How one little black kitty came in from the cold
After stopping some kids from throwing rocks at a group of cats, a boy finds a little black kitty starving and shivering in the snow. He wants to save the poor little black kitty but doesn’t know how! With the help of a friendly volunteer, he learns all about community cats. The neighbors call them “Nobody’s cats”. What will they think when the boy springs into action and becomes a superhero to help the little black kitty and his friends?
Nobody’s Cats: How One Little Kitty Came in from the Cold is based on the true story of a project to help community cats in the small town of Burns Lake in rural northern British Columbia, Canada.
Local students helped pick the ending of the story! It also features their amazing community cat artwork.
Authors: Valerie Ingram & Alistair Schroff
Illustrator: Hadley Hutton
All proceeds will support our programs to help northern dogs and cats: student and community education about animal care, compassion and bite safety; dog/cat houses for animals in need, pet food for animals in need, and spay/neuter services for animals from lower income families.
How I enjoyed Nobody’s Cats! What a wonderful book—it so well done and has an important, educational message for children, as well as adults. I love how empowered the little boy is to care for the cats and make the black kitty his forever friend. In other words, the child is the hero, and that’s key for childrens’ books.”
Maribeth Boelts, author Before You Were Mine
The past 2 years we’ve followed the exploits of the Lakes Animal Friendship Society in central BC, and what fun that has been! Their most recent project is one that truly touches our hearts – Valerie and Alistair have written a children’s book, Nobody’s Cats, basing it on a the true story of a project to help community cats in the small town of Burns Lake in rural northern British Columbia. Two children saw a problem – they reached out for guidance, gained community support, and changed their community for the better. The entire community, children and adults alike, can see daily the positive benefits of their compassionate actions.
Nancy Wahl, Executive Director, Community Cat Coalition of Washington
Nobody’s Cats is part of the RedRover Readers program. The RedRover Readers program helps children understand animals and develop their empathy skills. RedRover provides training opportunities for educators to learn how to implement the RedRover Readers curriculum and how to use stories and question strategies to develop thoughtful and engaged learners. Resources for parents and educators along with more information about training opportunities can be found at www.RedRover.org/Readers
Nobody’s Cats is based on the true story of a project to help community cats in the small town of Burns Lake in rural northern British Columbia. Two girls, Vivienne and Catrina, saw suffering cats near their home one winter. Instead of ignoring the situation, they took action. They contacted the Lakes Animal Friendship Society (LAFS) to find out ways they could help. The girls shared what they learned about community cats with their fellow students. They worked with Mrs. Benoit and Ms. Russell and the rest of Grassy Plains School to raise awareness and the first $100 toward the spaying and neutering of the community cats. They volunteered to help by feeding the cats and overseeing the care of the colony.
Learn more about Community Cats and how you can help them.