The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour [Paperback]

Dennis C. Turner (Editor), Patrick Bateson (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521636485 | ISBN-13: 978-0521636483 | Publication Date: June 26, 2000 | Edition: 2

Humans have lived with cats for thousands of years, and there are now more cats kept in Western households than any other animal. Cherished as companions and valued as rodent catchers, their enigmatic behavior has intrigued and bewildered us for generations. While accepting the comforts of human homes, cats do seem to "walk by themselves." Although loved for their independence and self-reliance, myths and fables surround them, leaving them open to persecution and misunderstanding. Covering all types of cats from pampered pets to feral hunters, this completely revised new edition of The Domestic Cat shows how cats live and behave in a variety of circumstances and surroundings. With new chapters on welfare issues, and cat-cat communication, this volume penetrates the enigma that is Felis catus, sorting fact from fiction, and helping both the general reader and the specialist in animal behavior or veterinary science to understand cats as they really are.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Informative, evenly written, and well organized." Choice

"This authoritative collection of articles written primarily by academics is a welcome alternative to the majority of books that are published about cats." Animals' Agenda

"No matter how much you've learned about feline behavior from living with cats, reading The Domestic Cat will teach you new things about Fluffy's instincts, motives and behaviors. This compilation of scientific studies on domestic cat behavior is a fascinating inquiry into the mind of your housecat...offers a wealth of knowledge about these mysterious furry creatures who share our lives." Cats

Book Description

Cats are cherished as companions and valued as rodent catchers, but their enigmatic behaviour has intrigued us for generations. Accepting the comforts of human homes but 'walking by themselves', their independence and self-reliance has left them open to persecution and misunderstanding. Covering all types of cats from pampered pets to feral hunters, and exploring welfare issues to cat-cat communication, this book penetrates the enigma that is Felis catus, helping both the general reader and the specialist in animal behaviour or veterinary science to understand what cats really are.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (June 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521636485
• ISBN-13: 978-0521636483
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Animal Behavior & Communication
  • #75 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Mammals

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great intro/intermediate book for anyone that is interested in felines., January 7, 2009

By 

Skippy "alfaproject uk" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour (Paperback)

If you want a book that investigates the biological behavior of feral and tame domesticated cats I recommend this book. There are a lot cat books out there on the market, I have read nearly all of them (99% of them are repetitive drivel). There rest are mnostly diluted dumbed down versions of this one. Previous reviewers obviously did not actually read or understand this book or how research and it's processes work.

This book was written by people that have actually done research in the field of animal behavior (recent), and on domestic cats (e.g. Dennis Turner did behavioural research on domestic cats). In order to understand and effectively help a cat you actually need to understand it's feral and tame counterparts. Current behavioural research on felines is limited, and in the early to mid part of the last century there was a lot of valuable research was done. Research on the domestic is currently not seen as alluring, but I have a certain feeling that that will change in the next couple of years, as research currently being conducted comes to light and will change certain people perceptions of their feline companions and why they do what they do. I am actually an animal behavioural ecologist/cognitive therapist, specializing in wild and domestic felids. This book helped me get up to speed when I was starting my MSc and PhD research a few years back. Granted it was not written with Fluffy and Trixie exclusively in mind--it is looking at the domesticated cat (feral and otherwise). It is slightly basic for those doing more advanced research on domestic felines--post graduate level--and I personally take exception to the research methods (outside this publication) of one particular contributor to this work (Bradshaw=sloppy), but it's a good starter book for anyone that wants to understand domesticated felines and why they do what they do.

This is actually one the books that I recommend to interested clients that want to understand cats as a species followed by Bonnie Beaver's feline behavior book for veterinarians.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All about science, December 18, 2009

By 

Susan Gilsdorf "Suji" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour (Paperback)

If you like to read science and evidence based data including grafts then you will discover a that this book is for you. Fascinating.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, December 22, 2009

By 

Brigid A. Kilbane - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour (Paperback)

Amazing book!! I loved it! This book goes into so much detail about everything. This can be a challenging book for some readers though. The book includes a lot of statistics and numbers.