The Cat God Sent by Jim Kraus

About the Book:

Jake Wilkerson, a disillusioned young pastor who is an expert at hiding his fears,
takes on a new assignment at a small rural church in Coudersport,
Pennsylvania--which is a far piece from anywhere and full of curiously odd and eccentric people. His first day on the job, he is adopted by Petey--a cat of unknown origins and breed--but a very sentient cat who believes that he is on a mission from God to redeem Jake and bring him back to the truth.

Jake must confront his doubts early on when he meets Emma Grainger, a single woman and a veterinarian who dismisses all Christians as "those people." Then, Tassy, a young runaway with a secret, arrives at the door of the church looking for a place of refuge. How does Jake deal with this runaway and his interest in Dr. Grainger?

More importantly, can Jake rekindle his faith? Petey does his best to lead all people to the truth, in a most subtle and feline way.

My Thoughts:

This book reminded me of a series I love called "The Cat Who" series.  Jim does an excellent job integrating the small town feel with the, um, weirdness of a cat with above average intelligence. 

Jake is endearing, and you feel for him.  We all have a crisis of faith at some point in our lives, but when you are a pastor, it can be devastating.  It's obvious from the start that God brought him to a small church to get his feet back on solid ground.

Not only that, it's obvious that Emma needs someone like Jake.  A person who is real and honest about belief, and a lack of belief.  She may come across as a bit crusty, but she's just wounded and needing acceptance.

Tassy is a hoot, and I loved how she fit into the story.  Kind of saw her crisis coming, but wasn't completely sure for the first half of the book.  It was enjoyable to see God's people coming together in such a restoring way.

My only quibble was Petey.  When it was obvious that he was 'speaking', that kind of distracted from the story.  I've read other books that featured animals, and it was easy to 'tell' what the pet was sensing or communicating without a paragraph of dialog attributed to the animal.

But I still enjoyed the book.  I received a copy of "The Cat God Sent" from Abingdon Press in exchange for an honest review.  I have no problem recommending this one as a great summer treat.

Happy Reading!





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