Note to self: do not read books about cats during your lunch hour at work, or you may get teary-eyed at a non-optimal time. That said, I loved this. The illustrations are so lovely, and the story is told with a surprisingly deft and light-hearted hand for something that is really quite dark at times. This is, after all, not just about a cat that leaves and then comes back. It's about love and loss and the inevitable ways things change over time. It's ultimately hopeful and warm and charming and I wanted to read it again as soon as I put it down. I also wanted to hug my cat. Many times. All the way through. ( )

The review is available at The Gray Planet.

Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology, by Caroline Paul, illustrated by Wendy MacNaughton, is a short, kind of cute, illustrated book about Caroline Paul’s cats, Tibula and Fibula. The cats are litter mates, but very different. Paul is injured when she crash lands an experimental plane, and she endures a long convalescence in her home, cared for by Wendy MacNaughton. While Paul is convalescing, Fibby disappears for a few weeks and then returns unharmed. Depressed and physically limited by her injuries, Paul becomes obsessed with discovering where Fibby had spent his time and why.
Paul’s obsession results in consulting psychics, pet detectives, and using GPS receivers and cameras attached to Fibby’s collar, in an attempt to find where and with whom Fibby spent the missing time. It’s all kind of cute and Paul does try to put some meat into the story by associating her obsession with Fibby’s escapades with the depression that accompanies her convalescence and by showing us that the resolution of these problems requires engagement with her neighbors—actually talking to people and being nice. But although it rings true, I just didn’t care much. I only finished the book because it was so short and the pages flew by filled with MacNaughton’s nice illustrations.
Forty years ago, when I had my own tomcat who disappeared for days at a time, I might have cared a little more, but now, not so much. ( )

Avete un gatto? Leggetelo!
Volete bene a qualcuno che ha un gatto? Leggetelo!
State pensando di prendere un gatto? Leggetelo, tanto per capire in che guaio vi state cacciando.
Si divora in due ore scarse ed è impossibile non lasciarsi coinvolgere da questa ricrca disperata, ai limiti del surreale. ( )

Nice, light, easy read. Makes me want to go find my cats and hang out with them. ( )

Nice, light, easy read. Makes me want to go find my cats and hang out with them. ( )