On the Road with Suzy: From Cat to Companion

by Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm

Overview

On temporary assignment in Houston, Texas, at the start of 1998, Aleksandra and her husband, Norman, never expected that their lives would be changed forever when a small, chocolate-gold-black, stray cat stalked into the apartment complex where they were living and adopted them. Suzy soon became a key family member and travels extensively with the author. In a life full of animals, Suzy's owners have had to confront many of the dilemmas that cat ownership entails. This is the story of a deepening relationship between a couple and their cat, written by an award-winning author and filled with insightful comments about cat behavior and the nature of the human–feline bond. The episodes in this book will delight and inform other "cat people" and will leave readers with a new understanding of the way interactions with animals transform our lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557535542
Publisher:	Purdue University Press
Publication date:	05/01/2010
Pages:	166
Sales rank:	930,943
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dr. Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm is a recipient of numerous literary awards, scholarships, and fellowships. Awarded a fellowship in literature by the Delaware Division of Arts in 2006, and a Fulbright scholar in 2006-2007, she is a member of the Society of Polish Writers, Warsaw, and the PEN American Center, New York. Her works have included historical biographies and autobiographical stories of her peripatetic life.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter One: Suzy—a Little Cat from Texas
Chapter Two: Shelters Not Only for Cats
Chapter Three: A Second Chance Farm (Thomas Tomczyk)
Chapter Four: The White Cat
Chapter Five: Latik and Sir Riley
Chapter Six: Suzy Visit PetSmart
Chapter Seven: Suzy’s First Doctor Appointment: The News
Chapter Eight: Suzy—the Cat Mom
Chapter Nine: Whitey Moves Away
Chapter Ten: Farewell to the Kittens
Chapter Eleven: Tuffy
Chapter Twelve: Suzy Leaves Texas—the Journey to Delaware
Chapter Thirteen: Suzy’s New Home
Chapter Fourteen: The Opossums—Ollie and Ellie
Chapter Fifteen: Suzy’s Life
Chapter Sixteen: Cat Kennels
Chapter Seventeen: Animals in India (Thomas Tomczyk)
Chapter Eighteen: Suzy Flies to Poland
Chapter Nineteen: Sam-Sylvester
Chapter Twenty: On the Plane with a Cat
Chapter Twenty-One: Return to Delaware
Chapter Twenty-Two: Visiting Latik and Riley in Houston
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Expedition to Indian Reservations
Chapter Twenty-Four: Return Home—News about Tuffy
Chapter Twenty-Five: Jack’s Story
Chapter Twenty-Six: Suzy’s New Home at Ridgewood Circle
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Latik’s Death
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Claude-Cat
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Dingo and Ticks
Chapter Thirty: Cats in Cancun
Chapter Thirty-One: Cat’s World
Chapter Thirty-Two: Visit to Woodlands and Houston
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Great Horned Owl
Chapter Thirty-Four: Suzy and Claude on Fulbright
Chapter Thirty-Five: Lester Chester
Chapter Thirty-Six: Parting Thoughts
Chapter Thirty-Seven: We Wait for Him

What People are Saying About This

Audrey Ronning Topping

I have received 'On The Road With Suzy' yesterday and read it in one sitting with great pleasure. I am sure that all animal lovers will find it truly wonderful, and all thinking people, even if they hate cats, will find it a profound, sensitive, insightful and funny book. Dr. Aleksandra's understanding of cats, and animals in general, goes beyond our common need for the unconditional love we receive from our pets. It reaches into our deepest feelings and spiritual needs in line with the Taoist and Buddhist philosophy of wisdom and compassion: that the belief in an absolute unity transcends all divergences, and all life is seen to be but forms of the Primal One. (Audrey Ronning Topping, acclaimed author of six books and a prize-winning photojournalist.)