For those of you that know me, you know pictures aren’t my thing. I have a blog filled with gorgeous pictures of cats, but probably 95% of them are taken by Dan. Of the remaining 5%, 2% are stock images and 3% are really horrible, blurry pictures that I have taken – usually at an event like a BlogPaws conference where I travel alone. Even though it should be relatively obvious, I try to point out when I have taken the image, because I don’t want to discredit any of Dan’s beautiful pictures.

When it comes to selfies – those pictures that one takes of oneself, at very close range – my photography skills actually become even worse. And truthfully, at my age, selfies are not my flattering, best friend so I rarely attempt taking them. Cats and selfies – that’s an entirely different story because in my mind, there is just no such thing as a bad picture of a cat, and that is why New York Times bestselling author, Gwen Cooper’s newest book, Kittenish, is such a home run.

I was lucky enough to meet Gwen back in 2013 for a signing she was doing in the Miami area for her book, Love Saves the Day. Gwen is clearly a talented writer, and as you might expect, she is also upbeat, down to earth, and rather humorous. She is also incredibly kind-hearted and generous and that is what Kittenish is all about. 200 pages of a collection of cat selfies spoofing Kim Kardashian’s bestselling “Selfish,” Kittenish showcases hundreds of photos of cats taken by the cats themselves, submitted by cat owners from several dozen countries and every continent on the globe except Antarctica. But unlike Kim Kardashian, 100% of the proceeds from Kittenish will be donated to Humane Society International to fund ongoing relief efforts for the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal in April.

Hanging out with Gwen Cooper, and Miami resident and friend, Christine Michaels.

Deeply moved by the news coverage and the subsequent report that the quake killed more than 8,000 people and injured thousands more, Gwen felt compelled to do something. She writes in her Foreword:

“…Kittenish was intended to give those of us watching in horror as the effects of Nepal’s earthquakes unfolded the opportunity to do something meaningful, yet also realistic given our limitations as individual animal lovers. Large-scale human tragedies are almost always animal tragedies as well—and vice versa. Many of the animals displaced and/or injured during the earthquakes are working animals, animals who contribute to the livelihoods of people whose lives were already difficult – and, of course, beloved companion animals. It should come as no surprise that there were many people who refused to evacuate dangerous areas – at peril to their own lives – simply because they wouldn’t leave their animal friends behind…”

Gwen initially created a fundraiser for Animal Nepal and raised over $13,000 in just under 24 hours. But being the humanitarian she is, she wanted to do more and speared headed Kittenish, a crowd-sourced project that had over 8000 fabulous feline entries sent to her within 5 days. From this, Gwen chose 400 plus pictures for Kittenish, including two from my blogging cat buddies – Cody from Cat Chat with Caren and Cody and Odin from Cat Wisdom 101. Of note too, most of the pictures Gwen chose are of rescue cats.

A sampling of some of the wonderful feline selfies in Kittenish. Photo courtesy of Gwen Cooper/Kittenish – All Rights Reserved.

The concept is great – Gwen took three enormously popular aspects of our culture – cats, selfies, and the Kardashians and turned the whole thing into something with meaning and heart. If you would like to help animals and aid in the recovery of Nepal, please visit Gwen’s website here. Kittenish retails in eBook format for a minimum suggested price of $3.99, and as a print-on-demand physical book for $23.99. It’s a victory for everyone who makes a purchase – not only are you helping animals (and the humans that love them) in Nepal, but you are also getting a keepsake quality book filled with hundreds of cute, humorous, and endearing pictures of cats!

About Gwen Cooper

Gwen Cooper is the New York Times bestselling author of the memoir “Homer’s Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat” and the novels “Love Saves the Day” and “Diary of a South Beach Party Girl.” Her work has been published in more than two dozen languages and countries around the world. She is a frequent speaker at shelter fundraisers and donates 10% of her royalties from “Homer’s Odyssey” to organizations that serve abused, abandoned, and disabled animals. Gwen lives in Jersey City with her husband, Laurence. She also lives with her two perfect cats—Tripod Clayton and his litter-mate, Fanny—who aren’t impressed with any of it.

Full Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I am merely pointing out a way to make a difference in this world by helping others in need because it is the right thing to do.