Fierce Attachments: A Life with Cats

From award-winning author Rosemary Sullivan, a beautifully illustrated exploration of the feline spirit--and the mysteries that draw us to cats.

"It's charming, insightful, and--for cat lovers--pretty darn irresistible..." --Margaret Atwood

In this tender, deeply observed portrait of the human-feline bond, acclaimed writer Rosemary Sullivan teams up with sister and artist Colleen Sullivan, inviting readers into the lives of two unforgettable cats: Negrito, an intrepid neighborhood explorer, and Ensueño, a charming trickster with a talent for theft. Rescued as kittens by their heroic mother--who braved a burning house six times to save her litter--these cats grow into unique personalities who shape the daily rhythms of Sullivan's life.

Blending personal anecdotes, natural history and thoughtful reflections, Fierce Attachments captures the mystery of how cats perceive the world: seeing ultraviolet hues, navigating by scent, remembering with uncanny clarity and demonstrating powerful homing instincts.

At once enchanting and contemplative, Fierce Attachments suggests that cats may be more than companions--they may be intermediaries, reconnecting us to the natural world and reminding us of our place in a larger cosmic story. This is an essential book for cat lovers, nature readers and anyone intrigued by the quiet intelligence of the animals who share our lives.

Author: Rosemary Sullivan
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Published: 10/06/2026
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 7.50h x 5.60w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781771624923


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 10/01/2026 pg. 54

About the Author
Sullivan, Rosemary: - Rosemary Sullivan is the celebrated author of seventeen books
including biography, memoir, poetry, travelogue and short fiction. She
is best known for her biography Stalin's Daughter (HarperCollins, 2015),
which was published in 23 countries and won the RBC Taylor Prize, the
B.C. National Non-Fiction Prize, the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize
for Nonfiction, the Biographers International Organization Plutarch
Award, and was a finalist for the PEN / Bograd Weld Award for Biography.
Her book Villa Air-Bel (HarperCollins, 2006) was awarded the Canadian
Society for Yad Vashem Award in Holocaust History. She is a professor
emeritus at the University of Toronto and has lectured in Canada, the US,
Europe, India and Latin America. She was appointed an Officer of the
Order of Canada in 2012. She lives in East York, Ontario.Sullivan, Colleen: - Colleen Sullivan is a design and fine arts graduate of Concordia
University in Montreal. She has worked extensively in the UK, the US,
and Canada. In tandem with a career in graphic design, Sullivan is an
accomplished printmaker, painter and illustrator of several children's
books, including Molito by Rosemary Sullivan (Black Moss Press, 2014).
Her work focuses on the bold use of dramatic gestures and expressive
imagery, whether that be figurative, abstract or imaginary. An Award of
Excellence recipient from the California State Fair, she is represented in
public and private collections in the US and Canada and has shown her
work internationally in North America, Europe and Asia. Her art studio
is currently located outside of Victoria, British Columbia.