When I discussed Lessons From Cats for Surviving Fascism the other day, Donna suggested I read I’m Not God: Cat Chronicles by Stefania Gander. She was right. Anyone who ever lived with a cat will recognize the cat’s thoughts throughout the book. It was charming, until the end. And, the author even tried to alleviate the end by allowing a glimpse over the Rainbow Bridge.
The narrator is an unnamed cat, but according to the author, it’s a male. He thinks he’s been kidnapped when a couple, two-legs, pick him up, put him in a cage, and take him away from his Mom. After he settles in, though, he finds an older cat, and works his way into her attention by cuddling next to Mama Mimi. There’s one other cat in the household, Felix, but he and Felix never become close friends. So, there are three cats in the household when the female two-leg got fat, and they eventually bring home “a pink thing”. But, he worries about the pink thing called Alice when she is alone in a bed. “Starting tonight, I’ve decided to sleep in Alice’s bed at her feet. Don’t worry, Alice. Whatever happens, I’ll protect you.”
The author says she had four cats at the time she wrote this book, and decided to “Recount our world from an entirely different perspective.” It’s a fun viewpoint. Who is this creature the two-legs call “Kitty”? He isn’t sure because the male two-legs sometimes hollers “God” at him, or “Dear God”. Or, even “Stop”, a name he prefers over “Kitty”. And, he’s sure that they leave the house for so long every day because they’re out hunting kibble. What else could they be doing?
Most of the book is just what a cat person imagines the cat thinking. But, this book takes a cat through his entire life, so the end is said, and the “dontcry” comment the two-legs make to each other becomes go ahead and cry to Alice. Only the Rainbow Bridge helps cat lovers get through the sad ending. But, it is a book that allows readers to imagine what their cats are thinking. They are very opinionated.
Maybe I’m Not God: Cat Chronicles by Stefania Gander. Gander Books, 2025. 123p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I bought a copy of the book.
