Title: Courage with Paws
Subtitle: The Heart of a Siamese Cat
Author: Cal Orey
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 979-8-8230-3345-9
Pages: 48
Genre: Illustrated Metaphor / Poetry / Children’s Story / Inspired by a True Story
Reviewer: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review
Although the statistics for heart disease vary, it can be justly concluded to be the most awful killer in our society. Often sneaking up on people unsuspectedly and killing instantly in the form of a heart attack, this unforgiving disease needs to be brought to light – and lessons of survivors have to be shared. This is the underlying theme in the latest of award-winning and prolific author Cal Orey’s books titled, Courage with Paws – The Heart of a Siamese Cat.
Cal Orey tells this story vicariously through the eyes of her Siamese-mix Cat, given the most royal name of Sir Whiskers McPurrington. Living in the high country of Lake Tahoe, one sunny afternoon Sir Whiskers felt odd – short of breath – and his heart began racing. “Rushed to the animal hospital things got serious quickly,” the narration explained. The story goes into an NDE, near-death-experience, telling how Dr. Furryheart saved Sir Whiskers. The doctor recommended surgery saying, “Time is running out, Mr. Whiskers. Your heart is very, very weak.” But “No” said Sir Whiskers, relying on his sixth sense cat-intuition to avoid further risks.
Sir Whiskers was told of a wizardly lion named Professor Pawsworth at BIG UNIVERSITY who performed miracles in medicine. “I can do tricks, A ‘puff-up magic’ gentle heart helper,” Professor Pawsworth roared, “using small Balloons to open up blocked areas in the heart.” I cried, “Yes, fix!”
This of course, is referring to an angioplasty, a minimally invasive procedure to widen narrowed arteries. Once completed, Sir Whiskers McPurrington regained his strength over time, and the book ends with a positive feline feeling of having faced fear and overcoming it with friendship and compassion during the ordeal with his best friend, Barkley, an Australian shepherd, enabling him to continue creating art and laughter – “spreading courage with paws far and near.”
Courage with Paws combines many elements showcasing Cal Orey’s finesse of creative writing. Artfully interleaved with excellent illustrations to highlight the theme of the story, along with photographs bringing in credibility of this being a true story, plus with the icing on the cake of having whimsical character names in the genre of Dr. Seuss, the book congeals into an art form with a stern message; that being to understand heart-health. As children are at risk as well, everyone needs to pay attention to this awful disease, which will only grow as a percentage in our population over the decades ahead. This book should be recommended reading in all children’s healthcare organizations as well as family libraries to drill in the importance of heart-health. Remember, not all of us have the cat-like quality of possessing Nine-Lives, so we need to pay attention to the One we have.
Courage with Paws is a must-read for animal lovers and anyone who believes in the profound impact pets can have on our lives. The book offers an uplifting reminder that courage and love are qualities that can transcend species, leaving readers with a renewed appreciation for the animals who touch our hearts in unexpected ways.
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