Customer Reviews

Cat Guru

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4 star:		(2)
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Naina Lepes creates a microcosm that we enter willingly. We share her initial optimism for the health and happiness of the cat family, an optimism soon tempered by realism. Just as parents must learn to accept their inability to protect their children from life's sorrows, we learn, along with the author, that we have limited control over the health and happiness of the adorable kittens and their exasperating parents. As the author's perseverance is tested - and occasionally derailed - by cat antics, vagaries of fortune and the idiocies of individuals within the ashram's world, we remember our own frustrations when meticulously prepared plans were demolished by the unexpected. Through the author's interpretation of her experiences and their relationship to the greater spiritual universe, we learn to accept that the cat nature must dictate the way life is lived by this cat family - and that this, like the nature of fate in our universe - is not always readily understood by humans. As we work through the disappointments of our daily lives, sometimes overwhelmed by the tragedies we see in the world and uncomprehending of the personal and political choices of others, we take comfort in the knowledge that we can learn to transcend this reality to find inner peace.

The Cat Guru is a beautifully-written nonfiction account of the
author's adventures raising a family of ferral cats on an ashram in
India. Guru means teacher, and the book describes what the author
learned about the meaning of life from observing the cats and her neighbors. In the chapter "A Pile of Feathers", the mother cat brings a bird into Naina's living room to teach the kittens. Naina first watches in disgust as the kittens play with the bird and devour it on her living room floor; then she realizes the cats are simply doing what is good and natural for them. It is not a children's book. Naina reveals the ashram to be a microcosm of the world with some of the same insensitive bureaucrats as anywhere else. The book includes color photos of the cat family, starting with the birth of the kittens.

The Cat Guru is a wonderful parallel story of development. The book is not only about cats but also about human growth. I found the story to be deep, intimate, touching, and sometimes funny. I really could not put the book down. I became very involved with the cat family. Throughout the book you get a glance into the East Indian culture. If you didn't like cats before you read this book, you might start thinking about them after you are finished. I will never forget Maya. I really loved the book!

This beautiful book shows the importance of animals and the essential role they play in our lives. I enjoyed seeing how these kittens in India are brought up by their mother and their adventures on the ashram. People with cats will very likely recognize a lot of the scrapes they get into. These animals reveal so much in so many ways!

What I like about The Cat Guru is it's a good story with an interesting cast of characters--cats. It has a simple child-like tone with a lot of feeling. The kinds of questions the story raises are meaningful. But what touched me most is the life of the kittens in this unusual environment. A wonderful book for cat lovers and those with a spiritual bent.