Diary of an Abandoned Cat

Did you ever try thinking like a cat? J. L. Young lives in a community that loves cats. There is an organization that watches out for the ferals and strays. They feed them daily, and also catch, neuter and vaccinate them before they return the cats to the area. One of the stray cats kept hanging around J. L. Young's yard, and even raided the garbage pail, but wouldn't come near. A neighbor said the cat was abandoned by people who had moved from the apartment house next door and that the cat's name was Kayla. The author and her family's hearts just went out to Kayla. J. L. Young's son would whistle for her, crinkle the treat package and leave some on the ground for her and the neighbor's cat. Only she and the neighbor cat caught on to the fact that the whistle meant good things for them. Just for fun, J. L. Young's family started a diary that saw things form her viewpoint. Like any kitten, the book just grew. It is so interesting to "think like a cat." Enjoy! The author was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1933, and was an only child. Her father was always transferred from one place to another for his job. But they had cats and their cats were the author's most stable friends. She learned at a young age that their "happy tails" were not handles to pick them up with. All her life, J. L. Young was interested in writing and her mother often wrote poetry. Her English teacher encouraged her on her first feeble attempts at writing, to continue improving on it and developing that area. When J. L. Young married, her husband too liked cats. They raised nine children and there was always a cat or two in their home. Their children were often asking for stories and, although they all read books, they wanted personalized stories. J. L. Young often wrote little children's stories for them. This love inspired her to write her first book at the age of eighty.