Let’s Chat: Chicken soup is good for you

By Linda Tooth on April 8, 2026.

Are you familiar with the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series created by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen? Since its inception in 1993, more than 112 million books have been sold in the U.S. and Canada. These books are a collection of motivational and uplifting stories submitted by readers for readers like me to enjoy and learn from.

I recently picked up a copy of the What I Learned from My Cat – 101 Tales of Our Favourite Felines edition of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. I want to share some of the discoveries people have made in regard to the cat(s) that have impacted their lives in some way.

Chapter five deals specifically with people who have been changed by their cat(s). Julia Gousseva, a college-level creative writing instructor, writes about the impact Angel, her shelter rescue cat had on her. Gousseva, like all college instructors, had a stack of papers that needed to be graded.

During my time teaching communications in the health and business world of post-secondary, Wikipedia used as a reference on a paper became a hill I was ready to fight on.

Gousseva asks Angel to “explain to this freshman why Wikipedia isn’t the ultimate source of wisdom.”

I laughed so loud I am sure the people at my local coffee shop wondered what was so funny. Stress seems to disappear when you are in the company of a feline friend.

Through playing with Angel, Gousseva states “that life – and grading – shouldn’t be taken too seriously.”

Lindsay Detwiler, a high school English teacher and author, shares her story of Bob, the senior cat she adopted from a local shelter. Bob was thirteen years of age when he came to live with Lindsay and her husband.

She made the decision to give Bob the best time he had remaining and was blessed to have him in her life for two years.

Detwiler states, “It isn’t always about the quantity of time you have together – it’s about the quality of the memories you make.”

Betsy Franz, a freelance writer and photographer, learned the importance of having a cat after her husband passed away in 2013. Franz considered herself an introvert and when Miesha, a suspected introverted cat, came to live with her she felt her life was now complete.

It took a series of health problems for Franz to realize she needed help caring for her cat. Enter a pet sitter. This person made Franz realize the importance of human connections and from this encounter with the pet sitter Franz has created new friendships that have become very important to her.

As I was reading the back section of the book detailing the contributors for this edition, I came to realize I have a lot in common with them.

Many are educators or retired educators who have worked in grade school or post-secondary worlds. They obviously love cats and love to write about the experiences they have when cats are a part of their families.

The majority of contributors are from the U.S., with a few Canadians sprinkled into the mix.

I highly recommend reading this book if you, like myself, love cats and maybe need a little bit of help understanding life and what it is throwing at you.

Have a Meowtastic Day and keep reading!

Linda Tooth is manager of philanthropy and volunteer engagement, YMCA of Southeastern Alberta