The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat

Rating:
Summary: Better than Christmas! Than anything! Foudini is great!
Review: A friend gave me this book while I was in bed with the flu. I wasn't thrilled by reading a book about a talking cat, but boy, was I surprised! I read this book from cover to cover stopping only to drink my orange juice and swallow my echinachea, but honestly, I think it was the book that cured me. While my own cat had disappeared somewhere else in the house, I had Foudini to keep me company, and what a companion he was and is! Aside from being a hilariously funny book, this book gave me a great deal of solace. There are times it's easy to doubt the use of other human beings (I include myself here), but the love between Foudini and his dog Sam, and especially his devotion to his owner, Warm, brought tears to my already burning eyes. If a book like this can have such an impact, I'm ready to believe in miracles. I've bought a stack of new books hoping to find the same thing in other books, but I think The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat is probably one of a kind. That cat is a real human being!

Rating:
Summary: wonderful book marred by the ending
Review: Although this is Foudini's autobiography, which he recounts for his cat, Grace, so that she will know what Life is like, the book is basically a love story about Foudini and his dog Sam. Foudini is rescued from the laundry room of an apartment building when he is still a small kitten. He is eventually adopted by a couple whom he names "Warm" and "Pest" and later befriends their dog Sam (at first Foudini thinks Sam is a wolf who wants to eat him but later they become very close companions). Much of the book details both conversations between Foudini and Sam and their games and adventures together, including the various times when Sam saves Foudini's life. I found parts of the book utterly charming, in particular the section in which Foudini explains why cats like heat so much as well as the section in which Grace tries to teach "Warm" how to speak cattish (I read this outloud to my husband -- it took me nearly ten minutes to read three pages, we were laughing so much). Schaeffer has clearly spent a great deal of time observing her own cats and here creates a universe for them that is richly populated with "dog fairy tales" and dreams in which real and mythological cats appear to Foudini to help him sort out his thoughts and emotions on various matters. The only real problem I had with the book was the ending -- one of those mythological cats that keep coming around should have told Foudini that two to three million homeless cats and kittens are euthanized in the US every year -- more kittens are not the solution to this problem. Still, it's definitely worth reading if you like cats or dogs.

Rating:
Summary: A classic to be reread
Review: For anyone who loves cats, or animals for that matter, this book is perfect. Be forewarned that you will experience the gamut of emotions though! Schaeffer has the mannerisms and thoughts of cats down cold! It's almost as though she has some mystical power to interpret the language of cats. Once I finished the book, I had to look at my cats differently and wonder, is it true? Foudini's relationship with Sam the dog is one of my favorite aspects of this incredible book.

Rating:
Summary: Amusing and inconsistent
Review: Foudini Mouser Cat has written a biography in his own words. Having started life as the son of a feral cat, his opinions of the world, appropriate cat behavior, sufficient caution etc. are more bleak than those of some fictional cats. Read a few pages and you'll be hooked on his story.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't live up to its start. The author fails to keep the Foudini's view consistent ... here, he seems to understand human language, there he clueless of human meaning ... here, he understands natural cat life and wishes to be free, there he hasn't a clue regarding a female cat in heat.

The net result is a pleasant afternoon's read; nothing more.

Rating:
Summary: I Love This Book!
Review: Foudini the cat, has decided to tell his story to Grace, the new kitten that has come to keep him company. She is sleek, beautiful and very young with much to learn. Foudini goes on to tell of his birth and life in a wall, and of his rescue by his assigned people, "Warm" because of her warm lap, and "Pest" because he is always moving Foudini from his favorite spot on the bed. Foudini also had an assigned dog Sam and the relationship they shared was so memorable it will bring you to tears first of joy and then sadness. I enjoyed this very interesting approach to storytelling tremendously. Each time I read a bit more, I was left with a smile on my face. This is a feel good book. Kelsana 1/11/02

Rating:
Summary: An Instant Classic
Review: I loved this book as much as the creatures in this story love one another. I think this is a remarkable book, immensely touching, extremely funny, and in the end, conveys a deep understanding of human attachment and the way everything--people or cat--cope with loss. I didn't think about these things while I was reading; I was swept up by the story. It's not a good book to read when you want to go to sleep because you stay up trying to finish. I said, "I'll read just one more chapter," and then I only had forty more pages, so I finished reading at three in the morning. This story about a cat and his dog manage to capture the very strange way in which the minds of human beings become interwoven with their animals. The author makes this possible because she has carefully observed the behavior and meaning of both dogs and cats and the animals in this volume have such depth and meaning that when a tragedy finally strikes, it is almost impossible to read about it without crying, so be prepared.

The writing is beautiful and so is the story. This would be a perfect book for any adult (who doesn't hate cats, although reading this might convert him) and a marvelous book for intelligent children who don't have enough really good books published for them.

I bought the hardcover because I intend to read it again and again and I don't want it to ever fall apart.

Rating:
Summary: An Instant Classic
Review: Just looking at the title of this book, I rolled my eyes sourly and thought, "why would anyone give me this overly-precious book?" Not wanting to judge a book by its title, I began reading and was immediately hooked. What a lovely surprise: the author takes the viewpoint of a housecat and what life must be for a pet who was orphaned, was found and lived through the ups and downs of his loved-ones' lives.

This is a clever, simple, funny and, ultimately, very moving story of learning to live for today...and, of course, learning to love.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Christmas! Than anything! Foudini is great!
Review: This is a wonderful stoy. It helps to be a cat lover but even if you aren't it's an enjoyable book. It's so funny. Poor Warm she just can't speek cat, poor Foudini he's so embarrased by her attemps. It's also so sad. Foudini is a feral kitten born with no chance until a human takes him in. He remembers his poor mother who took good care of him but one day didn't come back from her search for food. His relationship with Sam is touching and heartbreaking. Grace brings joy and responsibilies to his life. I have five wonderful treasure all of whom someone else considered trash so I saw my furry babies in Foudini. This is a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Need a good cry?
Review: This is one of those great books that make you behave in a manner you really don't think you should. Towards the end of the book I was nearly sobbing, which is pretty embarrassing to admit. Cat lovers will be amused and moved by the view from the cat's eye, of it's world. We sometimes forget how they might see our actions.

I highly recommend it, to all animal lovers.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the Dough
Review: Unfortunately, when I picked up this book at a local bookstore, I did not have the money to buy the charming autobiography of this small, yet wise, cat. However, while my mother shopped elsewhere, I began reading it. Although I only got twenty-some pages in the book, I would be willing to fork over the value of this book just for that much. Delightfully, retold, I extremely enjoyed the first part of this book, although I do not particularly care for cats. Such books as "A Dog's Life" by Peter Mayle, and this one, interest me for its peculiar point of view. A must-read. I can't wait to finish it.