Book Review: "Kitty Cornered:How Frannie And Five Other Incorrigible Cats Seized Control Of Our House And Made It Their Home" by Bob Tarte

There couldn't be a better book to feature on National Animal Shelter and Rescue Appreciation Week than Kitty Cornered: How Frannie And Five Other Incorrigible Cats Seized Control Of Our House And Made It Their Home by Bob Tarte.

don't let Cody's sleeping
lure you into thinking that
this is a boring book.
This book will have you laughing and you
just might shed a tear or two

While thinking about what I wanted to write for this review, I was wracking my brain trying to remember how I first connected with Bob. If memory serves me correctly, it was through a comment he left on Cat Chat or was it through a connection on Twitter? It doesn't matter,  I clicked on his name, and was led to his book. For me, that was a lucky day indeed!

An added "plus" was that Bob resides in Michigan. A fellow Michigander! After reading his book,  an item that I have now inscribed on my bucket list, is to one day be lucky enough to meet Bob (who in many ways reminds me of my husband) and his (oh my she sounds like me!) wife Linda.

Enough of background info. On to this delightful book.

When I am reading a book for review I have what some would call the annoying habit of "dog-earring" pages that are poignant, funny, that will resonate with my readers and a myriad of other  reasons. In many cases, I am lucky if I have a few pages that are "dog-earred", with Kitty Corner I was faced with a problem of epic proportions. THE ENTIRE BOOK IS "DOG-EARRED"!

What to feature!? What to feature!?

Many of you who live in a multiple cat household can strongly relate to the theory of "we do not find cats, THEY find US." You have experience with cats who have entered your world that are some of the best, and others, not-so-much, or others who you KNOW will become your "soul kitty", they just haven't learned that yet.

Meet the "Cast or (CATS) of Characters!" Whom Bob describes with the understanding and love that parents often use to describe their children.

He celebrates and revels in the unique characteristics of each of his cats and has a most profound understanding of what makes all of them unique and has the ability to describe them through the use of colorful language and imagery.

From Bob Tarte's website:

Agnes: Our original cat who wonders where all of the others came from (aka Aggly-wag)

"Agnes" Photo Courtesy of www.bobtarte.com

Frannie: Nervous white-and-black stray who insists on being petted while she eats (aka Alfalfa Girl, Ferret Face, Francine, The Little Kitty, Miss Pinkie-Winkie Nose, Sunday School Girl, Feline Trotsky)

"Frannie" Photo Courtesy of www.bobtarte.com

Lucy: Snapping crocodile disguised as a ‘diluted tabby’ with a disdain for litter box geometry (aka Fatsy Pats, Lucy Caboosey)

"Lucy" Photo Courtesy of www.bobtarte.com

Maynard: Portly tabby on a nonstop wailing expedition (came to us as Mabel) (aka Mr. Cuddle-Wuddle, Rand McNally, Harold the Barrel, Face)

"Maynard" Photo Courtesy of www.bobtarte.com

Moobie: Aging snow-white cat who sleeps more than Snow White (came to us as Moonbeam) (aka ‘I Want,’ Conehead)

"Moobie" Photo Courtesy of www.bobtarte.com

Tina: Thorn in Frannie’s side with a periscope tail (aka Teena-Weena, Periscope Girl, Tina Louise, Sis, Lump-a-Bump, Puppet Mouth)

"Tina" Photo Courtesy of www.bobtarte.com

Author, Bob Tarte's first experience with a cat happened when he was two years old. It didn't turn out well, but thankfully that incident didn't sour him on cats.

Some 10+ yrs later when Bob's sister, Joan had SIX animals living in her home, this at-the-time-self-professed "bird person" thought "while owning a couple of dogs seemed normal to me, four cats struck me as borderline crazy. I figured that you might as well just move out into a hollow log as live in a house where there were twice as many cats as people."

Bob's life, and outlook would change with his marriage to animal-lover Linda. His home filled with birds needing homes, followed by a parade of cats, some of which  would possibly be left homeless if he didn't take them in, and one "wild child" feral cat that lived in the woods.

One of a host of things that I loved about this book was Bob's self-deprecating humor and sardonic candor. There are a number of instances where he compares events in his life and that of his cats lives to sitcoms, (primarily from the 50s and 60s).

His humorous and loving descriptions of each of his cats will bring a smile to your face: "she was white with mostly black hind legs that made her look as if she were wearing a pair of tights that were falling down."

As you become engrossed with this book, as I did, you will also observe that  Bob developed an uncanny ability to be able to communicate with his cats. All of them. While sometimes portraying himself with a crusty, neurotic, nerdy exterior, this man possesses a heart as soft as the comfy cushions his cats choose to lay on:

"Partly, she had moved me in the same way that any homeless animal would. But I also recognized a special quality in her that resonated with my own temperament. In my scant few seconds observing her, I had identified a kindred spirit, a creature who in spite of her many strengths was apparently as anxiety laden as I was. She was a shadow afraid of a shadow."


For those who might be of the frame of mind that there is only one "Cat Daddy" who is adept at reading the minds and feeling the souls of cats...think again, there is another "Cat Daddy" in town and his name is Bob Tarte.  He just communicates, loves, learns and understands his cats in a more quiet way, in a more CAT-LIKE way.

Upon his first discovering Frannie the feral cat:
"The merest flicker of eye contact had passed between us. But in the brief instant between the crouching and rocketing away, as my cloudy blues met her metallic yellows, I felt the spark of a connection between us. It was a serious crush, though I had no idea at the time how deeply she would set her hooks in me."

From the Publisher: "Bob begins seeing Frannie and the other cats as unlikely instructors in the art of achieving contentment, even in the face of illness and injury. Bewitched by the innate wildness of domesticated cats he realizes that sometimes wildness and mystery are exactly what he needs."

From the moment you open Kitty Cornered, YOU will be experiencing a "serious crush" both on Author Bob Tarte who will make you laugh, make you think, touch your soul as well as your heart, and the cats who reside in HIS home and in HIS heart. I guarantee they will ALL "set their hooks" deeply into you. By reading Kitty Cornered and learning about Bob and his cats, you will learn more about yourself and your cats than you ever thought was possible.

To learn more about Author Bob Tarte, click here

To purchase Kitty Cornered and other books by Author Bob Tarte, click here