I learned about Moo Kitty Finds a Home in a posting from a fellow blogger, Robin Olson at Covered in Cat Hair. She was announcing that the children’s book had won an award from “The Mom’s Choice Awards,” honoring “excellence in family-friendly media, products or services.”

I was intrigued first off by the kitty’s name in the book. We have our own “Moo-Moo” in Black and Orange who started out with us in foster care (named Brady at that time) and was adopted by her foster mom, Kristin. Moo-Moo is Kristin’s term of endearment for her blue-eyed Siamese girl. Moo Kitty is so named in the book, because of his black and white coloring, similar to a cow’s markings.

Secondly, from the title, I knew this was a book about a cat being adopted, so I wanted to find out more–if it promoted the kinds of beliefs we hold dear at Black and Orange.

And, it did! Moo Kitty Finds a Home encourages people to look past the cute kittens and consider an older cat as a companion.

After visiting the web site for Moo Kitty, I quickly purchased two copies of the book–one for myself and one to donate to our local library. I was very excited when the books arrived at the end of the week and dropped everything to read about Moo Kitty.

I won’t give everything away, except that the book does have a happy ending and the tears I cried were from happiness. Moo Kitty is a book that can be read again and again, because it does have such a positive message (who, after all, would want to read a sad book about a kitty that didn’t find a home!?).

The basic synopsis (which you can also view by watching the trailer for the book HERE) is this: Moo Kitty is living a wonderful life with his human, playing and napping, loved and adored. But then his human dies and all of his familiar things in his home are taken away. He is placed outside with the trash. Scared and alone, his kitty guardian angels, Fred, Calvin, and Maybelle (love those names!) appear to Moo Kitty. They tell him they will always be with him and will “guide him to safety.”

And they do. Moo Kitty is found by a rescuer and taken to the local no-kill shelter. He watches as the kittens all find homes very, very quickly and hopes that his family will one day find him.

Author Valerie Lee Veltre includes some wonderful information at the back of the book about adopting adult pets. I adore adult cats and prefer to foster them over kittens (who are too rambunctious and get into everything!). Most adult cats just want love and to hang around with you. As Veltre notes, their personalities are formed–you know exactly what you are getting with an adult cat.

Veltre also includes tips on choosing an adult pet and allowing them to settle in to your home. You can read some of those tips on the Moo Kitty web site HERE.

The illustrations by Liz Leonard fit perfectly with the message of the book. I especially liked her portrayal of the guardian kitties who appear as round whiskered faces wearing halos above Moo Kitty as he begins his journey to a new home.

If you are involved in animal rescue and speak to children in schools, Moo Kitty would be an excellent book to take along to share. If you are an animal loving parent who wants to encourage your children to be humane, compassionate adults, Moo Kitty will help spread that message.

Moo Kitty also reminds all of us who care about the plight of homeless animals that there are happy endings. We just have to listen to Fred, Calvin, and Maybelle’s advice to Moo Kitty to “be strong” and “don’t give up hope.”

To Like Moo Kitty on Facebook, go HERE.

While Tobias is happy in foster care, he reads Moo Kitty for hope that he, too, will one day find his forever family. Is the white orb in the photo his spirit kitty guardian reminding him not to give up hope?

 

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