The Cat Inside is a tiny, tender book full of emotion, an ode to not just cats, but also the transformative quality of loving animals. In it Burroughs reflects on how cats changed him as a person, and immortalises his beloved cats through both heartwarming and heartbreaking anecdotes. He’s an excellent writer, able to evoke full images in few words.

Unfortunately it turns out he felt a lot of disdain for dogs. He explains it by saying it’s what people have made of dogs (in his eyes, brutish beasts) that he hates. There’s truth in that sentiment: about how humans can turn dogs bad — but as someone who adores dogs, I can’t deny it hurt to read dogs being despised.