Customer Reviews

The Cat Who'll Live Forever: The Final Adventures of Norton, the Perfect Cat, and His Imperfect Human

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I admit I bought this book for extremely self serving reasons. Our cat Bill was put to sleep in March 2002 when the tumor on his tongue abscessed and he basically began to die from starvation. And having never had to have a pet put to sleep and it being so damn painful and so final I was looking for a book that might help my husband and I deal with this profound loss. Bill had been given to us as a kitten and had literally helped Ron out of a coma after being hit by a dunk driver. So I needed a book by someone who would understand what we had in Bill and why the pain was like a knife in the heart.

And I cannot recommend this book highly enough and plan on reading the other books about Norton. Because the author "gets it." Understands the wondrous gift a cat can be and that a cat is such a member of the family and not a "pet."
We read the book aloud and laughed and cried. Loved hearing of the people like Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Sir Anthony Hopkins, sports legends, and the wee small black cat that won Norton over and continued to grieve after Norton died.
The Lauen Bacall story is a keeper and found Ron and I lughing hysterically.

But I guess it was finding a kindred soul in Peter Gethers the author and knowing that we werent such square pegs in a round hole when it came to caring for a sick and dying member of the family who happened to have four legs that has helped us in our grieveing process. Reading that yes, someone else dealt with medicine and bad bowels and bladders and trying to get pills down a cats throat and drinking out of a toilet when Norton got so sick. I have a picture taken a month before Bill died of him drinking out of the toilet with his insatiable thirst. And like Norton who loved the heated car seat Bill craved the heating pad we kept on the back of the sofa where he would lay near us as we read or watched television.

Thank you Peter Gethers we will probably never meet you in person but you have done what no physician or psychologist has been able to do. Understand and connect. Bless you.

I bought a Scottish Fold after reading Gether's first two books. And was pleased to find that Norton's qualities are are a part of the breed. Loving, calm, etc. And total people magnets. The last book is cheerful, more stories of Norton's exploits and travels. Not until the last third of the book do we see Norton start to "fade." When Gethers sees that Norton is nearing the close of his life he takes him on a final road trip.
I read, I cried, I read some more and cried a lot more.

The odd thing is that this is not a depressing story. It's a story that ends and it ends just as Norton lived--with love for his human.

This is a continuation of the story of Norton the Scottish Fold from The Cat Who Went to Paris. It is such a beautiful story of friendship and love, but be forewarned, you will cry while reading this book, since it is the story of the last months of Norton's life. Both the author and the subject (Norton) are exceptional beings and the love and joy they experience together is an absolute love story. This is a book for anyone who has loved a kitty and for anyone who has lost a wonderful feline. Mr. Gethers and Norton are a match made in Heaven and their story is a joy to all readers. I had a hard time finishing this book because I knew the outcome when I bought it, but I was still compelled to read it because I knew that both the subject and the auther were extraordianary. It's beautiful, touching, heart-wrenching and true. If you have ever loved and been loved by a kitty, you will enjoy this story!

The story of Norton the cat and his owner culminates in this moving tale of the end of this special relationship. As a cat owner I related to the anguish of having a beloved pet suffer illness and the subsequent desperate search for help and hope. The author does a wonderful job of letting the reader share in his special relationship with his cat. He brings to life the last adventures of Norton, the ordeal of his illness and the blessings that arose from that experience they shared together. The final scenes where owner and cat share time together alone were vividly and intimately portrayed, and gut-wrenching. A must read and inspiration for all pet owners and lovers, I think this book tells the story of how all animals should be treated.

...I would. The last book of the Norton trilogy is just as enrapturing as the first two. Instead of wallowing in pity and writing a melancholy book, Gethers entertains all of us with Norton's antics yet again- albeit with a bit more restraint. Tender (and sometimes heartbreaking), The Cat Who'll Live Forever is a heartwarming story that will bring tears to the eyes of readers.

Like Mr. Gethers, I was unaffected by cats until I crossed paths with one seven years ago. I am now one of those guys who talks about his feline companion more than my parented friends talk about their children. I came across Norton's, I mean, Mr. Gether's first novel in an airport bookstore last week and quickly read it before I arrived back home. It was all that I feared a novel about a man and his cat would be- irreverent, timely, and moving. I loved it and immediately moved on to the next two novels. Now I am not only a cat fanatic, but I am also a reader of cat literature.

Whereas The Cat Who Went to Paris made me laugh out loud and cherish (well, further cherish) my cat for the uniqueness that she has brought to my life, The Cat Who'll Live Forever made me cry out even louder for the way she has changed my life and for the lessons I hadn't even realized she was teaching me. If you love a cat, this book will give voice to all those crazy things you thought you were the only one who felt for something so small. And if you love someone who loves a cat, this book will explain to you why they are the way they are about the loves of their lives.

Mr. Gethers, you just changed my little best friend's life...I can't wait to start showing her the world on the other side of our front door. Thank you to you both!

Many may think "Oh, c'mon, some cheesy cat book" but this is by far one of the most incredible stories I have ever read. It is the story of Norton the cat who changed the lives of all he met. Gethers has written other books about Norton, but this is the last we'll ever find, as Norton is now in Heaven. While reading this book, I almost felt I was right there with Norton on his adventures to fancy restaurants and long car trips and spending a whole vacation hanging out with the people at the front desk of the hotel who couldn't bare to let him leave. Norton is incredible, and so is this book.

Peter Gethers is simply a wonderful author. I have always been a big cat lover and when I found that someone could write touching, well written stories about cats, I was overjoyed. The last book is full of happy points as well as sadness and having accidentally read it first, I felt that maybe i did not get the whole norton experience, but when i read the first two, i realized i did. It really is a great story about one man and his special cat, which all animal lovers can relate too. Having met him for an interview, he is a very kind and interesting man who seems to be well respected as well as not quite know. I will always admire him and his special friend. :-)

This book is by far the sweetest, most honest books about an animal I have ever read. Peter Gethers has a very easy going, conversational writing style that really makes Norton's personality come alive. I have been a cat lover my enitre life and the author captures things about cats that only someone who is capable of feeling this deep conection would know. Also- this is not an overly sentimental, gushy book- it is simple and honest and very very funny. I laughed out loud and cried while reading this. It is not a book you will soon forget.

Although I don't personally appreciate the soapbox Peter Gethers climbs on from time to time regarding organized religion (some of his comments are unnecessary, out of place and just plain stupid), I do appreciate everything else about this book.

And, I will admit, the ending made me cry.

I titled my review "A Life-Changing Book" not out of a sense of hyperbole; rather, for the same reason that Tuesdays With Morrie has been called a life-changing book. Any book that deals with loved ones dying is sure to cause readers to think hard about their own lives.

And make no mistake, Norton the cat was loved. Not only by his human, Peter Gethers, but apparently by everyone with whom he came in contact. Including tens of thousands of readers around the world. And even such folks as Anthony Hopkins, who -- in this book -- personally asks Peter Gethers if he brought Norton with him to a movie preview/party.

If even half the things in the Norton books are true (and Gethers swears they're ALL true), then Norton was a unique cat, indeed.

Another reason why I titled this a life-changing book is because thanks to Gethers' Norton books (this is the third and final in the series), I bought a Scottish Fold cat that I promptly named Bradbury (after the famous author). Maybe I got all choked up at the ending of this book because Brad was sitting on my lap and I could just picture the emotional turmoil Peter Gethers went through as his beloved companion reached the end of his life.

For those of you who don't know what the Norton books are all about, it's hard to explain them. Essentially, and briefly, they're about a Scottish Fold cat (Scottish Folds have the cute folded ears and owlish faces with the big eyes) that goes everywhere his human goes -- literally around the world. The two have humorous -- and sometimes astounding -- adventures that will cause you to raise an eyebrow at the same time they're putting a smile on your face.

Even if you don't like cats (the author was once an avowed cat HATER), you'll probably still like the Norton books. The writing is very good, witty and extremely compelling.

Don't start with this book, though. Start with the first book in the series: The Cat Who Went to Paris. The Cat Who'll Live Forever recounts the last year or two of Norton's life. Give Norton a chance to grow on you before you read about his demise. I guarantee if you do, by the end of this book YOU'LL be crying, too.