But this morning there was a quiet calm about her. She was smiling and blinking away something she calls *happy tears.* Even though they taste kind of salty, she says that to her they're sweet.
She was reading a very special story about a very special cat.
Photo by Lisa Richman |
I never met Ryker, the cat that came before our feline friends (Faraday, Maxwell & Allie) from the cat blog, A Tonk's Tail, but that hasn't stopped him from sharing his life and the most important things he's learned with us.
RESCUED
Ryker's story is just one of a dozen true tales of rescue and love. It's part of the new anthology, RESCUED The Stories of 12 Cats, Through Their Eyes, edited by Sparklecat.com's Janiss Garza. The beautifully composed collection features short stories and memoirs, as told though the voice of the the cats. You'll likely recognize some of the authors... many are friends and fellow cat bloggers and writers. Ryker's Rescue is written by our dear friend and Ryker's 'Person', Lisa Richman.
We're firm believers that cats have an unmatched intuition. When combined with a deep capacity to love and be loved, it's clear that when it comes to the human-cat bond, cats are not the only ones rescued here.
Ryker talks of Caleb, the cat who came before him and his relationship with their Person. When life was scary and dark for her, it was Caleb who stayed close until the darkness passed and the sun came into view. Ryker writes of Caleb, "... he left me with a single admonition: his mission had been to help her survive, but my mission was to help her live." And that he did.
12 Months, 12, Authors, 12 Shelters
The most important thing about this book though, is who it helps. A portion of RESCUED's sales will go to shelters and rescue organizations selected by each author. This month's shelter is Great Plains SPCA.
Please consider buying a copy for yourself and maybe even one for a friend. Not only will you be curling up with 12 beautiful stories of rescue love, you'll be helping out a shelter that desperately needs it.
Last year, Great Plains - whose capacity is 175 cats - reached a population of almost800 within a matter of months. This extreme overpopulation threatened not only their No Kill status, but their very existence as well. You can read all about their story here.
Great Plains is heading into kitten season again, with a population already at 155. Any donation, large or small, will help. Purchasing a copy of RESCUED is one way to do this.
Purchase your copy with the buy now link below and you'll receive a pawtographed bookplate with Ryker's actual signature from the Rainbow Bridge. His pawprint was kindly taken by the emergency clinic as a keepsake for his family.
Ryker's Person has generously offered to give away a copy of RESCUED, including his pawtographed book plate, to one GLOGIRLY reader anywhere in the world. Good luck, everyone! We just know this book will touch your hearts
Lisa Richman from A Tonk's Tail is providing a copy of RESCUED for our winner.
We have not been compensated in any way for this blog post.
We just bought a copy to send to the winner of Pricilla's giveaway! We were happy to help Great Plains
ReplyDeleteAllie tells us Faraday is Ryker's doppelganger. He must have been an amazing kitty. (My name is Faraday Richman and I approve this message).
ReplyDeleteSeriously, we want you all to know that we have Glogirly to thank for the gorgeous cover design (and also for the bookplate design, too! ).
Great Plains is such a deserving shelter, and we hope our contribution to this book helps many, many kitties as a result. Thank you, Glogirly. Katie and Waffles, for your sweet words and support!
Our copy of Rescued arrived from Amazon today - we can't wait to read about Ryker and the other 11 special kitties who are featured!
ReplyDeleteYes, with all the beautiful words about the book my human edited, you neglected to mention that Glogirly herself did the amazing cover design (with photo of Crepes from Cat in the Fridge) - it gets compliments ALL the time! Thank you SO much for the gorgeous cover - and for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you for the amazing cover and for sharing & supporting this book. Wish we could have met Ryker, but wonderful that his story is helping others as well as the other kitties in this book
ReplyDeletePawsum giv away. Weez not wead da book but hav heard lots of good fings 'bout it.
ReplyDeleteLuv ya'
Dezi and Lexi
This looks like a beautiful collection and couldn't be helping better places! Rescue stories always bring a happy tear to my eye and I've a few of my own for members of my feral colony that have gone on to happy forever homes. <3
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an exceptional book!
ReplyDeleteAs I adopted my Tortie from a no-kill shelter, this means a lot to me too!
Wow! That sounds like a great book fur a great cause!
ReplyDeleteWe love that this book supports the best of causes, and we are planning on donating a couple copies to the annual fundraising event for one of our local cat rescues so it can be a double fundraiser.
ReplyDeleteThe Staff has just finished reading Rescued - last night in fact. We were so lucky to win a copy from Brian in his draw :) There were some very leaky eyes around here I can tell you! The book was superbly written and beautifully presented. Well done Glogirly on the cover design :) We will write about it next week!
ReplyDeleteWe currently have three cats - all rescues, and have had three others in the past. I love each and every one of them (AND their canine counterparts - currently five rescued Treeing Walker Coonhounds and four who came before them, including my childhood dog, a Beagle named Pixie). As a mother of three two-legged daughters, I can tell you that it is possible to love them all equally - but differently, depending on their personalities. My "heart" cat will always be my Anya, who left us for the Rainbow Bridge just short of her 20th birthday. I adopted her from a family (the mother was pregnant and her husband didn't want her to handle a little box and he refused to clean it, plus they had a child who just terrorized "Angel", as they named her). Anya was the most beautiful, all-white Angora who was more than a cat. My daughters would say she was a "shadowine" - she was magic and could get through closed doors and had a sixth sense. Anya got along fabulously with our dogs and for the last few months of her life, our cat, Koneko,who found his way to our yard one day and never left. I still tear up when I think about my Anya. I love all my furbabies, but of the cats I've had in my life, she took - and left behind - the biggest chunk of my heart.
ReplyDeleteWe would love to read this book as a few of our friends are in it. We are both rescued kitties.
ReplyDeleteWe have been wanting to read this book ever since we heard about it a short time back. We would love to have a chance to read it. Only one of my cats was "rescued" and he is the most special kitteh I have ever had. Can't wait to read about these rescues.
ReplyDeleteWe're waiting to get our copy of the book. We can't wait! And the mom says all of us rescued her. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to both recognize the gift of rescuing (to the human and non-human) and assist those that rescue. All of mine have been rescues - even my first, Nicky, who "came with my house" 25+ years ago - he had been raised by the former homeowner's wife after being abandoned in a box on the front porch. What an wonderful part of my home he was, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to getting this book. I have already bought it, but if I win I'd like to leave a copy in the PAWS lobby, so that people who are waiting to adopt can read it.
ReplyDeleteYes, rescues go both ways.
xxoo
Maggie
That book sounds wonderful!!!
ReplyDeleteI will be read this wonderful book whether I win it or I order it..I'm sure I will be curled up on the couch with a box of tissues and several cats..
ReplyDeleteWe love absolutely everything about this book project!!! Truffles rescued me for sure :)
ReplyDeleteWe want to get a copy of this!!!
ReplyDeleteI have two kitties who rescued me!!!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a wonderful book!
ReplyDeleteCammie!
We are suckers for rescue stories. Well, I was one, after all! Quinn rescued me!
ReplyDeleteCarol
Both of my boos are rescues. Rescues ROCK!
ReplyDeleteMum says each cat rescues his human in his own way... Pawsome giveaway ! Purrs
ReplyDeleteTubby rescued me & I him. I was still grieving from losing my 20 yr old cat and he showed up as a stray. I didn't want another cat but; I couldn't stand to see this dirty flea covered small kitty outside anymore. So I toke him in and got him vetted,fixed,and cleaned up. That was about 3 yrs ago. He is very loving.
ReplyDeleteSue B
Lucy has rescued me, definitely. Not literally, but I've had really dark moments when she was the only creature around. And she truly cared. She always truly cares. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm leaving hints for my husband what I want for my birthday. I hope gets it right. Our oldest cat was a throw away cat and we took him in and he rescued us.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a great book and for such a good cause.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds wonderful and it tells people to rescue, rescue
ReplyDeleteWe've heard so many good things about this book, and we can't wait for the opportunity to read it.
ReplyDeleteI have 4 rescued cats and 1 rescued dog.My cat Twilight I rescued from the side of the road when she was 4 w/o
ReplyDeleteMagic and the tortie before her were rescues and Red was gifted by a friend. All three have rescued and warmed my soul on many occasions so I reckon we are definitely quits in this house.
ReplyDeleteI do! When my dog died I lost my reason for living. Then we agreed to foster a cat for the local humane society. He was a grumpy little gray & white polydactyl who had lived 5 different places in the 6 months he had been alive. He completely melted my heart. He has so many characteristics of Nickie that it feels like she is still here with us. If he hadn't come to live with us and made us foster failures, I don't know that I would be alive today.
ReplyDeleteAll 5 of my boys have rescued me more than I have them, blessing me with a capacity not love cats that I did not know existed, and helping me get through each day I struggle with chronic illness
ReplyDeleteI KNEW RYKER!!! Yes, I did!! @RykerTyker was one of my first Twitter furrends. Then he got a sisfur, Alexandra (Allie) who he called a brat and said she used to do terrible things to him. Then suddenly he went to the RB and we held a Twitter seder for him. We go waaaaaaayyyyyy back.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteThe copy of Rescue that I won on Brian´s give away arrived this friday and I can´t wait for my mom-person to get time to start reading it for me :)
ReplyDeleteXOXO
All my cats are rescues.
ReplyDeleteBoth of my girls are rescues, and they definitely rescued me
ReplyDeleteWhat a super pawesome give away.. We iz all rescues here.. <3
ReplyDeleteI have three rescue cats, they're the best.
ReplyDelete