The Story of a Contrary, Contumacious Cat

What happens when GRRR, a contrary, contumacious cat keeps pooping on a Persian rug in a military household? The man of the house, Army Major Wiley, loves dogs but does not like cats. He threatens to make GRRR, "dust in the wind."

How does this domestic problem get resolved? Unlikely help comes from an assertive female roofing contractor devoted to the SPCA. Miss Strum reaches a compromise with the female Mayor in the family. This cat-loving Army officer, the parent of two children, is willing to seek outside help. She asks her young daughter, Wren, to assist Diana Hunt, an SPCA animal communicator. Diana helps Wren understand a cat's territorial behavior and its language. Together, adult and child, make a change to Wren's room and give GRRR a catbird seat in the window. Diana and Wren also engage in a game to give the little gray female Persian a new name.

Written with humor and realism, this book for children and adults deals with the stress of moving, which often affects military and civilian families, as well as their pets. The Story of a Contrary, Contumacious Cat has enchanting, original artwork, and a glossary of 30 words, playfully defined for readers of all ages.

Gail Wilson Kenna taught for college/university programs in Germany, Malaysia, Venezuela, Colombia, and the USA (Chapman College and American University). She now teaches for a Virginia adult institute (RILL) and serves as the creative nonfiction judge for San Francisco's Soul Keats Literary Competition. The author of three books (Along the Gold Rush Trail, The Face of the Avila, Beyond the Wall), Kenna was a Bread Loaf Writers' Conference 2012 fiction scholarship winner. She is the recipient of multiple writing awards and listed in Who's Who of American Women since 2008. In 2000 the Puffin Foundation honored Kenna for her work with North Americans incarcerated in Venezuelan prisons and funded her book, Beyond the Wall. Life as a military and State Department spouse/mother meant frequent moves and led to her first book for children.

A. Cort Sinnes is an award-winning author and artist. He has written more than 30 books on gardening and outdoor living, six cookbooks, and two novels, many of which he illustrated himself. He lives and works in California's Napa Valley where, as a student at Napa High School, he first met Gail Kenna in 1969.