Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life

I picked this book up because I love cats. I thought that this slight volume would be a little bit of fun, playfully exploring a little bit of philosophy by taking a look at the - unquestionably - best beings ever. Nothing too serious, nothing too heavy, just a bit of fun.

That is not this book.

That's not to say it isn't playful or easy to read. It is both those things, but also so much more. Cats are a running theme in the book which open the door for the lay reader into a book that is about the biggest subjects you can imagine: does life have meaning? what is the good life? how do we contend with death?

The skill of Gray is to approach these subjects robustly - delving into the history of philosophy which takes in and critiques Plato, the Stoics, and Pascal (to name just a few) alongside a healthy respect for non-Western traditions of thought such as Taoism and Buddism - while still maintaining a lightness of touch which makes this book a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I can honestly say this book made me reconsider some of those fundamental questions about life. I loved it and read it in just a few days (it's only 100 or so pages) but it feels like a book I want to return to again and again.

This is a must for the thinking cat lover, but if you are one of those strange people who are not obsessed with our feline companions, there is still much in this little book for you as well. I'd recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in ideas.