A review by judyward
Because the Cat Purrs: How We Relate to Other Species and Why It Matters by Janet Lembke

3.0

This book is an interesting set of essays detailing the complexities of human-animal behavior and interactions. The subjects of the essays range from groundhogs, carpenter bees, white-tail deer, chickens, turtles, and, of course, the purring cats. The author's inclusion of writings from authors in ancient Greece and Rome (translated by herself) indicates her other passion, along with a gardening obsession. Some of the stories will stay with me for a while--the turtle who bumped her shell against the sliding glass door of her owner's house when she wanted to go outside into the garden for example, and who could ever be able to forget the description of bungee-cord snail sex? It's true. I'm going to be on the look-out for that.