Alan Dean Foster 
Mission to Moulokin 

A group of motley castaways on an ice planet help a race of cat-like aliens, in this science fiction adventure by the #1 New York Times bestseller. After crash-landing on the icy planet Tran-ky-ky, salesman Ethan Frome Fortune wants to get back to his life and back to his business. So he and his burly sidekick, Skua September, head to the trading post of Brass Monkey to book passage home. However, when they learn that profiteers and bureaucrats are victimizing their native friends, the Tran, Ethan and Skua decide to stick around. This means helping the Tran gain admission to the Humanx Commonwealth. To do so, they must board their icerigger once more and search for a fabled city, uncover the history of the Tran, and battle some of their fiercest enemies yet . . .