New Hamburg author Nancy Silcox launching book celebrating remarkable Canadian cats
By Galen Simmons
After nearly two years spent tracking down remarkable feline stories from across Canada and bringing them together in a book, New Hamburg author Nancy Silcox is ready to celebrate the launch of her latest work with local cat lovers.
Silcox will launch The Cat Did It: Tails of Marvellous Canadian Cats at the New Hamburg Pet Valu in Sobeys Plaza Nov. 14, followed by a second launch at the Stratford Pet Valu, 581 Huron St., Nov. 21. Both events run from 10 a.m. to noon.
The book, published by Dundurn Press and officially releasing Nov. 17, features stories of extraordinary cats from coast to coast to coast, including feline celebrities, lifesavers, medical miracles and beloved companions.
Among them is Nico, Prime Minister Mark Carney's family cat, whose story Silcox secured through conversations with Carney's daughter, Tess Carney.
"I suppose other politicians, when they get out their phones, they show people their family. Our prime minister pulls out the phone and shows Nico," Silcox said, recalling what Tess told her about her father's affection for the family pet.
Silcox even crocheted Nico a crown, which helped her secure a meeting with Mark Carney's wife, Diana Fox Carney, during a visit to Kitchener.
The book also features singer-songwriter Jann Arden's cat, Shrodie; Diggory, the musical cat owned by Ken and Roberta Harrison of the Wild Strawberries; and Fern, the beloved greenhouse cat at Stratford District Secondary School.
The project began after comments about "childless cat ladies" made by American vice president J.D. Vance inspired Silcox to celebrate the important roles cats play in people's lives.
An interview with CBC K-W's Craig Norris, which was broadcast nationally, brought submissions from cat owners across the country. Silcox spent roughly 10 months collecting their stories before Dundurn Press took over the publishing process.
"Some of the stories are sad and some of them are delightful and some of them are surprising," she said.
While Silcox hopes readers enjoy those stories, she is particularly excited about the book's charitable purpose.
All of her author royalties will be donated to three Canadian cat rescues featured in the book, including Pet Patrol in Elmira and organizations in Ottawa and Edmonton.
"I don't keep any of the royalties. None," Silcox said.
She credited Pet Valu owner Kayla Orleck and her staff for enthusiastically supporting the local launches.
Visitors will have an opportunity to meet Silcox, purchase the book and potentially meet some of the cat owners and four-legged stars featured in its pages.
For Silcox, the launches offer an opportunity to celebrate the animals that bring so much to people's lives while supporting organizations dedicated to rescuing them.
"The book is a celebration of cats who have many, many jobs in our lives, as companions, as nurses, as comedians, whatever," she said.
"I think the really big thing is the support of the cat charities."
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