Whiskers, Wit, and Wisdom

Title: WHISKERS, WIT, AND WISDOM
Author: Niki Anderson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
July 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4165-9068-2
Genre: Inspirational/Christian living

In WHISKERS, WIT, AND WISDOM, Ms. Anderson shares a collection of heartwarming stories about cats and their feline wisdom. In the very first true story in the book I was at the verge of tears when I finished the story. But there is a little box entitled “kitty wit” that made me laugh out loud.

Each chapter – or true short story starts with a Bible verse, then the recounting of a true story involving cats, then includes a small bit of “kitty wit,” “the tail end” where some bit of wisdom (not necessarily cat related) is shared, and then the bio of the author who wrote that particular story.

I am not a cat owner, we have a large dog which would look upon a cat as a puppy biscuit. But I did enjoy reading these stories. They will make you laugh, cry, or sit in quiet thought as you try to grasp what was shared in a story.

WHISKERS, WIT, AND WISDOM is a book that will be going on my keeper-shelf, as my whole family will enjoy it. I had to kidnap the book back from my nineteen year old son several times as I was reading it because he wanted to read it himself, or share the story with someone else. This is a book that you, your whole family and your friends will love whether they are cat-lovers or not. $15.99 hardback. 179 pages.

***

Niki Anderson delights cat lovers with a new release of 45 kitty stories filled with wisdom, both feline and divine. Tales of mischief and narratives of compassion serve as a bridge to the heart of cat owners among the 90 million cats in America. Each true account points the reader to a loving God. Biblical concepts spring naturally from every story and focus on themes like service, trust, opportunity, and courage.

This charming collection of pussycat purr-spectives, enhanced with full page photos of cats and kittens, offers the refreshing surprise that lessons abound in good and not-so-good experiences with cats. Feline fur-iends like Maxwell, Lily, and Cinnamon, shed wit and wisdom on human challenges.

Worried about a teen? Through a kitten named Lucky, readers observe God's mercy on the young and reckless. Waiting for a break? Like Kitty, leap on opportunity. Put off by tough types? Try offering friendship, like Danger.

Numerous truths unfold from the antics, habits, and endearments of cats in their various predicaments and services

living in a tree

facing death in a snow bank

bringing cheer at a prison

surviving 9-11

comforting the cancer-stricken

leaving a memorial after Hurricane Katrina
Each story begins with a Bible verse and a sentence Purr-rayer that launches the story (Dear God, deliver me from the arrogance of unfounded and arbitrary judgments).

Included is a humor quip of Kitty Wit (The house belongs to the cat; we just pay the mortgage), and a snippet of fact in The Tail End (A tabby cat is not a breed, but a color pattern of stripes or whorls or even spots), and a biographical note describing the cat’s owner, like Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditerod.

“With a researcher’s verve, a journalist’s precision, and a contemplative’s heart, Anderson teaches as well as entertains,” says consulting editor and reviewer Laurie Klein. “Each story opens with a fetching photo-op…and closes with musings that never wag a finger.”

In stories that portray the nature of cats and reveal the character of God, readers gain practical help from the fur-coated tutorship in Whiskers, Wit, and Wisdom.

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Best known for her cat books, Niki Anderson is the author of bestseller, What My Cat Has Taught Me About Life, and has received three Angel Awards for literature that promotes ethical and moral excellence. She composes unusual and factual stories that enamor readers and offer insight for wise and godly living. Her books of meditations for cat fanciers have sold over 340,000 copies in the US and are translated in Japanese and Thai.