Rusty was Glenn’s friend and confidante. Page Turner . . . he’s more like Glenn’s grandchild. And no, I’m not saying he’s literally a grandchild or that he’s a replacement for something Glenn was missing. Life, love, and desire are never that simple. Happiness is never something you can calculate. At its best, it’s something that catches you unaware and that you never fully understand.
All I’m saying, I suppose, is that Dewey was the wise and caring cat, the one who helped me and the town of Spencer through some very tough times. Rusty was the cool dude that wandered in at the right time. Page Turner is a perpetual child. He’s fun. He’s foolish. He’s dependent. And I wouldn’t want him any other way.
So, no, Page Turner didn’t help me get over the loss of Dewey. Time did that. Page Turner just eased me into the next part of my life. The part with Glenn. And grandkids. And travel. And good health that I do have to constantly monitor and for that reason will always cherish. We’ve built a new life together, Glenn and I. We’ve bought a house. Page Turner made that house a home and our little trio a family.
What more should we ever ask of our cats?
Acknowledgments
My utmost thanks to the people who opened their lives so that their stories could be told in this book, and to all the people who helped fill out those stories with additional information, such as Adrienna (Sweetie) Case, Dr. Niki Kimling, and Harris Riggs. And, of course, a special thank you to all the wonderful cats who are the heart and soul of these stories; without them, none of this would have been written. This book is, truly, for all the cats around the world that brighten and enhance our lives.
To Peter McGuigan, my agent and friend, how can I thank you enough? Thank you to all the wonderful people at Foundry Literary + Media, especially Hannah Brown-Gordon, Stephanie Abou, and Dan McGillivray.
To Carrie Thornton, my editor, for always believing in this idea, and to Brian Tart, who seems to run the whole show from behind a mysterious curtain, for his support of her enthusiastic support. Lily Kosner—you are cool. Thank you Christine Ball (Publicity), Carrie Swetonic (Marketing), Monica Benalcazar (Art), and Susan Schwartz and Rachael Hicks (Managing Editorial): there would be no Magic without you.
Thank you, as always, to my friend and cowriter, Bret Witter, to his family—Beth, Lydia, and Isaac—and to his cats—Blackie and Ally. I know Bret wants to say thank you as well to Kayla Voskuhl, whom he met during an appearance at the Kentucky School for the Blind and whose laughter, optimism, and love of her cat, Ralph, inspired him. I am so sorry we didn’t have room to include that story in this book.
To my own new little family, Glenn Albertson and Page Turner—I couldn’t do all this without your love and constant support.
To all the Dewey fans who have written or e-mailed but didn’t make this book. Your stories have touched my heart and proved to me that Dewey’s Magic continues to touch lives around the world. Thank you for your kind words.
And last but certainly not least, to Dewey Readmore Books. His legacy of love and acceptance still teaches me important life lessons. I miss you, my friend.
Animals in Need
Many of the relationships in this book, like thousands of others around the world, were made possible by the hard work of organizations dedicated to helping abused and homeless animals. The following is a list of groups that changed the lives of the animals in this book—and their owners—forever. If you are inspired by these stories, I hope you will consider giving of your time and resources to these or other similar organizations around the world.
Siouxland Humane Society
1015 Tri-View Ave., Sioux City, Iowa 51103
www.siouxlandhumanesociety.org
North Shore Animal League
25 Davis Avenue, Port Washington, NY 11050
www.nsalamerica.org
Humane Society of Kodiak
2409 Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK 99615
www.kodiakanimalshelter.com
Northwest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
P.O. Box 4273, Bellingham, WA 98227
www.northwestwildlife.org
Adopt-A-Pet
13575 N. Fenton Road, Fenton, MI 48430
www.adoptapetfenton.com
Humane Society of Huron Valley
3100 Cherry Hill Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
www.hshv.org
People for Pets
2312 Highway Boulevard, Spencer, IA 51301
www.peopleforpets.com