"The Cat That Changed My Life: 50 Cats Talk Candidly About How They Became Who They Are" by Bruce Eric Kaplan is a delightful read. Cats are one of my passions, and I am writing a novel with cats as protagonists, "Warriors" notwithstanding.

Kaplan writes from inside the cats' personalities without being anthropromorphic. I throught the cats were really trying to communicate just how they felt.

Of course, the book is a fable although not necessarily one that converys a moral. But it smacks of truth because we cats--we who are human, that is--have known cats that have changed our lives, whether they were cat cats or other humans. I know my cat, Millie, has changed my life in many ways, one being that I tell the truth more now than I ever have. Cats cannot lie, and they make you know that by punctuating their truths with teeth marks and scratches. Whenever I see my wounds, I am reminded to tell the absolute truth. Kaplan's cats cannot lie either, so you can believe what they tell you without concern.

In my years as a cat fancier I have come to what I consider an unassailable conclusion: cats are closer to us in thought and deed than any other animal except, maybe, chimps and gorillas. Kaplan re-enforces that conclusion for me in his book.

Each cat he interviewed spoke as an individual and expressed hopes and fears, tolerance and prejudice, love and hate--every emotion and characteristic that is human.

I love this book, which can be read in one sitting, but enjoyed in contemplation forever. By the way, my cat, Millie, loved it, too.

Really great book! The publisher of ALibrarycat.com recommends it:

What would happen if you went around the country asking cats of all personality types one simple question: Who was the cat that had the most significant effect on your life, and why?

In the delightfully charming book, The Cat That Changed My Life: 50 Cats Talk Candidly About How They Became Who They Are, illustrator and writer Bruce Eric Kaplan has captured what appears to be the secret personality of many a cat. Like the Broadway musical and film Cats, the felines described in the book have many human qualities - some good, some not so good.

As Kaplan is an illustrator by profession, the book is set up in a very visual way with a picture of a cat on the right side of the book and a short passage of text on the opposite side. Fifty cats, fifty stories. Each of the felines is unique, and whether we approve or disapprove of the cat that had the most significant effect on their lives, the stories are so emotionally powerful it's impossible to forget a single one.

My personal favorite is the story of Milton (from White Plains, New York). Milton writes about a friend who always suggested they climb a faraway tree with incredibly good bark, but somehow the friend kept making excuses and they never found or climbed this tree.

One day, Milton learns his friend had been put to sleep. Shocked and disturbed, he finds the tree, climbs it, and rubs every part of himself against the tree's texture, vowing to never put off doing anything again. Later, Milton learns that his friend isn't dead - she had spread the rumor because she didn't want to see Milton. Though surprised by this ironic twist, Milton is glad for the lie because the whole experience made him feel more fulfilled and appreciate life.

This cutely illustrated, clever book is short but packs a powerful punch. It is a delightful gift for a cat-loving friend or a book to pull out when you need to take a lesson from the felines.