The author asked this wildly disparate group of felines the same simple question — who was the cat that had the most significant effect on your life and why? Cats are usually asked more mundane things, such as "Why did you rip up that sofa, you bad kitty?" So this was a rare opportunity for them to really unburden themselves. Their answers are alternately shocking, hilarious, and touching, but all of them are fascinating. They really are. Trust us. Seriously.

Noted writer and artist Bruce Eric Kaplan took down each cat's response in his or her very own words (as best as possible considering his lack of shorthand experience) and sketched portraits of each cat in his own inimitable style.

As you read what these cats have to say about their loves and losses, and gaze at their haunting images, you will be struck by the beauty and mystery that is life itself. Or at the very least, like a cheap little plaything that emits the subtle aroma of catnip, this book will divert you from your own miserable little existence for a few minutes or so, and that's nothing to sneeze at.

An unassuming gem of hairball humor.

In its portrayal of common housecats struggling through existential crises and moments of catharsis, [The Cat That Changed My Life is] hysterical in that way that makes you want to pick up the phone and read along (through gasps for air) to a friend.

A: This book. And what you will find in it is amusing, shocking, touching, and altogether unlike anything else you have ever experienced.