Hannah Shaw rescued her first kitten 15 years ago when she saw it stuck in a tree.
“I climbed the tree to help her down, fell instantly in love, and very quickly learned just how vulnerable kittens are in shelters,” she recalled.
“Coco was the kitten who inspired me to dedicate the rest of my life to making the world a better place to be a kitten.”
Today, Shaw is a well-known cat rescuer and advocate and now, the San Diego resident has worked with her husband, photographer Andrew Marttila, to publish the book “Cats of the World,” which features more than 750 photographs of cats from 30 different countries.
Cats are photographed in all sorts of locations, from England’s pubs and Chile’s produce
markets to Malaysian beaches and South Africa’s bustling streets.
But it’s not just a picture book. It is a chronicle of cat culture around the globe, including stories of people who love and care for cats, cultural traditions and legends about cats.
Shaw said the idea for the book came from the couple’s travels, which were intended to give them a break from their work on behalf of cats.
“Inevitably, we found ourselves really drawn to learning about cat welfare wherever we went and making connections with local advocates and rescuers,” she said.
To promote the hardcover book, Shaw launched a book tour that is taking her to New York, Chicago, Seattle, Austin, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. That tour brings her to hometown on Monday, when she visits the downtown San Diego Public Library.
The event starts at 7 p.m. and includes a conversation between Shaw and local animal rescuer Susan Hicks.
The book is just one way Shaw helps cats. She also founded the Orphan Kitten Club, a charitable organization whose mission is to help kittens through assistance to animal shelters and grants to organizations that help cats. Recently, the Club announced a “Got Formula?” program to provide meals to bottle-feed orphaned kittens up to eight weeks old.
Her advocacy work has earned Shaw more than 4 million followers on social media and she has a New York Times best-seller, “Tiny But Mighty,” among her collection of books she’s written.
Shaw, who has four cats and a chihuahua of her own, said putting together the book gave her new, cherished memories. “I’ll never forget meeting Hodge, who lives at Southwark Cathedral,” she said.
“This rescued tuxedo cat lives freely in the oldest gothic cathedral in London and is truly adored by both the congregation and the staff. On the one hand, it was absolutely hilarious to hear the stories of him interrupting their services by climbing on the pulpit or stubbornly occupying the Bishop’s throne.
“On the other hand, it was truly touching to listen to the clergy sharing the importance of opening one’s door to those in need–whether they’re reaching out for help with hands or with paws.”
She hopes people who read the book will discover that “there isn’t just one right way to be a cat, and there isn’t just one right way to be a cat advocate.”
One thing her travels showed her is that San Diego stacks up well against other global locales when it comes to taking care of cats.
“There are dozens of fantastic local rescue groups, several great cat cafes… and of course thousands of lovely cat people!” she said.
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