Wise Cat Lesson #1 – If there is a sun puddle to be found, always take the time to nap in it…

I’m always one of the first on board to champion looking at our cats to teach us wise lessons. You know, like taking the time to just relax, step away, and chill from all the stresses of everyday life with a wonderful nap in a sun puddle like they do. I’m also the worst at taking my own advice and tend to overwork myself to a frazzle sometimes. So, when I do relax, I’m often the polar opposite of my typically restrained, reserved, and logical persona. In other words, sometimes I go to the extreme and seek out entertainment like reality TV and way out there funny shows like South Park and Family Guy to just let my mind completely unwind. The same is true when I read. Most of the time I like to read assorted genres of novels that are 2 inches thick and take days to finish, but then there are the times I just want a quick read filled with fun, snark, sarcasm, and humor. And cats.

Wise Cat Lesson #2 – If there is a funny book about cats to be found, read it… then chew on the corners and scratch it with your claws…

And that is exactly what the book, Texts From Mittens – A Cat Who Has an Unlimited Data Plan… and Isn’t Afraid to Use It by Angie Bailey is all about. Comedy at its razor claw sharpest – biting wit, cutting edge humor, and sardonic insight cleverly fill 101 pages in a book that is written by Mittens, a tuxedo cat who shares an endless stream of texts he sends to his human Mom throughout the day and night.

I say day and night, because Mittens is prone to waking Mom up at ungodly hours of the morning via text to let her know without mincing any words, that he is hungry. He has no concern that she might perhaps need a full night of sleep because she has a day job, instead interpreting her text back to him that she is tired as being “#selfish.” He also interrupts her while at work with endless emergencies he must deal with (due primarily to the indignities of having to live with Phil, a dog with infinitely bad breath and the inability to control his gas issues, as well as the wacky neighbor, “Drunk Patty,” who is prone to stopping by and falling asleep in Mitten’s cat condo.

A sample excerpt from the book of the types of texts you will find between Mittens and Mom. Click image to enlarge and regarding the page on the right, Stumpy is Mitten’s best-friend who lives down the street from him.

What I love best about this book, is the seriousness of the humor. Naturally we know that cats can’t actually use a phone and text us. We do know that, right, people? But if they could in that pretend world where cats actually do human things, Angie, through Mittens, gets right into the mind’s eye of a cat and what they are thinking. She then translates that angst and unfairness that Mittens must endure in his life through the reply texts that Mom sends back to him, most of which knock down his indignity a notch or two. You will surely LOL throughout this book, but ironically I would suspect that Mittens would not consider anything about it funny. Having a human that is so uncaring that she does not interrupt a work meeting to come home to remove a toy floating in his fancy water fountain that has been slobbered into by Phil is no laughing matter.

Sad to say, I did not come up with the concept of this book, but I did come up with the idea of using a phone as a book mark which is kinda funny if you think about it… Maybe I could get partial credit…

I really enjoyed this coffee table, easy to pick up and read anywhere in the story line book, and I think the concept is brilliant. My only fault with the book is that I did not come up the idea to write it myself first. Oh well, such is life, and I too must go on. The good news for those of you that love cat humor like I do, is that Angie is giving away a free copy to one lucky reader (U.S.and Canadian residents only, sorry). I’m don’t know if Mittens is aware that his profits are being squirreled away so frivolously by Angie and I’m sure if he caught wind of it, there would be hairball hell coughed up in her shoe to pay, so please leave a comment by Sunday, April 19th, why you think you would enjoy this book before he catches on. And please make sure you leave your email in the comment form so I can contact you if you win (winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 22nd).

The cats agree that Texts from Mittens is a great coffee table book… actually, more like a great top-of-the-kitchen-counter book! Hey, they were hungry and waiting for dinner when this picture was taken, what can I say?

To order a copy for yourself or any cat lover on your list who is a connoisseur of feline humor, please click here to find the book on Amazon. Thank you to Angie for this wonderful giveaway. I was not in any way compensated for this review, other than getting an awesome book to add to my cat library.