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Reviews
Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw
sleepylizard's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book, but it took me a while to get into (the beginning of the book is about the history of the species and it's a bit of a drag)
iztrkfliers's review against another edition
3.0
Picked this up after stumbling upon Gwern's book review.
mreese's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Very informative, but definitely a slow read. The title is a bit misleading as I see others expecting this book to teach them how to befriend cats. Instead it teaches about the history of cats and their biology so we as humans can better understand them. Contains controversial opinions on TNR/neutering and the impact that cats have on wildlife.
moirastone's review against another edition
2.0
Was looking for "Your Cat: A User's Manual," but got instead "Your Cat: A Natural History." Fault entirely mine, but I do dock Mr. Bradshaw points for his less-than-scintillating prose.
lollypopkins225's review against another edition
3.0
I had heard the author on the web or some such and I was intrigued by the concept of this book. A book to figure why cats behave the way they do and maybe make me a better cat owner sounds terrific! Not the book I got at all. While there is some interesting facts in the book a lot of it doesn't tell you a lot of the basic why your cat is not as weird as you think and how you can be a better cat owner. I did learn that cats are trainable via treats, but I kind of knew that since my cat does a very cute sit up and ask for her treats on command. It is the only thing I've ever trained her to do. Nice to know maybe I can convince her to do more adorable stuff with food bribes. This book definitely has it's dry science and history side so if neither of those things especially concerning human and cat interaction interest you I would not suggest this book for you.
I don't think this book is poorly written just not what I was looking for. Maybe some day I'll catch that red dot and understand cats, then I can rule the world under my cat gods.
I don't think this book is poorly written just not what I was looking for. Maybe some day I'll catch that red dot and understand cats, then I can rule the world under my cat gods.
palwashahere's review against another edition
5.0
A great book for cat lovers and readers in general!
The author has extensive knowledge no doubt but it's fascinating how well he managed to wrap up history, science, research, criticism, anything and everything regarding this beloved animal in a single book. I will definitely be reading his other books.
The author has extensive knowledge no doubt but it's fascinating how well he managed to wrap up history, science, research, criticism, anything and everything regarding this beloved animal in a single book. I will definitely be reading his other books.
jrc2011's review against another edition
4.0
The reason I bought this book was that it had a ton of information about the history of feline evolution, the social history of cats and humans, as well as some fascinating biological information about cats. I didn't buy it to find out more about what makes my cat so cute and quirky, nor to explain personality or whatever.
I do confess - the evolutionary stuff was a bit dry and long, it was hard for me to get through. I can't remember the names of any of the animals and locations in modern cats' lineage at this point.
What I do remember is that it made me hate the Ancient Egyptians. Apparently, Ancient Egyptians loved cats so much that they bred them in large numbers so they could kill them and mummify them to sell as trinkets for people to offer as sacrifices at temple. Stupid English people took cemeteries of mummified cats by the ship load, one shipment was 19 tons, to turn into fertilizer back in England.
A redeeming tidbit about the Ancient Egyptians: worshippers of Bastet would get on party barges, singing, drinking and mooning people on the shore! That sounds like a party. Of course, my cats prefer private cello solos.
While monastic intellectuals appreciated cats they still demonized them in sermons and the Catholic Church sanction cruelty toward cats throughout the 17th c -- I mean, come ON, these cats are killing your vermin that cause plague and you think it's ok to ...oh, wait, the CATHOLIC Church? Nevermind. Rampant cruelty for centuries from the cult that brought humankind the Spanish Inquisition and other atrocities.
Note to self: Cats do not require Vitamin C.
One of the best things I learned was the section about cats' eyesight (they see yellow and blue best, same as dogs) and about their sense of smell (better than dogs but they don't care what we think). Cats don't see things the way they do -- it reminds me of flying in my friend's private small plane. He said "look up and down to scan for movement and other aircraft" -- which is different from how we operate on land or water.
Cats have a similar special way of looking at the world -- they mostly look for movement, and they look ahead to get the lay of the land, memorize where things are and then proceed to get tangled up in your ankles because, well, your ankles were NOT there when they decided to walk that direction. I imagine that is also why my cats like running up and down the length of the house in the most unobstructed path -- must be very fun for them.
Near the end - the author threw out a very interesting point about sterilizing cats. If we continually sterilize human-friendly/oriented cats, we'll keep ending up with cats who have behavior problems (and health problems, too!). I can attest to this -- I have fostered pregnant friendly ferals and moved their kittens right into foster care, and I have fostered 2-7 month old feral kittens and there's a huge difference in how the animals behave.
My two recent fosters (who are still here) may never be social cats - I can't walk up to them and pet them in the daytime but they seem to be enjoying life as indoor cats and get along with my other cats. They are even learning to make requests of me for food or to open doors. My middle kitty is a "failed feral" - she's very sweet but still quite shy and hides from strangers. The youngsters are still pretty wild even after living with me for 18 months, and often act like I'm going to eat them instead of give them food.
Frankly, there are entirely too many humans on the planet (especially Americans - 5% of world population using 40% of world resources) -- I would prefer to focus on population control of my fellow citizens as one of the chief problems with world resources and quality of life for all living creatures.
I do confess - the evolutionary stuff was a bit dry and long, it was hard for me to get through. I can't remember the names of any of the animals and locations in modern cats' lineage at this point.
What I do remember is that it made me hate the Ancient Egyptians. Apparently, Ancient Egyptians loved cats so much that they bred them in large numbers so they could kill them and mummify them to sell as trinkets for people to offer as sacrifices at temple. Stupid English people took cemeteries of mummified cats by the ship load, one shipment was 19 tons, to turn into fertilizer back in England.
A redeeming tidbit about the Ancient Egyptians: worshippers of Bastet would get on party barges, singing, drinking and mooning people on the shore! That sounds like a party. Of course, my cats prefer private cello solos.
While monastic intellectuals appreciated cats they still demonized them in sermons and the Catholic Church sanction cruelty toward cats throughout the 17th c -- I mean, come ON, these cats are killing your vermin that cause plague and you think it's ok to ...oh, wait, the CATHOLIC Church? Nevermind. Rampant cruelty for centuries from the cult that brought humankind the Spanish Inquisition and other atrocities.
Note to self: Cats do not require Vitamin C.
One of the best things I learned was the section about cats' eyesight (they see yellow and blue best, same as dogs) and about their sense of smell (better than dogs but they don't care what we think). Cats don't see things the way they do -- it reminds me of flying in my friend's private small plane. He said "look up and down to scan for movement and other aircraft" -- which is different from how we operate on land or water.
Cats have a similar special way of looking at the world -- they mostly look for movement, and they look ahead to get the lay of the land, memorize where things are and then proceed to get tangled up in your ankles because, well, your ankles were NOT there when they decided to walk that direction. I imagine that is also why my cats like running up and down the length of the house in the most unobstructed path -- must be very fun for them.
Near the end - the author threw out a very interesting point about sterilizing cats. If we continually sterilize human-friendly/oriented cats, we'll keep ending up with cats who have behavior problems (and health problems, too!). I can attest to this -- I have fostered pregnant friendly ferals and moved their kittens right into foster care, and I have fostered 2-7 month old feral kittens and there's a huge difference in how the animals behave.
My two recent fosters (who are still here) may never be social cats - I can't walk up to them and pet them in the daytime but they seem to be enjoying life as indoor cats and get along with my other cats. They are even learning to make requests of me for food or to open doors. My middle kitty is a "failed feral" - she's very sweet but still quite shy and hides from strangers. The youngsters are still pretty wild even after living with me for 18 months, and often act like I'm going to eat them instead of give them food.
Frankly, there are entirely too many humans on the planet (especially Americans - 5% of world population using 40% of world resources) -- I would prefer to focus on population control of my fellow citizens as one of the chief problems with world resources and quality of life for all living creatures.
kantrah's review against another edition
4.0
A really interesting read, especially if you own a Cat. There is a lot in here that will make you think, especially about the Cat's role as a predator. There is also a chilling vision for the future of the Domestic Cat.
author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition
5.0
Cats are under more pressure to change than at any time since they decided to cast their fate with people and take up residence around granaries, homes, and ships in the role of rodent control. Until 50 years ago, scientists assumed cats were similar to dogs and people generally let them run free. Cat Sense by John Bradshaw reviews the new feline science and the sudden (in evolutionary time) pressure for cats to hunt less and join the domestic group more.
Cats are solitary hunters. Domestic cats made one small adjustment to their behavior: they tolerate people. Bradshaw wonders if there is any way for them to hunt less and tolerate other (pets and people) more. His conclusion is discouraging. The best pets are most often neutered, and the wildest cats continue to breed. The breeders are no help as they select for appearance, not behavior in contrast to dog breeders who select for both.
For my detailed report: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2018/06/cat-sense-by-john-bradshaw.html
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.
Cats are solitary hunters. Domestic cats made one small adjustment to their behavior: they tolerate people. Bradshaw wonders if there is any way for them to hunt less and tolerate other (pets and people) more. His conclusion is discouraging. The best pets are most often neutered, and the wildest cats continue to breed. The breeders are no help as they select for appearance, not behavior in contrast to dog breeders who select for both.
For my detailed report: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2018/06/cat-sense-by-john-bradshaw.html
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.