Buckley's Story: Book Review

I've been reading Ingrid King's cat blog, The Conscious Cat, for some time now, and Ingrid has inspired me both as a cat mom and as a writer.  I was thrilled when Ingrid offered me the opportunity to read and review her book, Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher.  

Photo courtesy of Ingrid King.

About the Book: Ingrid first meets Buckley when the tortoiseshell cat comes into the animal hospital Ingrid manages.  Buckley had a deformed left back leg, but she never let that stop her or slow her down.  Buckley initially becomes Ingrid's office cat at the animal hospital.  When Ingrid decides to transition careers, she adopts Buckley and brings her home to live with her and her long-time resident cat, Amber.

Buckley is diagnosed with heart disease after living with Ingrid and Amber for only two years.  Ingrid details the joys and struggles of caring for a chronically ill cat.  She also shows us how the human-animal bond can become stronger when caring for an ill kitty.  Finally, Ingrid shares her grief with us when it's time to help Buckley transition from the physical to the spiritual world.

My Thoughts: Buckley's Story is such a touching and beautiful memoir of Ingrid, Buckley, and Amber's lives together.  The honesty and vulnerability Ingrid shows throughout this book is refreshing as it is so rare that people show vulnerability these days.  You can really feel how much Ingrid loved Buckley in her book.  The bond the two of them shared was incredibly close, and it's evident that Buckley brought many positive changes to the author's life.

I love that Ingrid drops educational tidbits throughout her book.  For instance, when she talks about Buckley's heart disease diagnosis, she explains what congestive heart failure is and how it is typically treated.

I could relate to Ingrid's struggle in medicating Buckley after her heart disease diagnosis.  I, too, had great difficulty getting pills down Jewel throughout the time she suffered with chronic renal failure.  I was fortunate to have a friend who was able to help me pill her, but had I not, I would have had to make some really difficult decisions regarding Jewel's quality of life versus trying to medicate her with six pills a day.

I also related to Ingrid's struggle to let Buckley go.  It is so incredibly difficult for us, as loving cat parents, to hear and accept our beloved cat's message that it's time to transition to the spiritual world when all we want is more time with them in their physical bodies.

Even though Buckley's Story did make me cry, I feel reading this awesome story of love was worth the tears.  I highly recommend it to any cat lover.  Yes, you may cry, too, but I do believe that this beautiful memoir will touch your heart in a positive way.

You can buy Buckley's Story at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, and at other online book retailers.

Photo courtesy of Ingrid King.

About the Author: Ingrid King is a former animal hospital manager.  She writes the award-winning blog, The Conscious Cat, with the mission of providing readers with well-researched and accurate cat health information.  She is the author of the books Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher, Purrs of Wisdom: Conscious Living Feline Style, and Adventures in Veterinary Medicine: What Working in Veterinary Hospitals Taught Me About Life, Love, and Myself.  Her articles have appeared in Cat Fancy Magazine, NOVADog Magazine, and Urban Animal.  She is also a professional member of the Cat Writers' Association and a certified veterinary journalist.  You can learn more about Ingrid King by visiting her About page on The Conscious Cat.

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher for an honest review.  Receiving the free book did not influence my opinions in any way.  All opinions expressed on Fur Everywhere are my own.