Strays

A Lost Cat, a Homeless Man, and Their Journey Across America

By: Britt Collins, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson - foreword

Narrated by: George Newbern

For fans of A Street Cat Named Bob and Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Strays is a compelling true story of a man who rescues a stray, injured cat and how they save each other.

Homeless, alcoholic, and depressed, Michael King lives in a UPS loading bay on the wrong side of the tracks in Portland, Oregon. One rainy night, he stumbles upon a hurt, starving, scruffy cat and takes her in. Nursing her back to health, he names her Tabor, and she becomes a bit of a celebrity in Southeast Portland. When winter comes, they travel from Oregon to the beaches of California and to the high plains of Montana, surviving blizzards and bears, angry steers and rainstorms. Along the way people are drawn to the spirited, beautiful cat and moved to help Michael, who cuts a striking figure with Tabor riding high on his backpack or walking on a leash.

Tabor comforts Michael when he's down, giving Michael someone to love and care for, and inspiring him to get sober and to come to terms with his past family traumas and grief over the death of his life partner. As they make their way across the West Coast, the pair become inseparable, healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts. But when Michael takes Tabor to a veterinarian in Montana, he discovers that Tabor has an identification chip and an owner in Portland who has never given up hope of finding his beloved cat. Michael makes the difficult choice to return to Portland and reunite Tabor with her owner. Now Michael must create a new purpose in his life after Tabor.

The authentic tale of an adventurous and charismatic cat and her compassionate human admirers, Strays proves the healing power of love and the profound bond between humans and animals.

©2017 Britt Collins (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

beautiful true story

Wonderful story of love, loss, more love, adventure, kindness and a pitch for animal sanity.

heartwarming

a must read for cat lovers. animals canchange your life. can't live without mine. love cats big and small.

Real life

The story with Siri movie, excellent read and brings awareness to the plight of the homeless and the the tens of thousands of homeless animals. This was a loving and tender story touch your heart.

Not the ending I hoped for.

I knew how it turned out, but I was hoping that would be a positive experience. Tabor/Mata’s owner is really unlikable and I have to question the sanity of someone who loses his cat TWICE and then continues to let her outside. She would have been better off continuing her journey on the road with Michael. I’m glad she came into his life when she did and I hope he’s doing alright.

Heartwarming, uplifting story

To see a feel good story about a cat interacting and improving a humans life is such a wonderful feeling, totally loved this book