Title : The Cat Who Came for Christmas
Author : Cleveland Amory
Publisher : Back Bay Books
Year : October 23, 2001
ISBN : 0316058211
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : 'Tis the night before Christmas when a self-described curmudgeon rescues a bedraggled feline from a snowy New York City alley...Thus begins this touching, timeless, and inspiring tale of a man and his cat—or, rather, of a cat and his man. It is a story that succeeds not only in illuminating the animal/human bond but in capturing the spirit of the holiday season.

About the Author : Cleveland Amory, prominent humorist and humanitarian, founded The Fund for Animals in 1967 and served without pay as its president until his death in 1998. From 1980 to 1998, Amory was senior contributing editor of Parade magazine. His three books about his famous cat, Polar Bear -- The Cat Who Came for Christmas, The Cat and the Curmudgeon, and The Best Cat Ever -- all became instant bestsellers, and are now available as The Compleat Cat, which contains all three in one volume. Amory's last release, Ranch of Dreams, tells the story of The Fund for Animals' Black Beauty Ranch, a sanctuary for hundreds of abused and abandoned animals. Cleveland Amory passed away on October 15, 1998, at the age of 81. He is buried next to his beloved Polar Bear, at Black Beauty Ranch in Texas.

Title : Build Me An Ark: A Life with Animals
Author : Brenda Peterson
Publisher : W.W. Norton & Company
Year : January, 2001
ISBN : 0393050149
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : This is the story of a life and spirit guided by animals. Born and raised in the High Sierras on a national forest lookout station, Brenda Peterson developed a bond with animals that was a daily, defining influence on her life. Beginning with her childhood fascination with Smokey Bear, Peterson explores her deep connection with animals - from encounters with grizzlies in Montan's Rockies to horses in the south, Siberian huskies in New York City and Colorado, and her work for the restoration and protection of wild wolves in the Arizona desert, Yellowstone, and Alaska. Here, too, are intimate stories of wild dolphins, whales, and orcas whose lives she has studied for the past two decades. Build Me an Ark bridges the mysterious worlds between species where science and spirituality meet through Peterson's passionate storytelling. With all its drama, disappointment, loss, and inspiration, this memoir is a love story. Each moving chapter reveals a turning point in which animal bonds have enriched Peterson's life and lead her to a wider epiphany; as a species we cannot live without other animals.

About the Author : Brenda Peterson is the author of three novels including, most recently, Duck and Cover, which was selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her three collections of essay, Living by Water, Nature and Other Mothers, and Singing to the Sound, established her as a leading nature writer. She is also the author of Sister Stories. Peterson's non-fiction has appeared in the New York Times, Seattle Times, Christian Science Monitor, and magazines such as New Age, Orion, and The Utne Reader. Peterson has co-edited the best-selling anthology Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals. She lives on Puget Sound in Seattle, Washington, and is at work on a book About the grey whale.

Title : Clara the Early Years: The Story of The Pug Who Ruled My Life
Author : Margo Kaufman
Publisher : Plume Books
Year : September 1, 1999
ISBN : 0452281369
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : "Before Clara, I was not a Pet Parent. The pugs were dogs. Cute dogs, willful dogs, lovable to be sure, but I was a Human. I was in charge. Then along came Clara, and all bets were off." ~ Margo Kaufman

Acclaimed columnist Margo Kaufman fell in love with pugs when she was nineteen. But none of her previous pets could compare with Clara, a glossy-black, twelve-pound package of pug charm and pugnacity with the face of an imp, the heart of a ham, and the deductive gifts of a genius. "She's like an alien with supernatural powers," says Margo's therapist. "If you stare into her eyes too long, you'll lose your will."

Title : The Orangutans
Author : Gisela Kaplan and Lesley J. Rogers
Publisher : Perseus Publishing
Year : May, 2000
ISBN : 0738202908
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : An intimate look at the most human-like primates on the face of the Earth. In this eye-opening book, two experts on animal communication paint a compassionate picture of the species of great apes that behaves most like us. Blending the work of other scientists with their own extensive research in orangutan behavior, Kaplan and Rogers give rare insight into the lives, and the plight, of these peaceful, intelligent creatures. They provide an amazing account of orangutan behaviors, from their remarkable mothering skills to their ways of communication. Interspersed throughout are charming tales of some of the orangutans the authors have met and befriended.

About the Author : Gisela Kaplan and Lesley J. Rogers are professors at the University of New England in New South Wales, Australia, and are active researchers of orangutans in Indonesia and Malaysia. Rogers is the author of Minds of Their Own: Thinking and Awareness in Animals.

Title : Emergency Animal Rescue Stories: True Stories About People Dedicated to Saving Animals from Disasters
Author : Terri Crisp
Publisher : Prima Lifestyles
Year : September 28, 2000
ISBN : 0761517065
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : When disaster strikes, who saves the animals? The wrath of nature in the form of fire, flood, hurricane, or earthquake takes an enormous toll on animals as well as people. But, while there has long been help to save humans, there wasn't anyone who focused on helping the animals. This is why EARS - Emergency Animal Rescue Service - came into being. Inside are the real-life stories of EARS volunteers, and how their efforts have saved countless animals from certain death. You will read about the touching reunions of pet owners with the cherished pets they feared were dead. You will appreciate the wonderful service that EARS and its thousands of volunteers provide to all of us with their rescue efforts. Most of all these stories will make you laugh, cry, and marvel at the deep connection humans and animals share. For those who love animals comes this riveting account of an extraordinary, dedicated team of more than 3,500 trained volunteers. EARS (Emergency Animal Rescue Service) takes on the task that the Red Cross and other human-focused organizations simply can't: helping animals survive natural and man-made disasters. You will be moved by the courageous, poignant, and at times humorous stories.

About the Author : Terri Crisp is director of the internationally known Emergency Animal Rescue Service (EARS). Terri has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and 20/20, and was hailed as "an American hero" by Reader's Digest and "one of the most inspiring women in America" by NBC. She has been rescuing animals for almost 20 years. Terri lives in California with her husband, three daughters, and their extended family of cats, dogs, goats, cows, and birds.

Title : Three Cats, Two Dogs: One Journey Through Multiple Pet Loss
Author : David Congalton
Publisher : NewSage Press
Year : May 1, 2000
ISBN : 0939165376
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : Death is a part of life. As soon as we are born, we begin to die. We may know this with our heads, but our hearts are often caught unaware by the emotion of grief. David and Charlotte Congalton lived in San Luis Obispo with their three cats and two dogs. On December 14, 1997, they went to a holiday party. Two hours later they arrived home "to find the inside of our house engulfed in smoke and flames. All five pets were dead. Just like that. Not one was spared." This book takes you through the Congalton's grief over a period of two years. It will challenge your comfort zone. It will make you reflect on how you treat people who have experienced the loss of a pet. Are you tempted to say "It's just a pet. Get over it"? When you finish reading, you will find you have gentler and kinder answers for those in the midst of grief. Perhaps it will hit you on a personal level, if you have lost a pet recently, allowing you to say, "I'm okay. I will get through this." Regardless of whether or not you have pets, you will learn a lot about human nature from this book.

About the Author : David Congalton survived every pet lover's worst nightmare-the simultaneous death of his five animal companions due to a sudden house fire. This memoire is a refreshingly honest account of the heartache faced by Congalton. He describes his grief process, unabashed. His story begins with tragedy and ends with redemption-the formation of a new animal family. Congalton depicts anguish transformed into a commitment to abused and abandoned animals. Three Cats, Two Dogs is a down-to-earth read that offers tremendous solace and practical suggestions for coping with grief. Anyone who has an animal companion, and fears the day when he or she may die, will find this story inspirational and hopeful.

Title : Blessing the Bridge: What Animals Teach Us About Death, Dying, and Beyond
Author : Rita M. Reynolds
Publisher : NewSage Press
Year : December 1, 2000
ISBN : 0939165384
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : For more than twenty years, author Rita Reynolds has worked with sick and dying animals at her animal sanctuary, Howling Success. She offers a pioneering approach to understanding and working with aging and dying animals, with specifics on how to comfort and ease them into death, such as creating a soothing environment, herbal stress relievers, and comforting words. Blessing the Bridge goes beyond the advice of most grief books, suggesting that even in death, there is tremendous opportunity for love and learning. Reynolds' compassionate approach to simply "being" with animals, offers a deeper understanding of our connection to all animals as well as moving beyond our own fears of death to be of assistance to our dying animal companions. Her non-secular spiritual perspective for viewing death and its blessings is visionary. Blessing the Bridge includes many of Reynolds' heart moving stories about animals in their final days and what they have taught her about living, dying, death, and beyond.

About the Author : Rita Reynolds is the founder of Howling Success, an animal sanctuary located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville, Virginia. For the past 25 years her sanctuary has been home to hundreds of animals. Reynolds is also the founder and editor of LaJoie, The Journal in Appreciation of All Animals, first published in 1990 and distributed internationally. Rita is currently establishing a community hospice program for animals and their human families. In addition to her animal family, Reynolds shares her home with her husband and two sons.

Title : Singing to the Sound: Visions of Nature, Animals & Spirit
Author : Brenda Peterson
Publisher : NewSage Press
Year : September 9, 2001
ISBN : 0939165414
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : In her thirteen essays in Singing to the Sound, nature writer Brenda Peterson reflects, observes, and reports on living by water, perched on the shores of Puget Sound. She writes about her observations of animal play; finding peace in a high-paced technological world; the ongoing battles over hunting the wolves and whales; the threatened salmon; lessons from the great blue heron, and more. Critics praise Peterson as "a new breed of essayist in America, especially in the American West." Once again, Peterson gives her readers the opportunity to become "other" as she muses and envisions nature, animals, and spirit. This timely new collection also includes three essays in which Peterson unravels the complexities of the highly controversial Makah whale hunt, the first off U.S. mainland shores in nearly a century. Since 1996, Peterson's essays on the Makah have appeared in The Seattle Times, and now, for the first time in book form, Peterson gives an in depth view of this dramatic and complex story. Peterson, who helped mediate between the Makah and environmentalists, moves beyond the polarized view of "Indians vs. environmentalists" often portrayed in the media.

About the Author : Brenda Peterson is the author of three novels, one of which, Duck and Cover was selected as a New York Times "Notable Book of the Year." Her four works of non-fiction include Nature and Other Mothers and Sister Stories. Peterson has co-edited two anthologies, the groundbreaking Intimate Nature: The Bond Between Women and Animals and The Sweet Breathing of Plants. Her memoir, Build me an Ark: A Life with Animals was published in spring 2001. Peterson lives in Seattle with her cat Isabel.

Title : The Souls of Animals
Author : Gary Kowalski
Publisher : Stillpoint Publishing; 2nd Rev edition
Year : January 1, 1999
ISBN : 1883478219
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : Animals are not inanimate objects devoid of feeling and intellect but thinking, sentient individuals with a spiritual life.
"Gary Kowalski helps us unlock the mysteries of animal spirituality. For as we have learned from the companion animals that share our lives and our homes, when we look into their eyes we see the reflection of our own humanity." ~ Kim Stallwood, Editor The Animals' Agenda magazine

"Gary Kowalski's voice is one that empowers us to say in public what we have thought in private -- that animals love their companions, know grief and joy, and play and create. They are truly our brothers and sisters in fur, feather and fin." ~ Tom Regan, author of The Case for Animal Rights

"This is an important book because it is so revealing of the animal soul that touches ours when we are open and receptive. In the process, our own souls are enriched." ~ Dr. Michael W. Fox, Vice President The Humane Society of the United States.

About the Author : Gary Kowalski has served as a Unitarian Universalist minister in Memphis TN, Seattle WA, and Burlington VT, since graduating from Harvard Divinity School. He has written on behalf of animals for many years, with the best of his sermons published in 1989 by Harper & Row, Best Sermons. He is also the author of Goodbye Friend.

Title : Kindred Spirits: How the Remarkable Bond Between Humans & Animals Can Change The Way We Live
Author : Allen M. Schoen D.V.M.,M.S.
Publisher : Broadway Books
Year : March, 2002
ISBN : B000068IK4
(Amazon.com)

About the Book : "Animals are a gift to the human race--a gift that humans rarely take full advantage of. Only now are we even beginning to understand what a marvelous blessing animals truly are." When Allen Schoen began practicing veterinary medicine twenty-three years ago, his peers scoffed at his assertion that animals have feelings and emotions. Today he is one of America's most celebrated veterinarians, traveling worldwide to treat the domestic animals of scores of clients and working daily to improve the ways we understand and interact with our animal friends. Kindred Spirits shares the transformative power of Schoen's remarkable methods and his vision for a society in which we cease to be owner and pet, human and animal, but are simply respected companions connected by an inimitable bond--kindred spirits.

About the Author : Allen M. Schoen, D.V.M., M.S., is one of the most sought-after doctors of veterinary medicine in the nation. He frequently lectures at conferences and schools across the United States and is the author of three other books, including Love, Miracles, and Animal Healing. An affiliate faculty member at Colorado State University of Veterinary Medicine, he lives in Sherman, Connecticut.