Book ~ "Homer and the Holiday Miracle: A True Story" (2018) Gwen Cooper

From Goodreads ~ Fifteen years earlier, doctors had warned that Homer - a tiny, sightless kitten - was unlikely to survive and probably wouldn’t have much of a life even if he did. Miraculously and against all the odds, however, Homer grew into a feline dynamo who scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease, saved his human mom’s life when he chased a late-night burglar from their apartment, and rose to global fame - paving the way for other special-needs animals once considered “unadoptable.”

Now, only two weeks before Christmas, with doctors once again decreeing that Homer didn’t have much time - that he wouldn’t even make it to Christmas Eve - Homer showed everyone that he still had one more miracle left in him. The heroic blind cat proved again, once and for all, that hope and love aren’t things you see with your eyes. You see them with your heart. 

Gwen Cooper has written books about her five cats ... Scarlet, Vashti, Homer, Clayton and Fanny.  This one is focused on Homer.

She already had Scarlet and Vashti when she heard about Homer, a blind kitten.  No one wanted so adopted him.  Despite being blind, Homer had a fun and active life.  Just before Christmas, they discovered that Homer was having liver issues and wasn't expected to live past a few weeks.  Gwen and Laurence, her husband, prepared for the worst.  But Homer surprised everyone and lived another nine months.

I like reading stories about animals and that's why this one caught my eye.  I liked the writing style and could relate to this story.  Two years ago, we discovered that our 13-year-old tabby, Morgan, had stomach cancer.  The vet said he had a couple weeks left but he lived another five months.  Like Gwen, we considered every extra day with him as an unexpected gift and tried to make them the best for him.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book ~ "My Life in a Cat House: True Tales of Love, Laughter, and Living with Five Felines" (2018) Gwen Cooper

From Goodreads ~ Gwen Cooper—author of the blockbuster international bestseller Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life With a Blind Wonder Cat—returns with the ongoing adventures of her much-beloved, world-famous fur family. Ideal for new readers and longtime fans alike, this collection of eight purr-fect cat stories are filled with all the humor and heart Gwen’s devoted readership has come to know and love.

An adorable, five-week-old rescue kitten slowly learns to trust the woman who saved her. An obsessive cat teaches himself to play fetch and demands it morning and night from his hapless mom - whether she’s working, sleeping, eating, bathing, or trying to enjoy some “alone time” with her husband. And Homer, the Blind Wonder Cat himself, returns triumphantly in a new story about life and love after worldwide fame.

Read all eight stories in one sitting, or savor each gem of a “tail” on its own. My Life in a Cat House will leave you laughing out loud, shedding an occasional tear, and hugging your own cat a little bit closer. 

Gwen Cooper has written other books about her cats.  This book is a collection of eight stories about her five cats ... Scarlet, Vashti, Homer, Clayton and Fanny.

She had adopted Scarlet when she was living with Jorge, the man she thought she was going to marry ... Scarlet wasn't over friendly.  Then she adopted Vashti, who was a flirt with the men but peed on their things when she was jealous of their attention to Gwen.  Gwen and Jorge broke up and she spent some time living with a friend.  She heard about Homer, a blind kitten who no one wanted so adopted him too.  About this time, she decided to make a career change and she and her three cats moved to New York.  She met Laurence, who she ended up marrying.  Her first three cats eventually passed away and she adopted Fanny and her tripod brother, Clayton.

I like reading stories about animals and that's why this one caught my eye.  I liked the writing style and thought the stories were cute.  Gwen and Laurence are definitely cat lovers and I could relate to some of the things they did for their cats ... like not throwing out things because the cats like them (like old shoeboxes, a frying pan on top of a cupboard that one of their cats like sleeping in, getting up to feed the cats because they are hungry, etc.).

I look forward to reading more books by this author.