Book Review: The Good, The Bad, and The Furry

By Sara Steven

Chance, my one year-old orange tabby, has decided to rest his 12-lb body on my left arm while I’m attempting to compose this review. He doesn’t seem to mind one bit, completely oblivious to the fact that he’s impeding my typing. Out of the four of us in my household, I’m his favorite, and I’m not even sure if that’s saying much. He’s obsessive, domineering, and can be quite pouty when he doesn’t get his way. For some strange reason, I’m totally in love with the teenage brat.

Tom Cox’s unique ability to delve into the minds of felines is his forte, bringing to life his own cat’s personalities in The Good, The Bad, and The Furry. We meet Roscoe, a kitten who likes to fight with his own image in the mirror; Ralph, so named due to his amazing ability to meow “RALPH!” in conversation; Shipley, one of those bruiser types who likes to talk a lot and doesn’t back down from a challenge; and then there’s everyone’s favorite, The Bear, a sweet boy who appears to be the perfect feline companion.

Tom navigates through his life, recently made rocky due to a devastating break-up, with the help of his furry friends. It’s interesting how he places such human characteristics on them, although to be fair, don’t we all do that with our beloved pets? They become our companions and have such personalities, no one pet is the same. What I appreciated most about "Furry" is how Tom is like an open book to his readers, letting them into a not-so-happy time in his life and how he chooses to dig his way out and find happiness again. I’m sure he never could predict that who’d help him through the most would be little bodies covered in fur and mobile on four legs, yet there’s a special bond between a human and his pet, or as I’m sure his cats would see it, an alpha cat and its human.

I thought this was a cute, cleverly written unique perspective on all things feline. It certainly helped me to develop better clarity where my own feline experiences are concerned, and has helped me accept the fact that Chance is merely claiming ownership over me, which I think means he really does like me. Even though my left arm has now completely fallen asleep from under his vast weight.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the book in exchange for an honest review.