"Cat and Bird, a 'memoir in animals, ' is anchored around Kyoko Mori's relationship with the six house cats who defined major eras of her life as a writer: Dorian, Oscar, Ernest, Algernon, Miles, and Jackson. Detailing the rhythms of their days together, she weaves a narrative tapestry out of her past: the deep family tragedy that marked her childhood in Japan, her move to the American Midwest as a young adult, her experiences as a bird rehabilitator, her marriage and divorce, and the joys and heartbreaks that come with pet ownership. Through incisive observations and generous prose, Cat and Bird whirls into a moving meditation about grief, the imagination, the solitary life, and the wonders of companionship with creatures both domestic and wild"--Back cover.