Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Upbeat view of a cat afterlife full of fun, angels, and God.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
CAT HEAVEN begins with a cute white cat already on her way there, walking across "a field of sweet grass where crickets and butterflies play." The unseen narrator notes that the cat might be late getting there because "there's just so much fun on the way!" When she arrives, an angel greets her, gives her a kiss and some milk "in a bowl of her own." In Cat Heaven, she finds trees "made just for cats," and "no one gets stuck in a tree anymore -- if a cat wants down, she will fly!" Cats play to their hearts' content, get petted on soft angel laps, and get fed on "God's kitchen counter." "The cats in Cat Heaven are so loved and spoiled God lets them all lie on his bed." The white cat finds she can "watch the old house where she once lived and wandered, and the people who loved her inside."
Is It Any Good?
This playfully spiritual view of where cats go when they die might help little ones grieve the loss of a beloved pet. Author Cynthia Rylant's tone is light and positive from the start, and the story reassures readers that kitties are having loads of fun in Cat Heaven and getting the kind of love and attention they got on Earth -- but now they're getting it from God and the angels. God even walks around His garden with a cat on His head. With its clever rhyming text and kid-friendly art, this gentle, whimsical view of the afterlife may offer comfort after a sad loss.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what the afterlife looks like in Cat Heaven. If you've imagined a similar place, is this what you had in your head, or did you picture it differently?
How does it make you feel to imagine your cat playing with other cats in heaven after they die here on Earth?
Of all the pictures in the book, which is your favorite? Why?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Cynthia Rylant
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Animals
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Blue Sky Press
- Publication date : August 11, 1997
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Paperback, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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