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.