Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation and GPS Technology,
by Caroline Paul, illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton (Bloomsbury, RRP $29)
Author Caroline Paul has drawn on the real-life experience of having her moggy companion Tibula, also known as Tibby, go walkabout to produce a cute and quirky tale.
Incidentally, Tibby’s feline sibling is named Fibby (short for Fibula), and it was while the author was recovering from breaking her own tibia and fibula in a plane crash that the furry Tibia want walkabout.
She and her partner, illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, mourned the loss of Tibby, believing he had gone to the big litter tray in the sky. However, a few weeks later he meandered back into their home and their lives as if nothing had happened.
Isn’t that just like a cat?
His owners/servants were, naturally, pretty stoked that he had returned but they were also left feeling a bit jaded and maybe even jealous: where had he been? Had he been on an adventure? In a new home? Had he simply abandoned them without a thought for their feelings?
They embarked on a mission to find out just what Tibby did with his days and using the wonders of GPS technology, a miniature cat camera (that’s the camera that’s a miniature, not the cat), psychics, the web, chatty neighbours and animal communicators, they present to you the answer.
This is a fascinating wee read and if you’ve ever wondered just what your moggies get up to when you aren’t around, this is the book for you.