The Cat That Changed My Life: 50 Cats Talk Candidly about How They Became Who They Are

This groundbreaking, provocative exploration of the inner lives of cats began five years ago, when Bruce Eric Kaplan, armed only with pen and pad of paper, boldly set out across the United States to interview cats of all kinds — including some really gross ones that very few people other than him wouldn't have been put out by. The result is perhaps the largest and most ambitious narrative survey of the emotional existences of cats ever attempted.

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.

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

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

Bruce Eric Kaplan is a very nice fellow who has been drawing cartoons for The New Yorker and other publications for more than ten years. Much of this work is included in his cartoon collections, No One You Know and This Is a Bad Time. He also writes for television and has worked on such notable series as Seinfeld and Six Feet Under.