Book cover of "Dewey -- The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World."

January 18, 1988, was a bitterly cold Iowa Monday."

So begins a new book that is warming the hearts of cat-lovers across the country.

In Spencer, Iowa, bitter means 15 degrees below zero, and that's how cold it was when someone dropped a tiny orange kitten in the drop box of a small-town library. The 8-week-old animal could have died in that frigid metal box, but was saved by the librarians who retrieved him along with the books that had been dumped there. For the next 19 years the cat lived in the Spencer Public Library.

The cat's biography was published Sept. 24, and became an almost-instant best seller.

"Dewey -- The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World," debuted at number 13 on the New York Times best-seller list, hardcover nonfiction, Oct. 5. By Oct. 8 it had climbed to fifth place. Dewey's tale was No. 2 on that list Oct. 13.

This book seems to be having the same effect on cat lovers that "Marley and Me" had on dog lovers. The dog book, published in 2005, has been a perennial best seller and has been translated into 11 languages. It's been made into a soon-to-be-released motion picture.

Perhaps the appeal of the Dewey book starts with the cover jacket, which features a beautiful, adorable cat gazing directly into the lens of the photographer and the eyes of potential book buyers. The orange tabby has long hair and big amber eyes. Black and white pictures of him are scattered throughout the book.

Published by Grand Central Publishing, the 278-page book was written by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter, described as a "book editor and professional writer."

Ms. Myron was one of the staff librarians who found the kitten in the drop box. She worked at the Spencer library for 25 years, including 20 years as director.

The cat's full name was Dewey Readmore Books, but he was generally known as Dewey, as in the Dewey Decimal System used by some libraries to catalog collections.

What does a library cat do? Every morning Dewey greeted the staff at the front door, and Ms. Myron swears he waved to them as they entered. Library patrons were amused and charmed by his antics, which included riding through the library on the carts pushed by staff, napping in the stacks and visiting most of the groups that used the meeting rooms.

Dewey sat on laps and draped himself over the left shoulder of his favorite visitors. He was gentle and patient with children, particularly the special education students who made regular visits. They say he didn't bother anyone who didn't like cats or who didn't want to be bothered by him.

Over the years Dewey's fame spread, starting with the hometown newspaper, then spreading to the Des Moines Register and beyond. By the time Dewey died, his story had appeared in newspapers, magazines and television shows around the world.

This is more that just a cat book. It's also a biography of Ms. Myron, and the small town of Spencer.

Vicki Myron married young, had a child and then became a single mother after divorcing her abusive, alcoholic husband. She was on public assistance for several years while attending college to become the first college graduate in her family. Ms. Myron and members of her family battled many serious health problems, including cancer, and that's all in the book, too.

Did they ever figure out who dropped Dewey in the book box? No, they did not, though after the cat became famous at least 11 people tried to take credit for the drop.

Bring your saddle or bring your sneakers. Ride a horse or walk a trail. Sunday is the National Rescue Ride in Mingo Park, Washington County, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The local beneficiary of the fundraiser is Hog Heaven Rescue Farm Inc., in Cochranton, Crawford County.

The rescue farm about 90 miles north of Pittsburgh, rescues hooved animals, including horses and the namesake pot bellied pigs.

If you want to ride in the event, you have to bring your own horse. The registration fee is $20, and for that you'll get a free breakfast and a T-shirt. Restrooms are on site and food will be sold to raise more money for the rescue organization. Prizes will also be given to the biggest fund raisers.

Go to www.NationalRescueRide.org to register or to get more information about the fundraiser. Look at www.hogheavenrescue.org for further information about the rescue farm.