As far as Catholics go, I do have to say that the writings of Thomas Merton, who became a Trappist monk, have been very important to me. I've been fascinated by the idea of monks, regardless of the religion. Sort of strange for a horndog like me!
I feel exactly the same way.
The Watchtower and Catholic are two very different animals. You can point out doctrinal similarities in authority structure and problems with leadership but I think at the end of the day you are dealing with two very different things.
I like to say that JWs are protestants on steroids. Deep down JWs hold a number of protestant ideas and so the transformation over to that belief system appears to be more natural. Many who leave the JWs move into protestantism because that form of theology suits them and their personal experience. I found myself leaning very protestant when I left the JWs and I know many here have felt that way as well. Over time though protestantism has its many flaws and some are not content with it (like me). Ex-JWs turning Catholic really isn't all that surprising to me and I can personally relate to their experience.