Marc Labriola’s Dying Behaviour of Cats was chosen as the 2017 Ken Klonsky Award winner because it probes many of the soul’s dark corners most of our contemporary authors are afraid to explore. It is a daring and challenging first book by a young author who is sure to find a place in Canadian literature. This book is about a man named Theo Galli has not left his house in seven years. When Hurricane Catalina hits, the streets are flooded and the animals of the city zoo escape. All are captured or killed, except one leopard who takes refuge on Theo's roof. He is caught in an international media circus, with crowds of spectators surrounding his house night and day, all captivated by the omen of a leopard who refuses to leave a rooftop, and the man inside who refuses to come out. The novel also deals with Theo’s family struggles. There are also featured recurring references to jazz music, particularly the work of John Coltrane. A central character is also a jazz saxophonist. Another central character is a student of the anthropology of pre-literate civilizations, who offers an extensive anthropological theory in the novella.