Know Your Cat: An Owner's Guide to Cat Behavior

Dr. Bruce Fogle, a leading specialist in pet behavior, has observed hundreds of cats during his years as a veterinary surgeon. In Know Your Cat, he identifies how cats communicate through posture, body language, facial expressions, "speaking" (meowing and hissing) and rituals like rubbing, swatting and grooming. He discusses the differences between learned behavior and instinctual action, the importance of a cat's sensory perceptions like smell, touch, and sound--and when a cat's eccentricities are due to genetics or are merely a matter of individual temperament.

Highlighting Dr. Fogle's text are more than 350 remarkable color photographs which capture the cat's unending antics and moods. Commissioned especially for this book, these pictures detail the cat's life, from the intimacy of birth through every stage of growth from kittenhood to maturity. Whether your feline is a sophisticated Siamese or a loveable marmalade plucked from the alley, Know Your Cat will reveal the motives behind his quixotic behavior.

Have you ever wondered why cats always land on their feet or what different meows or different facial expressions mean? Veterinarian Fogle, author of Pets and Their People ( LJ 6/15/84), together with photographer Burton, explain these and other cat behavior questions in this lovely book. Photographs of birth, newborns, kittens , and mature cats trace the development of a cat's life. Feeding, handling, exercising, and practical care is briefly discussed. The 350 superb color photographs are a visual delight and capture the many habits, behavior, and antics of the cat. If you need a cat owner's manual, a better purchase might be Mary Pyles's The Everyday Cat ( LJ 2/1/91). For public libraries that need a book on cat behavior, this is an informative text that children would also enjoy and understand. Buy it if budget allows--cat owners will love it.
- Eva Lautemann, DeKalb Coll. Lib., Clarkston, Ga.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.