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

By Peter Gethers

Book Overview

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 caf s, 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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767909038
• ISBN13: 9780767909037
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A beautiful story!

This is a continuation of the story of Norton the Scottish Fold from The Cat Who Went to Paris. It is such a beautiful story of friendship and love, but be forewarned, you will cry while reading this book, since it is the story of the last months of Norton's life. Both the author and the subject (Norton) are exceptional beings and the love and joy they experience together is an absolute love story. This is a book for anyone who has loved a kitty and for anyone who has lost a wonderful feline. Mr. Gethers and Norton are a match made in Heaven and their story is a joy to all readers. I had a hard time finishing this book because I knew the outcome when I bought it, but I was still compelled to read it because I knew that both the subject and the auther were extraordianary. It's beautiful, touching, heart-wrenching and true. If you have ever loved and been loved by a kitty, you will enjoy this story!

A Story That'll Touch Your Heart

Many may think "Oh, c'mon, some cheesy cat book" but this is by far one of the most incredible stories I have ever read. It is the story of Norton the cat who changed the lives of all he met. Gethers has written other books about Norton, but this is the last we'll ever find, as Norton is now in Heaven. While reading this book, I almost felt I was right there with Norton on his adventures to fancy restaurants and long car trips and spending a whole vacation hanging out with the people at the front desk of the hotel who couldn't bare to let him leave. Norton is incredible, and so is this book.

Touching and memorable

The story of Norton the cat and his owner culminates in this moving tale of the end of this special relationship. As a cat owner I related to the anguish of having a beloved pet suffer illness and the subsequent desperate search for help and hope. The author does a wonderful job of letting the reader share in his special relationship with his cat. He brings to life the last adventures of Norton, the ordeal of his illness and the blessings that arose from that experience they shared together. The final scenes where owner and cat share time together alone were vividly and intimately portrayed, and gut-wrenching. A must read and inspiration for all pet owners and lovers, I think this book tells the story of how all animals should be treated.

get the hanky ready

I bought a Scottish Fold after reading Gether's first two books. And was pleased to find that Norton's qualities are are a part of the breed. Loving, calm, etc. And total people magnets. The last book is cheerful, more stories of Norton's exploits and travels. Not until the last third of the book do we see Norton start to "fade." When Gethers sees that Norton is nearing the close of his life he takes him on a final road trip.I read, I cried, I read some more and cried a lot more.The odd thing is that this is not a depressing story. It's a story that ends and it ends just as Norton lived--with love for his human.