Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals

Written by Caitlin Doughty

Narrated by Caitlin Doughty

Best-selling author and mortician Caitlin Doughty answers real questions from kids about death, dead bodies, and decomposition. Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. The best questions come from kids. What would happen to an astronaut's body if it were pushed out of a space shuttle? Do people poop when they die? Can Grandma have a Viking funeral? In Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, Doughty blends her mortician's knowledge of the body and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five distinctive questions posed by her youngest fans. In her inimitable voice, Doughty details lore and science of what happens to, and inside, our bodies after we die. Why do corpses groan? What causes bodies to turn colors during decomposition? And why do hair and nails appear longer after death? Readers will learn the best soil for mummifying your body, whether you can preserve your best friend's skull as a keepsake, and what happens when you die on a plane. Beautifully illustrated by Dianne Ruz, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? shows us that death is science and art, and only by asking questions can we begin to embrace it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980047384

Caitlin Doughty

Tanatopractora, activista y agitadora de la industria funeraria. En 2011 fundó el colectivo The Order of the Good Death, que ha impulsado el movimiento de muerte positiva. Su primer libro, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, fue un best-seller del New York Times. Descontenta con la situación y la oferta existente en la industria funeraria estadounidense, en 2015 abrió su propia funeraria alternativa, sin ánimo de lucro. La webserie de Caitlin «Pregúntele a un funerario» y su trabajo para cambiar la industria de la muerte, le han permitido colaborar con muchos y muy diversos medios.

Reviews for Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?

[Patsy Nelson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved the book! I will for sure listen over and over again.

[Melissa Faria · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was hooked with the premise of the book since I am living with two cats during the covid quarantine, and I was pleasantly surprise that a book about death could be so funny

[Isabel Johansson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I practically absorbed all three books. She has an amazing, fun, down to earth style and fears no question.

[Kylie Miracle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting! There are a lot of good questions in here and interesting answers. I love how descriptive and in depth Caitlin is with her answers.

[helena.myllynen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Books don't make me laugh - I am a very boring person like that, BUT Caitlin made me laugh with this one. Multiple times. Which sounds kinda morbid. "The only book that made me laugh is about death".

[Hannah Kesselmeyer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting and entertaining. Learned a lot and smiled a lot.

[Eszter Horváth · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was always the "oddball" who googled strange thing like why did the painter presented Jesus on the cross in an incorrect way...because like that it is impossible to stay on the cross...and things like that. So it was refreshing to find a book and a writer who is similarly strange :D I was really happy she answeared every question seriously.

p.s.: Do not listen to this while preparing dinner XĐ

[Marta · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was so interesting in such a creepy way

[Tiffani Arnbrister · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm trying to get into the funeral business and this was.prwtty helpful. I love Caitlin

[Rafa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I honestly LOVED this book! It was recommended by a friend of mine and oh boy, it was a pleasant, quirky time.

[Amanda Charbonneau · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is cute and informative. It's sort of like a lite version of Mary Roach's Stiff.

[ariel lowes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Caitlyn is the one to go to for death questions. She will inform you to the best of her research and knowledge.

[Robyn Miller · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Caitlyn is so down to earth, as well as funny and intelligent. Everything in this book is explained so well, and easy to understand. I really appreciate that Caitlin works so hard to bring the death positive movement forward!

[West Savage · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Extremely informative and a wildly fun read. I felt like a kid with a million questions again, and this really cool adult just kept giving me detailed, kind, and thoughtful answers. The one about astronauts will haunt me for the rest of my life. Nice!

[Stacey Watson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read Caitlin’s other books and really enjoyed them so I jumped at the chance to listen to this one. This book, while directed to a younger audience, answers just about anything you might want to know about dead bodies and what happens to them. If you are death phobic, this book is not for you but if you’ve ever found yourself wondering about mummies or how deep to bury a corpse, this book gives answers in Caitlin’s signature, humor- filled style.

[juva_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A collection of humorous essays answering some of the most frequently asked questions children have about death. The author has a very casual but informative tone that puts the reader at ease and encourages curiosity about even the most morbid subjects. A fun and interesting read for both children and adults alike!

[Bruna Löw Eizerik · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Caitlin is just the right amound of informative and hilarious to make her books and videos feel light and fun.

[Brooklyn Tanner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another delightfully deathly creation of Caitlyn. Ever so entertaining and enlightening.

[Farah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this quick read, Caitlin Doughty answered 34 death-related questions from children. I love how she points out that instead of asking innocence questions, the kids are asking some morbid things. Honestly? They simply don't afraid to ask things that matters, in my opinion. If you're looking for an informative & easy to read nonfiction that's not sugarcoating conversation around death, I think you will find this book interesting.

[Erko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What I like about this book is that author takes the topic of death and makes it "less creepy" or in general normalizes this topic. Death is something we can't run away and I don't think is bad to be interested in what happened to you after you die.
(I listen as an audiobook) The author put in the book an interesting question about what makes it interesting ( for example for me was the last chapters, and Viking funeral thinks), the author is easy to explain, and zero problems go into detail.
For somebody who has some interest in death, the occult, etc. I can imagine this will be your great relaxing book is not something extra education but more like relax book with fun facts about what will happen your body.

[kity16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found it interesting. I liked the tone of the author as she read her story. It was very soothing and the information presented was as advertised (for the level of kids or people that don't know much about death and dead people).

[skarha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

SPOILER! Short answer: Not right away, but you know, a cat's gotta eat! :| Great listen!

[Brenda Bancroft · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Caitlyn is a very engaging and articulate woman who normalizes death and dying in a tactful way. I enjoyed listening to this and learned a lot!

[Ashley Miller · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read and listened to this one today and it was pretty interesting. It's a pretty short one so it's perfect for me today. Here is my first read for November! Nightworms trope today is book lovers day. I will be reading all morning today before i start writing again. You may or may not be interested in knowing what kind of things go on when a human gets creamated and what happens when you are declared dead. If you are one of those curious people like me then this is the book for you.She also covers myths and theories about what happens to people if they die in certain places, eat certain things before they get cremated, graves aren't buried deep enough, dead bodies buried in the soil effecting the water we drink, the chances of being buried alive or will my cat eat my eyeballs? I work in healthcare so most of the healthcare related information wasn't new to me but it was interesting learning the things I didn't know that happened at funeral homes. The book was very well narrated too and she did a good job making the book more easy to listen to via audiobook. There was a bit dark humor in here too that I really enjoyed.

[Dusty · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I must have heard the author being interviewed for a podcast or two but this is my first full dose of her sense of humor and thoroughness, thoughtfulness around death related issues. Funny and informative, I learned how to pronounce livor mortis ! And I take back what I said about avoiding books narrated by the author. She was great!

[Angelique Schmidt · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This recording didn’t have the end! It cut off and ended mid section.

[SmallReadingRat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Funny, informational and very simply explained. Caitlin Doughty makes very interesting videos, and this book is not different!

[Александра Моисеенко · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve read (well I’ve listened this one) all three books of the author. And I think this is a nice introduction to “Ask a mortician” as an author and content creator. To me as a loyal fan it seemed a touch rehashed, though there is a lot of new material.
And I LOVE the fact that I could hear the book in Caitlin’s voice.

[Ari Weinberg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So much fun and very lighthearted. Caitlin unsurprisingly is also quite fun to listen to.

[Lov2laf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death” is a gift from Caitlin Doughty that I enjoyed and didn’t know I wanted. One thing to love about her is that she will answer ANY and all questions about death, no matter how weird the question. If you have any doubts, go check out her YouTube channel “Ask a Mortician” or watch any of her live Q&A sessions (also found on YouTube).

In this book, Doughty collected a number of questions she’s received from children over the years and answered them in her usual matter of fact yet entertaining way. Questions such as “What would happen to an astronaut body in space?”, “Will I poop when I die?”, “How does a whole adult fit in a tiny box after cremation?”, and, yes, she does answer the question about which beloved pet will turn you into a meal upon your death.

If you’re a fan of books by Mary Roach, this is a perfect match so go ahead and have a read. You’ll definitely be the coolest aunt/uncle, mom/dad, grandma/grandpa, friend to be able to whip out a total and confident answer to “Can I preserve my dead body in amber like a prehistoric insect?”.

Recommend.