Name: Kathleen A. Ryan
E-mail: katcop13@msn.com
Date posted: February 01, 2010 - 09:48 am
Message: I don't know if my previous comment went through, so forgive me if this is a repeat!
The news of your essay in 2007 prompted me to share a story while attending Frank McCourt's memoir writing workshop at the Southampton Writers Conference. It was about a 911 call I handled in 1989 (I was a cop for 21 years), in which an elderly lady died in her sleep in her home. When the PA came to make pronouncement, he moved the sheet to expose her body; a cat sprang out at us. I often wondered about the cat under the covers. Frank encouraged me to write about it, and I did: an essay called, "The Watcher." I submitted it to The Southampton Review in 2008, and it is finally being published next month in the Winter/Spring Edition. My essay won a creative nonfiction award with the Public Safety Writers Association last year.
Best wishes with your book ~ it's very exciting!

Name: Shelley
E-mail: Private
Date posted: January 31, 2010 - 08:39 pm
Message: My mother passed away on December 8, 2007. She was a widow, as my dad had passed away in 2001. She and my dad adopted a cat fifteen years before she died. Following my dad's passing, it was Max that made her happy, whole, and never lonely. She was hospitalized for 3 weeks and in a coma before she was finally taken off the ventilator. She was then moved to hospice. We were told we could bring Max to the hospice home to stay with her. Max started out at the foot of her bed, never leaving her side unless to eat or use the litter. She was in hospice for 6 days before she passed away, and every day, Max would move up closer on the bed towards her head. If we had to move him so the nurses could bathe her, he would always return to the very same spot he had left. Whenever we moved him, he cried like a baby until he was back in the bed. The day before she passed away, he had moved up and wouldn't move from the spot between her shoulders and neck. BTW, she was very ill but stable and not much had changed in my mothers condition throughout the five days. On the sixth day, we walked in and Max was curled at her neck. Later that morning she passed away. After she passed away, we all were convinced that Max knew exactly what was going on and when she was going to die.. I hadn't given it much thought until I saw that your book had been published. I look forward to reading it! Thank you.

Name: Wes Bouchard
E-mail: wesbouchard@aol.com
Date posted: January 31, 2010 - 06:02 pm
Message: Its comforting to know a cat has the ability to comfort us when we are passing into the next life. My cat must be giving mixed signals...he comforts me when my wife is shopping. Maybe the bill to come or the lost cells thinking about it!

Name: Ms. Kelly McCowan
E-mail: Private
Date posted: January 31, 2010 - 04:15 pm
Message: Hi Dr. David.
You might be interested to know about the research work of Dr. Rupert Sheldrake. In particular, you might want to check-out the book he wrote titled, 'Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home'.
Basically, the book is about Sheldrake documenting that dogs, cats, birds & other animals appear to have psychic ability. Sheldrake is a scientist too, so you might find this book to be a worthwhile read.
Best Wishes,
Kelly

Name: Ms. Kelly McCowan
E-mail: Private
Date posted: January 31, 2010 - 04:14 pm
Message: Hi Dr. David.
You might be interested to know about the research work of Dr. Rupert Sheldrake. In particular, you might want to check-out the book he wrote titled, 'Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home'.
Basically, the book is about Sheldrake documenting that dogs, cats, birds & other animals appear to have psychic ability. Sheldrake is a scientist too, so you might find this book to be a worthwhile read.
Best Wishes,
Kelly