Customer Reviews

The Cat Whisperer: The Secret of How to Talk to Your Cat

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Claire Bessant, a British expert on cats, tells us that the intelligence of cats ranks up there with dolphins and primates. I agree. If a cat resides in your home, you learn quickly that communication with the cat is a two-way street. You communicate with the cat via words that the cat quickly picks up, and the cat communicates with you by sound and body language that sometimes takes a poor human considerable time to understand. That is why we need a book such as this one by Claire Bessant. Usually, while you are trying unsuccessfully to train the cat, that calculating cat is busily training you for maximum cat security and comfort. Bessant explains the basis for cat behavior and shows how body language aids vocal sounds in telling you what the cat wants to tell you. Her background information goes a long way toward helping you communicate with and understand a highly intelligent creature. I found this well-written book to be informative and entertaining.

I just brought home my first cat in 20 years, and find this book an excellent primer in getting to know this little creature & appreciate it as a friend. The book is identical to her other book titled "How to Talk to Your Cat", so no need to buy both. The book is not written in an 'owner manual' style, but rather as a long essay where the author dispenses her sage advice. All the author is doing in this book is tying together modern theory to explain what a cat is, & why it does what it does, so we can better appreciate it & have more fruitful interactions with it. Some people may prefer a more systematic & technical approach; it is all personal preference. But I agree, the title is very misleading & a slick marketing ploy.

I've read dozens of cat books in the last few years, and frankly I just thought this one was a waste of money. There is no new info here, no new point of view, nothing that isn't available in a dozen other cat books, and better written at that. Someone who picked up "Cats For Dummies" would get more plentiful, useful information.

This is one of those books that sounded a lot better in concept than it actually turned out to be... The Cat Whisperer: The Secret of How to Talk to Your Cat by Claire Bessant. It's not that there wasn't anything of value here. It's just that expectations were set a bit too high when I checked it out from the library...

Contents:
A Different World; Cat Talk; Living With Your Cat; Exploring The Relationship; Cat Characters; Intelligence and Training; A to Z of Problems and Solutions

If you already have a cat that you're getting along with, there's little in here that will rock your world. The author covers the history of cats, the basics of how they communicate, the indications you can observe on how they might be feeling, and general tips and tricks on living with your feline companion. As with all situations where you're on the outside looking in, it's completely impossible to tell exactly how accurate some of the "your cat is thinking this" advice is. But overall, her observations seem to be reasonable.

I think where I had the most problem was with the title and the expectation it set. Any title with "whisperer" in it denotes some special ability to communicate with an animal that generally defies a deep bond. Add "The Secret Of How To Talk To Your Cat" as a subtitle, and I start expecting the ability to carry on conversations. I really didn't find that here. Outside of picking up on feline body language, I didn't think there was anything "secret" to be had here.

Since it's a short book, it's an OK read if you haven't spent any time thinking about how your cat may think. But don't think you're going to become the next Cesar Millan and launch your own Cat Whisperer series on TV. It's not going to happen with this book.

Disclosure:
Obtained From: Library
Payment: Borrowed

At the beginning of this book, the author attempts to get us to understand from a cat's perspective on what it must be like to live with humans by comparing cats to Eskimos who suddenly move to the jungle. I nearly couldn't read any further. It is a distracting and unappetizing comparison with which Native people may be all too familiar.

Throughout the book, the author seems to go on and on about the relative popularity of dogs to cats. She includes far too much about dogs and their behavior characterstics in relation to people. If this were a book about cats and dogs that might have been appropriate. However, in this book, it was simply another distraction.

There are a few interesting things, but overall doesn't cover any new ground that Desmond Morris hasn't already covered.

I bought this because of the title--I've learned a ton from the Dog Whisperer tho' I've had dogs half my life.. I've had cats my entire life, and I found this book to be more of a "how to care for you cat book", so I feel it was not well named. It really did not provide any real insight into cats or feline psychology. I know more about cats' minds and motivation than this author--very disappointing!!

I have been looking for a book to help understand normal cat behavior for a while and this is the first one that comes close to being useful. The writing style is very good and it makes for an enjoyable read. The author obviously loves cats and I felt she was approaching her subject with great kindness.

Even though I am a cat lover, the details given in the book about what makes cats "tick" seemed just about right for a layperson and really did help me see my cat in a new, better way.

For anyone just curious about what their cat is up to, this would make a nice resource for them I highly recommend it.

I found this book very informative and interesting....not only about knowing my cats, but careful descriptions about their movements, sounds and informative descriptions of every sound they make...In general I would recommend this book for any cat lover finding it answering a lot of unasked questions about behavior and emotional signs cats make....a must read for any cat lover!

Jerry L FletcherThe Cat Whisperer: The Secret of How to Talk to Your Cat

bought this book for my dad and his new cat. He loves this book and i learned several new things, buy it it's great.

Aside from the catchy title, I found little of use in this book that supposedly deals with cat communication. Any 'tasty morsels' were far and few between. Does the author even own a cat?