My Cat Saved My Life

Book excerpt: This is a true story of the author's friendship with Alice, a cat, and how she helped him through a difficult time in his life, bringing him to a new level of looking at both life and death. My Cat Saved My Life explores the relationship between cat and man: the ways in which she gave him a clearer understanding of existence; taught him, in fact, how to live, how to achieve a spiritual awakening to the world, and the place of humans in it.Phillip Schreibman rescued a sickly stray kitten when he was struggling with both his parents' deaths. The emotions he experienced had driven him into a deep depression, which had begun to fracture his relationships, disconnect him from the everyday world, and impair his work as a composer.Alice soon began to insinuate herself into all aspects of Schreibman's daily routine. He began a personal journey to discover the cat's "strategy of life". Their ensuing adventures and the exploration of the bond that grew between them make a remarkable tale of how one species can teach another -- with respect, compassion, and love.