The Cat Lives On

Book 3 Coming Soon!

This week I want to share with you the first look at The Cat Lives On, book 3 in the cat series. The Cat Lives on builds upon the positive habits from the first two books, Don’t Feed the Cat and The Cat is Back.

Anxiety in Children

Children’s lives have been impacted all over the world this year due to the ongoing pandemic. After the second lockdown, the tier systems causing confusion and unpredictable periods of isolation from the track and trace. And although the schools have remained open, it isn’t a surprise that parents and children are expressing concerns regarding their child’s mental health. Even though we try to protect them, children can feel our stresses. The pressure of uncertainty, financial concerns, the pressure of working and sometimes homeschooling.

Some children can express their concerns while others exhibit behavioural changes that can make daily tasks difficult. The growth of mental health issues in young children over the last 30 years is shocking and this generation will face more challenges that ever before. However, with knowledge comes power and we are preparing to tackle anxiety head on. Instead of assuming “it’s just a phase” or ignoring it, we are teaching children lifelong tools to help them build resilience, confidence and practically deal with anxiety.

The Cat Lives On

The Cat Lives on explores how comfort blankets can actually smother us and make anxiety worse. Do you have or know a child that can’t go anywhere without their favourite toy or blanket? Although sometimes just a harmless habit, for children prone to anxiety it can further compound the issue by sending a signal to our brain that we aren’t safe and secure inside.

The book takes the reader on a journey to understand how relying on comfort blankets can make them feel worse and helpful tools that they can begin with their parents to start breaking away from this pattern. For parents, these tools can be easily implemented at home and using the golden rule of distraction! Steady steps are the key to success rather than rushing into change in one go.

The next part of the book explores avoidance and how this also reinforces anxiety.

Putting things off creates avoidance, so if a child is nervous about speaking up in class, then avoiding doing it will eventually make it worse and even grow bigger. Avoiding what makes you worry, adds even more worry to what worries you!

Avoidance creates fear and fear makes you anxious.
The Cat Lives On

Worrying about what people think feeds our insecurities and the lesson learnt from the books is- don’t feed the worries or they’ll continue to grow. Instead, it’s about distracting the mind and building inner safety and security, replacing insecurities with confident habits instead that will eventually become second nature.

The Cat Series in Schools

The Cat series are a great tool to support schools mental health efforts for students. The hope in the New Year once restrictions have been eased that I can begin delivering CPD workshops for teachers and helping more schools develop their mental health programme.

Here is an example of a Mindfulness Based Approach using Don’t Feed the Cat as a guide.

I am a deputy headteacher in a primary school and I have been looking for resources to support the growing number of children who are suffering with anxiety. This book is amazing with an analogy that children from 7 years and up will find easy to relate to. Fantastic illustrations which children will love. This will be a go to book for my staff to help children manage their anxiety. Looking froward to the next book in the series…
Amazon Review

Support The Cat Lives On

If I could ask for all of you wonderful people who follow my blog to please share this with your friends and family to help once again get this to reach as many people as possible.

The book will be available soon to purchase on Amazon and if you aren’t, you can follow my author page to be first to hear any book news!

Sara j stevens