Product Description

The domestic cat is a mysterious pet. Hugely independent, inscrutable and highly complex cats are a constant fascination to pet psychologists and owners alike. The aim of Think Cat is to gain an understanding of what is going on behind that furry face and how the world appears from a cat's point of view. The book traces the ancestry of the cat, its origins, evolution and domestication, looking at the cat's wild relatives to explain where aspects of their behaviour have come from. Basic cat behaviour is described as well as the sociology of cat in the neighbourhood and their daily life. The book also analyses more complex behavioural patterns and problems from volatile temperaments and fighting to bad breath and incontinence, and outlines how these can be managed. This fascination book will make your relationship witht your cat clearer and more fulfilling by giving you an understanding of what they do, why they do it and how you might pre-empt their impulses.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #242025 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

A better understanding
I would recommend this book to anyone who has cats. It really does promote a better understanding of what your furry friend does and why.

I bought this specifically to see if there was any advice regarding my cat's behaviour and was grateful to find out not only was there some helpful advice but a lot of information that I hadn't come across before.

David Taylor is a fine writer, his experience as a vet (to some very exotic species!) has given him a wider insight into the feline world, and using short anecdotes from his working life gives a light humourous touch.
The best thing about this book is that it is very comprehensive given it's size. Where some books obviously concentrate on kittenhood and the early development stages to exclusion of later life this includes a lot more on the ageing process, physical and mental. It's also the first book I've come across that has given detail on how cats grieve on losing a beloved friend, be it a human or another cat.

All of this is tremendously helpful if you have older cats and want to be able to understand the changes from there former, more lively, selves.

Overall I'd say that this will prove to be an invaluable book, it covers so much and explains in detail.

A small caveat regarding this edition: there are a few typos and repetitions scattered through the chapters. It doesn't detract from the writing but it can be a little irritating if you are reading the entire book rather than just a relevant chapter or two.

A Purrrrfect read!
There are so many cat books around these days but this is the first I've found that gives you a real (and genuinely useful!) insight to cat psychology. If you are looking for lots of cat pictures then this isn't the book for you (there are no photos / illustrations) instead you get a book jam packed with information and some fascinating revelations. The author clearly knows his subject but what also comes across is his genuine love and enthusiasm for cats. As the owner of a recently acquired kitten, I am finding this a great book and one that I'll be using for years to come. Highly recommended and (I thought) very reasonably priced.

Doesn't do what it says on the Tin
Think Cat is a decent book on cat care and behaviour, it's fairly well written, quite readable and pretty informative. It contains plenty of amusing anecdotes and is clearly written by someone who genuinely loves cats and if it was simply sold as a book on cat care I would have awarded it four, or perhaps five, stars - although, in my opion, Catlopedia does a better job on this front.

But Think Cat claims to be "An Owner's Guide to Feline Psychology" and it patently isn't. Desmond Morris's book Catwatching does a far better job on that score. Think cat is overly credulous, and apparently swallows whole such nonsense as Telepathy in cats while its treatment of cat behaviour is largely descriptive rather than explanatory. There's little insight to be found here unlike the similarly titled and presumably equivalent book "Think Dog" I didn't feel any greater understanding of cats after finishing the book nor did it arm me with any new tools or comprehension with which to help deal with my cats.

Overall then, it's a good book but it isn't what it claims to be.