FitCat Publishing Announces the Authors for Rescued, Volume 2

There was room for a dozen stories, but five times that many writers submitted their cat tales for volume 2 of Rescued. Over several weeks, the submissions were whittled down to the twelve that will appear in the book when it comes out in January 2017.

FitCat editor Janiss Garza explains how she simplified the process of choosing stories: “As I set aside the best ones, a theme started to emerge — that of healing, whether for the cat, the people rescuing the cat, or both. In the end, nearly all the stories I wound up using for this volume had healing as one of their primary themes.”

Introducing the authors (and their human writers) for Rescued Volume 2: The Healing Stories of Twelve Cats, Through Their Eyes. In alphabetical order:

Allie was a trailer park kitty whose fiery nature wasn’t dampened by motherhood. Rescued from the harsh realities of life in a feral cat colony, she went from rags to riches. Her human author is Lisa Richman, a writer whose story about Ryker, the cat before Allie, appeared in the first volume of Rescued. Allie also appears on the blog A Tonk’s Tail.

Ashton was a wild kitten who was struck by a car while running away from a human. Her body healed, but her fear of humans persisted in spite of the love she is given. Will she ever learn to trust? Ashton’s human author, Julie McAlee writes for Catster and runs the blog Sometimes Cats Herd You, where Ashton is one of the main voices.

Banzai is a quirky flame point Siamese who was saved from a kill shelter and adopted by a couple who were still in mourning over the loss of their 18-year-old Siamese cat. Lively and full of fun, he breathes new life into the household. His human author, Karen Nichols, is a longtime cat writer and blogger who runs the website Mousebreath and a membership site for cats and their humans, Cat Scouts.

As a kitten, Belladonna seemed to have it made — she enjoyed living in a nice home with a well-meaning family. But when she developed diabetes, her family almost had her put down. Fortunately, the veterinarian found a rescue for her, and she found a new home with a woman who was determined to learn everything she could about caring for a diabetic cat. That woman, Janea Kelley, is Belladonna’s human author, and she runs the Paws and Effect blog, along with freelancing as a writer.

Mr. Jazz‘s humans were devastated when he passed away. It seemed like their grief would never soften… but Jazz reached out a paw from the afterlife to help them. That’s the only way to explain how they found Jazmine, the pretty ginger cat this couple wasn’t even remotely looking for. The stories of the two cats are intertwined with just a touch of magic. Human author Deborah Barnes has written two acclaimed books, The Chronicles of Zee and Zoey, and Purr Prints of the Heart.

As one of over 50 cats in a shelter, Pippa could have easily been overlooked. But when a family came in, bearing gifts to donate, the little girl and mother were immediately drawn to her. The child, with a genetic disease and brain tumors, wanted nothing more than a kitty, and even though there was every reason not to adopt her, including two family Weimaraners, Pippa found a loving home with this little girl and her parents. Pippa’s human author, Alisa Gaston-Linn, has written for many, many publications, but this is only her second time writing about cats.

Maxine was so determined to stay feral that even after she was rescued and taken to live at a welcoming adoption center, Catmandu, she ran away. Injuries during her great escape cost her a leg, and almost her life. While recuperating, she began to reconsider her distrust of humans… although maybe not completely! Maxine’s human author, Camille May, is one of Catmandu’s volunteers.

Piggy suffered two traumatizing abandonments before she and her fellow feline companion found a home with two young men, an uncle and nephew. She bonded closely with the nephew, Matt, who became a YouTube star with his claw machine tips. His stardom rubbed off on Piggy when he uploaded videos of her, and she wound up as a very popular kitty on Facebook too, coming a long way from a cat that nobody wanted. Piggy’s human author, Karen Malena, has already helped Piggy write her own book, and is a natural storyteller.

Pounce is a friendly fellow, which is how he wound up at a rescue after wandering into an auto body shop on Chicago’s north side. But even though he became a shelter favorite and seemed happy, he carried a secret that was making him very sick. Marshall Bowden, Pounce’s human author, also writes about music, specializing in jazz, and is a longtime freelance writer.

Sparky was found in a dumpster, taped up in a cardboard box that was sitting out in the South African sun. She was rescued, brought back from the brink of death, and adopted into a happy home full of animals. Sparky inspired her rescuer to get to the bottom of what had happened to her, and this resulted in more cats being saved and cared for, including Sparky’s mother. Sparky’s human author is Linda Deane, a longtime cat writer who has published four books on cats, two fiction and two non-fiction.

After a hard life on the streets of Manhattan, Wu Kitty found herself on death row in the city’s animal control system. Social media helped save her from euthanasia, but it was human interaction that brought her around from her semi-feral state — and after the lessons she learned, she became the online mascot for a healing center. Wu Kitty’s human author is Kim Fleck, a social media specialist and brand expert.

Ragdolls are easy-going, floppy cats, but Zorro lost all that when he was abandoned one winter in rural northern Minnesota. Trapped, rescued, and moved halfway across country to Vermont, Zorro slowly learned how to get his flop and friendliness back. Human author Catherine Holm is the author of several books, including a memoir and fantasy fiction, and her cat Rama appeared in the first volume of Rescued.