Poets Square A Memoir in Thirty Cats

When Courtney Gustafson moved into a rental house in the Poets Square neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, she didn't know that the property came with thirty feral cats. Focused only on her own survival-in a new relationship, during a pandemic, with poor mental health and a job that didn't pay enough-Courtney was reluctant to spend any of her own time or money caring for the wayward animals.
But the cats-their pleading eyes, their ribs showing, the new kittens born in the driveway-didn't give her a choice.

Courtney writes toward a vision of connectedness, showing how taking care of the cats reshaped her understanding of empathy, resilience, and the healing power of wholly showing up for something outside yourself. She takes us from the dark alleys where she feeds feral cats to inside the tragically neglected homes where she climbs over piles of trash, and occasionally animals, and then into her own driveway with the cats she loves and must sometimes let go. Compelling and tender, Poets Square is as much about cats as it is about the urgency of care, community, and a little bit of dumb hope.