The Wisdom of Yo Meow Ma: A Spiritual Guide from the Ancient Chinese Philosopher Cat

by Joanna Sandsmark

In 1974, archeologists stunned the world when they announced the discovery of an ancient sandstone burial chamber deep in the heart of northwest China's Takla Maklan Desert. Inside the chamber was a series of scrolls covered with scratches, bites, ochre lines, and paw prints. Thousands of years old, they were obviously written by a cat. Today we know these scrolls contain the collected wisdom of Yo Meow Ma, history's most famous philosopher cat. Of course, all this could be a fiction invented by author Joanna Sandsmark. But didn't let the playful tone mislead you. Beneath the gentle whimsy lies a serious spiritual guide book, overflowing with insight and advice about how to navigate successfully through the moral quagmire of modern society and live a better, more fulfilling life.

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2005

Reviews

[Ginger Vampyre]

We can all use a bit of wisdom in our lives, something to help us examine our self and our approach to life. And who better to teach us than Yo Meow Ma the greater Mouser herself. While her stories and anecdotes are tailored for cats, it doesn't take much to apply it the chaos of human life. Stories about the dangers of not letting go, of not pushing ourselves, of the wonders of chasing our dreams. Just all around good advice.

[Victoria]

Very well done. Clever, yet gives informative Buddhist wisdom in the style of parody, yet doees not stray from essential teachings. Loving cats and being familiar with their nature made the book an even richer experience.

[Curt Bobbitt]

"Spiritual" in the title stretches the content of the book as far as the fanciful feline origin. The repetitive advice covers many pragmatic and philosophical suggestions, including handling ambition, friendships, greed, and anger.

[Aileen]

Good advice with a feline perspective. Great for cat lovers.

[Kayoc]

Fun book and very cute concept.

[Cher]

Very funny & yet very astute farcical version of Chinese philosophy as handed down by the wise kitty over a millenia ago.

[Pat]

This was such a cute book. Everytime I turned the page I thought some of my friends needed to head the word of Yo Meow Ma. Even I need to.

[Arianna]

The idea behind the book is original and funny, however, the concepts expressed in the book are trivial and expressed in similar books by the same author!

[Sarah Joy]

A cute short read of bite-sized Buddhist philosophy with a feline theme. I loved the illustrations too!

[Zoë Swartley]

Such a cute little book of philosophic quotes and stories from a cat’s perspective on life. Would make a great gift for cat lovers!

[Elizabeth Russell]

loved it