Cat Who'll Live Forever: The Final Adventures of Norton, the Perfect Cat, and His Imperfect Human

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Brace yourselves, Norton fans: This is the third and final installment in the saga of the Cat Who Went to Paris (and Italy and Florida and Sag Harbor, Long Island), but I'm here to tell you it's a happy book you won't want to miss -- though I can't promise you won't be crying at the end.

In case you've kept to the dog side of the aisle for too long, Norton, a nine-pound Scottish Fold cat, was decidedly special, perhaps even un-catlike. He kept his human, Peter Gethers, company by walking along a crowded beach for two miles, and would wait in the bushes until Peter was ready to go home. Norton learned how to unlock a bedroom door, persuaded two reluctant Italian cooks to do a book with Peter, and even learned to activate the automatic seat warmer for his side of the car. He also traveled well and happily in a shoulder bag, on planes, boats, and subways, and was always ready to make new friends.

More important, as all pets do, Norton taught his owner about life and love, especially unconditional love, and the pleasures and pains of being involved. He transformed Peter from a self-described insensitive oaf into a man who would do anything, but anything, for his cat.

This part of Norton's life begins when he turns ten, still down-to-earth even though he is recognized on the streets of Paris and receives his own fan notes. Peter does not share this celebrity. In fact, in one of the best stories in the book, Peter and his girlfriend, Janis, are invited to a celebrity movie premiere to meet someone named Tony only because of their connection to Norton. Ultimately, Norton comes to the post-screening party, receives a royal welcome from the guest of honor, Sir Anthony Hopkins, a Norton fan, and is surrounded by well-wishers. Standing on the sidelines, Peter is approached by Lauren Bacall, who says in that inimitable voice: "I don't know who you are and I don't know why you're here. But if I want to talk to Tony Hopkins, who's an old and dear, dear friend...why do I have to stand in line behind your f***ing cat?"

Though Norton appears to be purring his way into middle age, he develops kidney disease and, later, cancer. Anyone who has ever struggled with the serious illness of a beloved animal will empathize with Peter as he cooks special meals for Norton and administers holistic supplements. Norton's ending is characteristically, full of love, courage, and dignity. Once again, Norton points up the best qualities in animals and one of the special joys in life. (Ginger Curwen)

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The final, poignant chapter in a trilogy of bestselling true stories about a floppy-eared Scottish Fold named Norton.

Peter Gethers was a confirmed cat hater until the day he received a six-week-old kitten as a gift. Walking the streets of New York with Norton tucked into his pocket, Gethers began forming an intense attachment to his new pet. Before long Norton was flying with his owner on the Concorde to Europe, sipping milk in Parisian cafés, and eating custom-made pounce pizzas at Spago. Soon Gethers began to detail Norton's adventures in print, and with The Cat Who Went to Paris and A Cat Abroad the duo made history as well as many, many friends around the world.

The Cat Who'll Live Forever chronicles the latest in Norton's astonishing adventures, celebrity encounters, and worldwide excursions, culminating in his heartwarming -- and heartbreaking -- final cross-country trip. The first half of this book will have you smiling and laughing as Norton changes the lives of the Italian owners of a thirteenth-century abbey in Sicily, attends movie premiers with Sir Anthony Hopkins in the chic Hamptons, and relaxes at the dog run in Greenwich Village's Washington Square Park. But as Norton gets older his schedule slows down and he struggles with the aches and pains and physical inconveniences that go along with age, teaching his human the essentials of loving and caring and coping with illness. Ultimately Norton passes along to his owner the most valuable lessons of all: How to deal with death and grief; how to live life on your own terms; and how to appreciate and savor the joyful times that come along while we're here on earth.

The Cat Who'll Live Forever is, on one level, a touching meditation on love and relationships and dealing with the pain of inevitable loss. Above all, it is a deeply moving and life-affirming tribute to a humble little animal who never let stardom go to his head and always understood the meaning of true friendship.

SYNOPSIS

The final, poignant chapter in a trilogy of bestselling true stories about a floppy-eared Scottish Fold named Norton

Peter Gethers was a confirmed cat hater until the day he received a six-week-old kitten as a gift.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Fans of Gethers's two previous chronicles of life with his cat, Norton (The Cat Who Went to Paris and A Cat Abroad), will be delighted by this third installment. Here, Gethers (who was feline-unfriendly until he received Norton as a present) recounts Norton's physical deterioration (kidney failure, cancer) and eventual death in 1999 at age 16. Having avoided filling the book with homilies about the nature of life and death, Gethers wryly notes that he's produced something "closer to Tuesdays with Norton than... to Meowing and Nothingness." Devoting more attention to Norton's astonishing international fame than to the cat's "final adventures," he relates Norton's (and, not incidentally, Gethers's) many brushes with greatness: Anthony Hopkins, Roman Polanski and Wolfgang Puck are among his famous fans. Gethers is at his best describing his own mixed feelings about Norton's success; fans at book signings, for instance, regularly talk to the cat and not to him. Readers will also enjoy Gethers's candid assessment of their lives together, such as his admission that he was "too selfish to get a second cat for [Norton] to socialize with," and that he slaved daily over healthful home-cooked meals for Norton but often got take-out for himself. (On-sale Sept. 9) Forecast: Norton was the first cat to get a New York Times obit, and People magazine included him in a "Notable Deaths" feature along with Stanley Kubrick, Joe DiMaggio and King Hussein. An author tour and inevitable media attention will give this book the proverbial nine lives. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Norton, the Scottish Fold cat of The Cat Who Went to Paris (LJ 9/1/91) and A Cat Abroad (LJ 10/1/93), is back. In this last installment of his feline's life story, Gethers again shares humorous stories of the celebrities that Norton has charmed Anthony Hopkins, Marcello Mastrionni, and Wilt Chamberlain delighting readers with his cat's adventures. The tone, however, turns somber when a veterinarian discovers that Norton has kidney problems, and Gethers shamelessly admits his own cowardice during this period. After Norton's health stabilizes, life continues at a less rapid pace until it is discovered that Norton has cancer. The author then realizes how much love he owes his furry companion and cares for him 24 hours a day. This bittersweet story of a cat who teaches his human friend lessons in loving and coping with illness is essential for all public libraries. Eva Lautemann, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Clarkston, GA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Norton, the urbane yet humble Scottish Fold, became famous as The Cat Who Went to Paris (1992) and continued his adventures in Provence in A Cat Abroad (1994, both Fawcett) but, to the disappointment of his many fans, took early retirement at the age of 10. Gethers now reveals the details of the feline's final years. Here Norton travels less-though he still makes an occasional appearance at Spago, takes the Concorde to Europe, and upstages film stars from Paris to the Hamptons. Though kidney failure and cancer slow him down and ultimately defeat him, he never loses his charm, composure, or talent for making the most of his life. In his old age, Norton makes a farewell tour of all his favorite spots, undergoes medical procedures with dignity, and enjoys the sun on his preferred park bench-inside a most amusing dog run in New York City. Though it's clear that Gethers has a high-powered career, he somehow succeeds in portraying himself simply as a callow fellow blessed with an awesome cat. As Norton's health problems gradually take over both their lives, the author learns how to care for an invalid and, ultimately, to mourn the death of a loved one. Those who knew Norton when he was young will be grateful that Gethers shared this story. Others can find a different perspective here on medicine, aging, friendship, and grief; the value of humor; or just the meaning of life.-Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews