A super-fluffy cat lost in the busy streets of Queens is the unlikely hero of a new children\u2019s book with a bighearted mission.<\/p>\n
In \u201cThe Adventures of Puffy Cat and the Lost Name,\u201d author Vanessa Benitez introduces young readers to a wide-eyed feline who tumbles out of a garbage truck, alone, nameless and unsure whom to trust.<\/p>\n
The lighthearted, rhyming story follows Puffy Cat as she searches for food, friendship and, ultimately, a sense of who she is \u2014 all while shining a gentle spotlight on the realities faced by stray animals.<\/p>\n
The story is rooted firmly in real life. Benitez, a lifelong Queens resident born and raised in Richmond Hill, drew inspiration from her own rescue cat, Snarf.<\/p>\n
\u201cSnarf is my very first cat and it was fate that brought us together,\u201d Benitez told the Chronicle over email.<\/p>\n
In March 2022, Benitez heard noise coming from the trash \u2014 and out tumbled Snarf.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was cute and fluffy, but her fur was matted, and she was meowing a lot,\u201d Benitez said.<\/p>\n
At the time, she knew little about cats and was \u201csuper allergic and asthmatic,\u201d but she was determined to help. After learning that many shelters struggle to place adult cats, she committed to allergy shots and took Snarf in herself. That experience shaped Puffy Cat\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cSnarf opened up a whole new world for me,\u201d Benitez said, adding that she began doing TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) work in her neighborhood.<\/p>\n
She decided that the stray cat\u2019s story needed to be told.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd who better to tell this story than my cat Snarf?\u201d Benitez said. \u201cSnarf\u2019s past is a mystery to me. And while I don\u2019t know the backstory of how she came to me, I knew she must have had some rough days and nights on the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the book is playful, she wanted it to reflect reality \u201cin a kid-friendly way,\u201d adding, \u201cMy hope is to have Snarf, a.k.a. Puffy Cat, be a spokescat for the stray cat community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Benitez, a bilingual school counselor, wrote the book over the course of about a school year, often during her commute.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote the entire thing to and from work on a Google document,\u201d she said, noting that the biggest challenge was keeping the story in verse.<\/p>\n
Illustrations were created by Romanian artist Mara Gudina, whom Benitez praised for her attention to detail and flexibility during revisions.<\/p>\n