Heavenly Headbutts: Reflections of Hope about Cats and Eternity

by Allia Zobel Nolan

When a beloved fur baby dies, you never get over it; you just get on with it. Yet, a glimmer of hope emerges for those who hold out the probability that their cat's story is not over yet--that there are more high jinks and hairballs to come. Using Scripture, poetry, brief affirmations and short anecdotes by everyone from Isaiah to John—from George MacDonald to C.S.Lewis, and others, Heavenly Headbutts presents the arguments that lead to a "yes" when it comes to seeing our cats in the afterlife. Until then, the reflections in Heavenly Headbutts are meant to push open the door a crack to let in some light, console and comfort those who are grieving, and add an air of expectancy for all cat lovers, everywhere.

90 pages, Paperback

Published December 22, 2022

About the author

Allia Zobel Nolan is an internationally published, award-winning author specializing in children’s trade and religious books and adult humorous books. She has written over 150 titles, and has over 2 ½ million books in print. For the past nine years, Ms. Zobel Nolan worked for Reader’s Digest Children’s Books as a Senior Editor. She became a free-agent as of April 07, and is now at work on several religious children’s books.

Ms. Zobel Nolan has been published by Workman, Andrews & McMeel, Reader’s Digest Children’s Publishing, Barnes & Noble, Adams Media, Broadman & Holman, Zondervan, Cook, Scholastic (Veggie Tales), Concordia, Kregel, Standard Publishing, and Tommy Nelson. She has won several book awards, among them, the 2005 Mom’s Choice Award for the Most Outstanding Children’s Book for Preschoolers, an iParenting Award for Greatest Product of 2005, and the 2007 Teacher’s Choice Award.

Ms. Zobel Nolan has appeared on numerous TV shows, including Good Day New York, CNN, the Bertice Berry Show, Fox 5 "Pet Department," CBS News, Saturday Morning Live, The Channel 2 Six O’clock News; Hard Copy, the Fairfield Exchange, Westchester Channel 12, Channel 8 News New Haven, Education Notebook, and other nationally-syndicated television shows, in addition to interviews on radio, and extensive media coverage in local and national press.

Ms. Zobel Nolan is a member of the Cat Writer’s Association and Connecticut Press Club. She lives in Connecticut, with her husband, Desmond, and their three cats, Angela, Sinead, and McDuff.

She loves writing about God, cats, and for children.

- excerpted from her website

Reviews

[Jill Enders]

I received this book on the death of my beloved cat and then sadly the death of two of my senior dogs occurred shortly thereafter. I could not bring myself to read it at first because in acute grief, the wrong message does more harm than good. Today felt like the day to read it and I am so happy I did. Despite the depth of grief I feel when anyone i love of 2 or 4 legs dies; Instinctively I believe in an afterlife. Love never dies. But Allia’s book made a comforting and compelling Biblical case for the goodness of God and the home in the sky to include a liberal pet policy. Packed with darling cat photos and bite sized thoughtfully written arguments in favor of a continuation of life after loss, Heavenly Headbutts is the soothing balm for a broken heart.

[Linda Au]

This beautiful, short book is delightful! If you're a believer and a cat owner—or if you, like me, aren't currently blessed with a furry feline friend and miss them—you'll be encouraged by Nolan's upbeat, balanced view on whether our past beloved pets will join us in heaven. Her quotes, from many excellent people, both pet lovers and theologians alike, are perfectly chosen and are well placed throughout the book. The accompanying photos will elicit more than one sigh of "Aww!" as you turn the pages.

This book would not only be a great addition to your own bookshelf, but would also make a marvelous gift for the cat lover in your life.

[Meg Dendler]

As someone who has had a beloved cat cross the Rainbow Bridge recently, I found this book a sweet collection of quotations and thoughts on what lies beyond for both them and us. Personally, I don't take Bible stories this literally (more as proverbial lessons), but there were still nuggets to make me smile.

How could anyone believe cats don't have a soul? And I agree, if heaven is a place without cats, I'm not much interested.

Thank you to the author for providing me a review copy.

[Mandi Hidalgo]

It is a sweet book, but the whole biblical theme seemed forced at times. The author could have done a lot more to expand on their belief in cats being in heaven without confining it purely to biblical references. Overall, a fine book, but not nearly as good as some other books that have the same sort of concept.

[Crystal]

This book was a great comfort to me following the loss of my dog several months ago. (Yes, even though its primary focus is cats, this Dog Mama found it helpful.) The pictures are beautiful. The quotes, ideas, and reflections are thought-provoking. It will make an excellent gift to those who love their pets, whether they anticipate their coming death or are already grieving.