A Lifetime of Pets

More from my ongoing interview about my soon-to-be-published book Little Cat’s Luck:Question: Marion, your love and respect for animals shines through many of your books. Did real animals influence Little Cat’s Luck?My Answer: Yes, I do love animals, and no, no real animals influenced this story . . . except that a lifetime of pets, both cats and dogs, made it possible for me to write it. I don’t have cats any longer—sadly, I’ve developed an allergy to them—but for most of my life I had a cat or cats, and I helped bring many litters of kittens into the world. Witnessing birth is one of the most thrilling, the most awe-inspiring experiences of my life, and this story rose out of my privilege in sharing those births. And Gus? I’ve known no such dog, but the dogs I have known have taught me how deeply they—and by extension we—need relationship. So all I had to do was to put him alone in that fenced yard to understand how badly he hurt and how badly he might behave.Would you like to know more about some of my books that feature animals? Here’s a piece I wrote that appeared in Bookology magazine.