Jon M. Sweeney's 'Sit in the Sun' finds spiritual wisdom in the behavior of cats

If you've ever practiced yoga while living with a cat, you may have made a humbling discovery: Some poses you effort diligently to master are movements that cats make instinctively as they get up and move around.

Milwaukee writer Jon M. Sweeney, the author of books about St. Francis of Assisi, Thomas Merton, Nicholas Black Elk and Meister Eckhart, turns to feline gurus in "Sit in the Sun: And Other Lessons in the Spiritual Wisdom of Cats" (Broadleaf Books, out April 11). This is a not a novelty book or extended piece of humor (though it has humorous moments). In short, thoughtful chapters, Sweeney connects cat behaviors he's observed with teachings from spiritual traditions. He's Catholic and married to a rabbi, but he also draws from the Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, from the Quran, and from other spiritual lineages.

To date, Sweeney has lived with nine cats, including current companions Martin and Rosa, named for Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Sweeney's been a dog owner, too, and he's fierce about dismantling cat-and-dog stereotypes, as he does in the chapter "Voice Your Opinion":

"Many times, I've heard people praise the obedience of dogs against the independent spirit of cats to make a point about what God asks of human beings. I've heard them argue not just that dogs are good and cats are bad, but that dogs are righteous and cats are evil." Abraham, Moses and Jesus all argued with God, Sweeney points out, concluding that "Doglike obedience in humans is not Christian. It's also not Jewish."