A long-term foster volunteer, Jason Blume, published a book about his experiences and life lessons from fostering neonatal kittens through the Kaua‘i Humane Society.
“Happy Tails: Life Lessons from Rescued Cats &Kittens,” is being sold at the Kaua‘i Humane Society shelter lobby to benefit the shelter animals, thanks to a donation from Blume.
To honor Blume, the society is hosting a book-signing event from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 7, in the shelter classroom. The gathering will include refreshments, a few words from the author and, of course, kittens.
Blume has fostered more than 40 kittens requiring bottle feeding every couple of hours, and sometimes requiring extensive care. He has saved the lives of more than 40 helpless kittens, and he says it’s taught him a lot about compassion and humility.
Society staff will be available to discuss the rewards of fostering, as well as get anyone started who would like to learn more.
In addition to fostering, Blume and his partner have photographed all of the cats and kittens for the society website for many years. Together, they’ve photographed more than 2,500 cats and kittens.
Each chapter of the book includes a photo of a cat from the shelter. It tells the inspirational, heartwarming life lessons all can learn from this cat, such as: live in the moment; enjoy life’s simple pleasures; find comfort in friendships; celebrate our uniqueness; etc.
Blume has also written songs that sold more than 50 million copies, and collaborated with artists including Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, and current Na Hoku Hanohano “Favorite band” winner Crossing Rain.
“I’m the author of three of the best-selling songwriting books, and I’ve won an Emmy award, but I have never felt more excited and gratified about a project than ‘Happy Tails’ because all the cats it features came from KHS and the shelter will benefit from every copy sold,” Blume said.
The society is the only open-intake animal shelter on Kaua‘i. It is a nonprofit organization and has held a no-kill status since 2019. In 2021, the society’s positive release outcome rate averaged 96 percent for all animals. For more information about the society, see www.kauaihumane.org
