A Cat's Eye View of Life and Love by Sterling With Gentle Self-Help for All Ages (as told to Marta Felber)

Published by LifeWords in Winston-Salem, NC, USA in 2009

ISBN 978-0-9799214-1-4

This is the story of Sterling the cat, told in his own words.  The cover photo of Sterling invites you to enter the book and explore his life.  The book comprises sixty chapters, each one a story in its own right.  Each chapter is followed by Sterling’s Mewsings, comprising a short piece of prose, where he shares his thoughts and opinions about life.

Our story begins with Sterling waiting and hoping to be adopted at the animal shelter and his prayers are answered in the form of M, who is looking for a feline friend to share her home with.  We are introduced to his new home, and all the adventures that he has there.  We hear of the various visitors to their home, some friendly and others not so friendly, that cross the threshold into their world.  We discover that Sterling’s claws were removed by his previous owner, and that this obliges M to be vigilant in case Sterling tries to escape outside, where he would be unable to fend for himself, although he does not see it that way.

M has to go away for a few days, and two friends agree to feed Sterling, one in the morning and one in the evening, but Sterling is frightened at being left alone and lashes out at his feeders.  He is sad and confused that M is not at home, but overjoyed upon her return, even though she is a bit slower on her feet than before.

Sterling is a slightly tubby cat and has to be kept on a strict diet of food he really does not enjoy.  He watches the birds and squirrels from his vantage point on the porch and longs to run after them and treat himself to a decent meal.

When M moves house, they travel many miles to their new home, and a new adventure begins for them both.  M’s son lives nearby and he has a cat called Shadow, and the two cats play together but never quite become friends.

The end of the book is very poignant, but also uplifting, and I recommend it to everyone, not just cat lovers like myself.  Look out for the twist in the tail!

Marta Felber, aka M, has many years’ experience working as a counsellor in the USA, and also in Egypt and Indonesia, for the many expatriates living there.

My opinion:  A beautifully presented and well written book.

Reviewed on 03/01/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Suzy Watts

Reviewed on 12/28/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Jenifer O'Neill

 The saying ( I don't recall where I have heard it) goes, "Everything I have learned, I learned from my cat." is a difficult concept for most non-cat owners. Knowing the temperament and habits of a pet can help to understand the differences in their moods and even allow a pet owner to almost see what the animal is thinking. That is how well Marta Felber knows her cat Sterling. This is a series of short stories told from Sterling's point of view. Adventures that start by M (that is how Marta is referred to by Sterling in the book) adopting Sterling from a local shelter. While Sterling covers the basic cat's life stories about his toys, his favorite hiding places and where he likes to sit to watch the birds outside, Sterling also shows us an alternate view point to loneliness, fear, change and loss. After Sterling's short stories on life, Marta has added a moral or life lesson they have called `Mewsings' that help to relate Sterling's intuition to more human situations and moments.

What caught my attention for this book was the cover. The picture of Sterling, he is a beautiful cat and being a cat lover and owner, I was drawn to his expressive face. Unknowingly, I had understood the concept of the book before ever getting a copy in my hands. I have found so many of Sterling actions to be feline characteristics, the story `Learning about Reading' got me to actually reach down, and sure enough I was able to pet my own sweet cat, she was lying next to me just as Sterling was with M. There were many of the `Mewsings' that had me agreeing with and simply enjoying the insight. Some of the stories were fun or funny, some were of a mundane life, while other stories made for good life lessons, but there were a few sad stories that really pulled on the heart strings of this pet owner. This is a very unique format for a self-help book, but Sterling and Marta have found a way to quickly get out a little bit of encouragement or support for many different circumstances.

Reviewed on 12/05/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Debbie Berry

Sterling is a wise cat and in his book, A Cat’s Eye View of Life and Love, Sterling is sharing his wisdom with the world. He does this by relating 60 short stories to his human Marta Felber, who was kind enough to write them down, and he sums up each story with a lesson we can apply to our everyday lives which he calls a “Mewsing”.

Of course Sterling didn’t really dictate these stories but they are written from his point of view and, as a cat owner, I can confidently say that Marta’s observations are right on target. I’ve always known that we can learn a lot from our pets and this book is a compilation of some of the most important lessons we can learn.

The stories start at the beginning of the relationship between Sterling and Marta, when they first meet at the animal shelter, and continue on through the ups and downs of their life together. Like all humans, Sterling deals with loneliness, independence, jealousy, fear and a bunch of other issues and emotions. While seeing our everyday challenges through the eyes of a cat may sound strange, I found it very relatable and liked how the Mewsings tied the important elements of the stories together.

I think my favorite story had to do with trying to give Sterling his medicine. Like most cats, he makes it nearly impossible and Marta has to come up with a unique way to give it to him. We all have to do things we don’t want to do but maybe we can find a way to make them a little easier, like Marta did with the medicine.

This book is marketed as “gentle self help for all ages” and I tend to agree. These stories can be shared with anyone of any age and the lessons can be applied to many situations. I read the book from beginning to end but I could easily see someone picking a story from the table of contents and meditating on that particular lesson, especially if it applies to a current challenge, or reading a favorite story again and again when some cheering up is in order. I am certain that anyone who reads this book will not only enjoy it but find something to relate to and apply to their own life.

Reviewed on 08/10/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member April Hanson