Cats I’ve Known: On Love, Loss, and Being Graciously Ignored

Writer and zine maker Haegele (White Elephants) muses on 44 cats she’s lived with, met, or heard about in brief, sweet essays charmingly illustrated by Trista Vercher. The cats belong to family, neighbors, friends, roommates. The best entry centers on Trixie, a “little black cat” who lived with the author for 14 years; Haegele offers a loving personality sketch and tribute to her longtime feline companion filled with quirky details such as how she used to tape bird photo “pin-ups” near Trixie’s favorite lounging spot. Unfortunately, over a dozen of these essays read like undeveloped jottings from a notebook: “Cat’s Cat,” for example, is a half-page pseudonarrative about the cat of a high school friend of her husband. Too often, Haegele observes but doesn’t reflect, and as a result the book is slight and unmemorable. [em](Oct.) [/em]