HAPPINESS CAME WITH A CAT by Cynthia Starr is a delightful, short book about
a single, middle-aged woman’s life with a cat she didn’t particularly want but which her daughter wanted. The book covers eight years of their rather tumultuous adventures together. The day that Mr. Jinx moved in, the man in the author’s life moved out which begins the story of their many moves with different roommates to different homes in different states and where the author struggles, but does not always succeed, not to get caught up again in the overwhelmingly stressful corporate world.
Throughout this journey, the author has to cope with mental issues like severe depression, SAD and loneliness. After seeing a plethora of mental health professionals, the author finds her own solutions with, of course, the help of Mr. Jinx. That cat, like all felines, also needs his requirements met and, in the various places they reside, the challenges are many. Clearly Mr. Jinx’s comfort is as much of a concern to the writer as her own. This helps make the cat more of a partner in this book than a mere animal.
The book is written in a comfortable style and is a nice read. The language fits the contents and at times is almost lyrical, such as in this description of Sedona, Arizona as a “mystical vortex of swirling centers of energy, conducive to healing and meditation.”
Each chapter in this book has a life lesson that the author learned because of her cat. These take the book from a simple story of a woman getting her life together to one that is quite profound. The simplicity yet philosophical underpinnings in the lessons make them easy to remember once the book has been closed. I especially like the way the life lessons are all written down in the Table of Contents, lessons like Number 2: “Sometimes hate turns into love,” or Number 6: “Attitude of gratitude equals a happy life.”
This book is a treat for all cat lovers, but be aware, it might just convince those who haven’t yet related to cats, to want to take the chance on getting to know these marvelous little beasts! Even non-cat lovers will enjoy following these two as they have such marvelous times adjusting to new situations which provide the opportunity to learn different but very important life lessons.