constantly and made snorty crack-up noises, the kind that make the people around you go, What?! Then I'd get choked up, and then I'd be giddy again, and all the way through, I didn't want it ever to end. I think we can all agree that's love." - Mary Roach

"A thoughtful, kind and funny story about the love people can have for their pets and the weird places that this love and accompanying devotion can take them. But it also travels beyond the realm of human-pet relationships, offering commentary on all relationships and the roles of those we love and sometimes don't love in our lives." - PBS "Newshour"

"One of my favorite new reads this spring." - Trish Bendix, AfterEllen

"A beautifully illustrated, touching, and often hilarious tale of searching for a cat gone missing. If you love animals, you will love this." - Jezebel

"Though “about” a cat, this heartwarming and heartbreaking tale is really about what it means to be human—about the osmosis of hollowing loneliness and profound attachment, the oscillation between boundless affection and paralyzing fear of abandonment, the unfair promise of loss implicit to every possibility of love." - BrainPickings

From the Publisher