Buckley's Story

A "must" for everyone who has ever loved a pet...

Buckley's Story is an intensely personal journey through a series of life lessons gifted to a deeply caring woman by the life and death of her beloved cat. Fortunately for the reader, Ms. King found relief from her grief in the chronicling of these lessons. The story is spellbinding, by turns uplifting, sorrowful, funny, and profound. It is also absolutely accurate; I can attest to that, because I am the veterinarian who was privileged to care for Buckley.

I love this book, for reasons that go far beyond simply having lived the story along with Ms. King. In the time I spent being Buckley's vet, Ingrid challenged my thought processes in very important ways. Her approach to medicine was very much focused on the quality of life to be gained; a goal we veterinarians all too often unintentionally misplace in our zeal to diagnose and treat. Working with Ingrid deepened and changed my view of what defines compassionate care.

Her experiences were common to many a pet owner with a terminally ill pet. Health care decisions, which many mistakenly believe are simple and straightforward, were often fraught with uncertainty. Guilt over causing stress by the act of treatment struggled with guilt over not treating. Ingrid had to learn to listen to her instincts, and to trust them; and to stand up against those who would judge her without understanding, who would try to convince her to subject Buckley to treatments that they thought were right even when she disagreed. Most of all, she needed to learn how to shed the heavy coat of dread and fear, in order to be able to share the joy of each new day with Buckley.

Buckley's Story will speak to every pet owner who has ever asked themselves, "Is it time yet?" or struggled to find the courage to do what they feel is right for their pet, even if it goes against established norms. For me, though, the most valuable lesson I learned from Buckley and Ingrid was to let go of useless energy spent worrying about what the future holds; to live in and cherish the moment; to realize that all we have is the Now, and that this is not merely enough, it is truly an abundance of riches.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Unconditional Love and Joy

I will say right off the bat that I am a sucker for animal stories. I love them. And so, on the one hand, I can be extremely biased toward any type of animal story. On the other, I can be more critical because I am such a fan. I knew when I agreed to read and review Buckley's Story that it would be an emotional experience for me. I too am a cat person and I have been a parent to three cats over the last almost twenty years. As author Ingrid King did, I have had to make the humane and yet agonizing decision to allow two of them to pass on. And like Ms. King, I have also learned more about life and myself from these little masters.

Buckley's Story is a wonderful, happy and emotional read whether you are a cat person or dog person. Ingrid King writes solely from the heart. Her delight over Buckley, relief that Buckley and her 'sister' Amber form a bond and grief over Buckley's loss resonate from every page. Reading Ms. King's recollections of Buckley's diagnosis, illness and eventual passing away made my soul ache in remembrance of what I had been through but at the same time, it was strangely cathartic. Knowing that the pain I felt at losing a pet - - something not everyone understands and acknowledges - - was shared by Ms. King felt like a soothing balm. And reading too that I was not alone in feeling the spirits of my deceased little ones still with me, and getting signs from them, was akin to joining a secret club.

I fell in love with Buckley - - with her determination to find her forever home, her tenacious nature and her joyful demeanor. Her exuberance at greeting life each and every morning gave me pause and should give every reader pause to think about life and how very thankful we should be for every moment.

The subtitle of Buckley's Story is Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher and that is no exaggeration. Buckley taught Ms. King many different things during their time together and Ms. King has honored Buckley's memory by sharing those things with us.

Buckley's Story isn't a big read - - it comes in at 118 pages - - but what it lacks in volume it makes up for, tenfold, in touching your heart and spirit. This is one book that will be a permanent fixture in my library. I cannot encourage you enough to read this book and share it with friends and family - - but keep a box of tissues handy.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A Loving Tribute with Life Lessons for All

Buckley's Story is beautifully written and highlights the importance of the unconditional love that pets provide. As we follow Ingrid's journey from boundless joy and love to the ultimate sorrow, we are reminded of so many life lessons our pets share with us. Having had pets most of my life , I could relate to so many emotions and events in this book. Ingrid's wonderful book shows us how our pets impact our lives in ways we never expected. I highly recommend this book and suggest it would make an excellent gift for any pet lover. I'm very happy Ingrid shared Buckley's Story with the world.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Wonderful Story

Buckley's Story Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher is a memoir of how a small tortoiseshell cat changed the life of the author forever. Buckley was found on a farm and was brought to the Veterinary hospital where Ingrid worked. It was love at first sight. The cat became the greeter at the clinic. When Ingrid decided to start a new career and work from home, she decided to take Buckley with her. Ingrid already had another tortoiseshell cat at home called Amber. Twice she returned Buckley back to the clinic because they did not get along. When she found out that someone wanted to adopt her she brought her home for good.



After living with Ingrid for 2 years, Buckley was diagnosed with heart disease. Ingrid had to face many challenges for caring for a cat with an illness. Ingrid provides information about caring for a cat with heart disease and ithe information was well researched. There was good and bad days and Buckley always showed her love for Ingrid. When Ingrid was describing Buckley's last day, I was crying the whole time. I used a lot of tissues that night. Ingrid wrote a wonderful memoir and I recommend it for anyone who loves animals.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Heartwarming and informative

Not simply a story of love and loss, Buckley's Story is also informative. Buckley's Story teaches practical and heartwarming lessons from learning what questions to ask your veterinarian during a pet's illness to learning to live in the moment and appreciate the joy.
A must read for all animal lovers.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A beautiful book about a beautiful soul!!

The picture on the front cover speaks volumes about the contents.

The book speaks about love and devotion -- a two way street between cat and person. It speaks about responsibility, committment, caring and empathy and the joy of inter-species communication and consideration.

Buckely and Ingrid King were both teachers -- of one another, and of US. I applaud Ingrid's Self-Less devotion and committment to this living being, this beautiful cat Buckley, whose life was short but oh so significant.

We should ALL be so devoted to our pets and all of life.

Fantastic read

What a wonderful and compelling memoir about a determined cat and the person she stubbornly chose as her mother. The cat Buckley had a rough life and was saddled with what we humans would consider a significant handicap, but it never stopped her from enjoying every moment of life given to her.

Ingrid captured the process of how a bonding led to a loving home for Buckley perfectly. It's sad the physical togetherness didn't last nearly long enough, but her spirit lives on in the home and through this book.

This was a fascinating read. I was rather busy when I started the book but I kept sneaking in a few pages when I could, and finally just put everything else aside until I finished it. Highly recommended, especially for cat lovers.

Wonderful Read

Buckley's Story is not only the tale of a little cat who changed her human mommy's life forever, but is also a book loaded with information about cat health and heart disease. The narrative envelops the reader as they journey with Ingrid through the many medical decisions that have to be made while her heart is breaking over the possibility of losing her beloved little girl forever. However, Buckley proves to be so very much more than that frail little feline in a diseased and failing body. Little did Ingrid know that Buckley had much bigger plans in store for her -- an amazing future beyond her wildest dreams. And all this came about because of this amazing little tortie who stole Ingrid's heart the first moment they met. She had so much to give to Ingrid as well as others that she continues to do so today.

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