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The Cat Who Cried for Help: Attitudes, Emotions, and the Psychology of Cats
 
 
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The Cat Who Cried for Help: Attitudes, Emotions, and the Psychology of Cats [Hardcover]

Nicholas Dodman (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 2, 1997
In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Nicholas Dodman does for feline psychology what he did for canines in his widely acclaimed The Dog Who Loved Too Much.  Here he reveals the fascinating, and often frustrating, mind of one of our most popular--and certainly most independent--animal companions, and shows how we can coexist peacefully with even the stubbornest of cats.

What do you do about a cat determined to tear your sofa to shreds?  Or one who gorges himself on your best running shoes . . . or attacks anyone who dares to open the refrigerator door?  Drawing on remarkable real-life stories from his practice at the prestigious Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Dodman shares the unique, compassionate, dramatically successful treatment programs that have given problem cats a new lease on life . . . and their perplexed owners long-term solutions to even the most intractable disorders.

As any cat owner knows, changing a cat's behavior can seem like an impossible task.  But contrary to popular belief, cats can be trained and cured of irritating habits and undesirable behaviors.  The Cat Who Cried for Help shows how minor adjustments in diet, exercise regimen, and environment can effect dramatic breakthroughs in resolving almost any feline problem.  From cat panic attacks to eating disorders, from litterbox aversion to depression and a wide range of feline phobias, Dr. Dodman has successfully treated and resolved these and many other heretofore untreatable behaviors.

Inside, you'll meet Ashley, the boss-cat who literally bites the hand that feeds him; Jonathan, the binge-eater; Rubles, the Abyssinian Jekyll and Hyde, pussycat one minute, man-eating tiger the next; and Thomas, the cat who cried for help--a little too loudly.  Dr. Dodman's techniques are based on the most up-to-date research in pharmacology and feline behaviorism.  Yet the primary objective of his treatments is to respect and protect the qualities of independence and dignity fundamental to a cat's nature.

Including descriptions of symptoms, treatment options, and tips on prevention, The Cat Who Cried for Help provides everything you need to know to ensure both you and your feline friend a long, happy, and healthy relationship.  If you've ever wanted to better understand the nature of this mysterious, enigmatic, and fascinating creature, Dr. Dodman's book provides a penetrating look into the intriguing and intricate world of the cat in your life.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, professor of behavioral pharmacology at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Behavior Clinic, turns his attention to our feline friends and their mysterious minds in The Cat Who Cried for Help. Similar to Dodman's discussion of dog behavioral problems in his popular first book, The Dog Who Loved Too Much, The Cat Who Cried for Help examines aggravating cat habits and undesirable behavior, and shows how modifications in such areas as diet, exercise, and environment cause remarkable improvements in the majority of problem cats. Divided into three sections, Dodman first tackles aggressive behavior, followed by emotional behavior, and compulsive cats. With examples from his own practice, Dodman intelligently communicates symptoms, treatment options, and helpful tips for prevention. Vital to his treatment is maintaining the cat's dignified and independent nature, an objective sure to please those cat owners irritated by certain kitty traits but concerned first and foremost for the health and well-being of their cats. Praised by author Elizabeth Marshall Thomas as "a thoughtful and creative approach to changing detrimental behavior," The Cat Who Cried for Help is perfect for cat owners interested in better understanding their fascinating feline.

From Library Journal

Every year millions of cats are euthanized because their owners are no longer able to cope with their behaviors. An innovative leader in the treatment of domestic animal behavior who holds three patents for pharmacological solutions to such problems, Dodman (director, Animal Behavior Clinic, Tufts Univ. Sch. of Veterinary Medicine) demonstrates how even some of the most difficult behaviors can be changed by using a combination of behavior modification and in some cases drug therapies. He discusses three main types of problems in cats: aggression; emotional behaviors such as inappropriate elimination, excessive vocalization, and clawing on furniture; and compulsive behaviors such as hair pulling. Cat owners will welcome Dodman's sound advice and may find here the clues to better understanding their feline companions. Like its predecessor, The Dog Who Loved Too Much (LJ 2/1/96), this book is highly recommended for its clarity, practicality, and genuine concern of the author.?Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 235 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam; 1st edition (September 2, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0553104535
  • ISBN-13: 978-0553104530
  • Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nicholas H. Dodman is a world-renowned animal behaviorist and the best-selling author of the immensely popular The Dog Who Loved Too Much, The Cat Who Cried for Help, and, most recently, The Well-Adjusted Dog. He has appeared on Oprah, the Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, and CNN, among many other television and radio programs. He is a professor and the director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

 

Customer Reviews

32 Reviews
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (32 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT book!, June 20, 2000
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I started fostering for Siamese Rescue and quickly realized that I needed a lot better grounding in cat psychology to effectively manage a multi-multi-cat household -- not to mention to help the cats who came to us with behavior problems. Being obsessive-compulsive, I ordered 8 cat behavior books. This one was the best by a pretty wide margin -- after reading it suddenly most of the various cats' behaviors began to make sense! ("Twisted Whiskers" was second best and also a very good book.)
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69 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars BuSpar Feline Nation; Listening to Buspirone, November 8, 2007
Dodson writes well and describes cats with affection. In virtually every case, however, the afflicted cat ends up being treated with buspirone. (Dodson does not mention any tips on how to get cats to take the pills.)

I STOPPED reading on page 115--about half-way through the book when yet another cat was medicated. At the bottom of page 115 Dodson reveals that he has a patent on buspirone. Dodson has, according to the back jacket of the book "four patents for the pharmacological control of behavior problems".

While behavior problems can and should be humanely addressed, I wonder if forcing pills on cats cannot end up being counter-productive. Certainly it can help some of the time, especially if your cat likes to take pills. But the book ends up reading like one long advertisement for feline SSRI's.
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65 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars disappointed, June 3, 2005
This book was entertaining, but... there is only one 19-page chapter dedicated to the problem of "inappropriate elimination" (peeing/pooping in the wrong place), even though the author himself describes it as "the number one behavior problem". He says "No other problem causes so much grief and leads them so often to consider the final solution of euthanasia". I want to ask the author: given that, don't you think most people are buying the book for that reason and you should have dedicated more time to this topic??? The stories in that chapter did not contain any revelations for me - his examples all had fairly obvious causes and were easy to fix, such as the owner changed the litter box, boyfriend moved in, owner had 2 litter boxes for 6 cats, or the cat is doing it out of anxiety and responds nicely to medication (lucky them). Throughout the book, I wish he had spent less time making cute anecdotes and more time detailing possible effective interventions.
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feline hyperesthesia, psychogenic alopecia, hyperesthesia syndrome, wool sucking, furniture scratching, inappropriate elimination, urine spraying, affected cats, urine marking, marking behavior, play aggression, seizure focus, cat carrier, scratching post
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