Diana Living Through Life's Challenges: A Courageous ... (ISBN 1403341265)

A Calico Cat Communicates thru Her Human Companion:
"Diana living Through life's Challenges: A Courageous Overcoming through Love" will have great appeal to those who feel a strong connection to animals and the natural world. Although the subject-matter involves interspecies communication, namely a human, Miri, listening to her calico cat, Diana,and communicating her feelings into words, the reader does not have to believe this type of communication is possible in order to experience and relate to the story's plot which focuses on how, Diana, the cat, with the help of her wise and caring human companion overcomes loss, illness, and challenge to her physical independence. Children who are confronting diabetes will relate to the cat, Diana, who has to be given insulin shots to regulate her sugar highs and lows. It is a good way to introduce a child, probably an older child, especially a child who loves animals to the topic of illness and loss. There is quite a literal part in the book where Diana kills and eats a rat and perhaps, parents would want to be selective about which child or how old their child should be before exposure to that part of the book. But the killing of the rat exposes a reality that is also true of humans- We need to feel useful and the cat needed to feel she could still be a great huntress to feel back to her old self. There is also a fox who enters into Diana's turf and makes the cat's world less secure, a lesson many humans most also face. Let it be said, one does not need to be a cat person only to really experience the fullness of this book. I am a dog person mostly but at one time in my youth had cats in my life. As I read Diana Living through Life's Challenges, I came to better understand my relationship with my cherished dog companion who died several years ago. There is much psychological understanding and information conveyed throughout the book.It is a book about the bereavement process as it affects both animal and human. Persoanlly, I think the book is a great achievement and a courageous work. How many of us have really analyzed our connection to our animal companions and truly admitted or faced the special equalness in the relationship. It is quite remarkable to contemplate.