The Christmas Cat by Melody Carlson is a great way to unwind during the holiday season. I am not usually interested in fiction, but the cover pulled me right in with an adorable Maine Coon cat on the cover.

Garrison Brown returns to his grandmother’s home after her death to settle her estate. His grandmother cared for him after both his parents died, but when he grew up he went to Uganda for service work. Once he returned, he didn’t visit his Grandmother often because she had acquired 6 cats during that time and he was allergic to them (and just plain didn’t like them).

Garrison feels guilty for not having spent much time with his grandmother and is determined to follow all of her instructions for her cats to get new homes. He starts by making a poster to hang in the neighbourhood because all 6 cats must remain in the neighborhood and only with people that have lived there for at least one year.

While hanging the poster, he meets Cara. He is immediately attracted to her and welcomes her to come choose a cat. She falls in love with Harry (the Maine Coon on the cover).  She is miffed when she finds out she can’t have him because she hasn’t lived in the neighbourhood for a year.

He seems to have no trouble finding homes for the other 5 cats who all seem meant to be for the families they join. The more time Garrison spends with Harry, he wishes he could keep him despite his plans to sell the house and move where he has a job lined up. Sometimes plans don’t go the way we want them to though - you will have to read the book to see how they go.

I thought this was a heartwarming book that really put me in the Christmas spirit. I was upset that all the cats were going to different homes, but after reading how each helped their new families it made sense. If you are looking to relax after fighting off the holiday crowds of Christmas shoppers, this will fit the bill.

Published in September 2014 by the Baker Publishing Group, it is available in Kindle and in hardback from www.Amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk and www.barnesandnoble.com

The ISBN number is 978-0800719661 

My thanks to Ellen Pilch of Massachusetts for her review of ‘The Christmas Cat.’  Check out Ellen’s blog: www.15andmeowing.com 

You can now read Ellen's own column here on the Daily Mews website: Go to: 15 cats and meowing 

A Cats Purr

"Cats make one of the most satisfying sounds in the world: they purr ...

A purring cat is a form of high praise, like a gold star on a test paper. It is reinforcement of something we would all like to believe about ourselves - that we are nice."

Roger A Caras

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