The Metaphysical Cat : Tales of Cats and Their Humans [Hardcover]

Gerald Hausman (Author), Loretta Hausman (Author), Mariah Fox (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001

If you're a cat lover, you may already be convinced that they live in a world apart, stopping at home for dinner and a nap as they travel lightly between dimensions.

Gerald and Loretta Hausman, whose animal books for children and adults exceed one million copies in print, feel a special rapport with felines and have created a collection of stories, anecdotes, insights, and reflections about the arcane side of cats. The writings, cleverly shaped around the verses of 18th century English poet Christopher Smart, deal with cats' psychic abilities, telepathic powers, astral comings and goings, history and behavior, and relationships with the inferior life forms who share their Earthly environment. In tale after tale, the Hausmans reveal the supernatural, mystical, and metaphysical side of cats.

Entertaining and informative, The Metaphysical Cat is a treat for animal lovers of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anyone believing that cats live in another dimension will relish The Metaphysical Cat: Tales of Cats and Their Humans by Gerald and Loretta Hausman (authors of 1998's The Mythology of Cats). The book reveals felines' supernatural, mystical, metaphysical side, combining newspaper stories, sketches and personal anecdotes from the authors' lives to humorously yet seriously describe the mystical role that cats have in society and in history.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-A cornucopia of myth, history, feline literary references, and firsthand observations by unabashed animal lovers. The book's sweetness is balanced with facts that could be used by teens doing a project on cats or animal behavior. In spite of any of the monikers that cats have carried through the centuries (all explained by the authors), readers will simply call them special after picking up this title. The feline's place in our society, households, and psyche is thoroughly explored and dotted with drawings, resulting in a cat fancier's pleasure.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571742565
• ISBN-13: 978-1571742568
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,794,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am an inveterate storyteller, which is to say: I love to do it, am helpless not to do it, and I do it all the time, even when I am by myself there is an inner monologue going on in my head. This habit of privately roving around in the land of legends is something I've done for as long as I can remember. My mom worried about me when she saw that I spent too much time by myself. I would creep into a closet and close the door and in the silence of the darkness I would spin tales of all kinds. I was never lonely as a kid because I had the imagination of a wild thing, and I was content to play in the fields and valleys and secret caves of that imaginary world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A purr-fect book for any cat lover!, November 4, 2011

By 

Hannah Hausman - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Metaphysical Cat : Tales of Cats and Their Humans (Hardcover)

An overview of the mystical side of cats, complete with histories and unknown facts about our soft-footed friends. Funny and friendly, the book will amuse and amaze cat people, those truly devoted to the feline psyche.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cat Book For Inquisitive Minds, November 3, 2011

By 

Dharma Hand - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Metaphysical Cat: Tales of Cats and Their Humans (Paperback)

It is terrific to have a new edition in print of this delightful book. The world is already chock full of cat pictures and kitty cartoons, but you could walk from here to Katmandhu before you'd find another book that makes your feline loving soul purr like this one (now, if you live in Nepal, it'd be a shorter trek, but sherpas love cats too).

When I want to scratch my own itch, I'd go back to my B. Kliban comics for laughs and when I want to feel the love and mystery of our furry companions I'm going to get cozy with a mug of Earl Grey and my little Siamese Sammy sleeping in my lap and crack this book open again. I'm a big Hausman fan because the writing always dances the language while bringing insight to the topics they choose to write about. One of the best writers around in my humble opinion. And this book is a treat.

When I saw the old review, I'll admit I was puzzled at the laziness of the reviewer and dismayed at their nonchalant disrepect of one of our finest living writers. Who sends back a book half-read and says they don't get it and will wait for someone else to spell it out for them before they buy it again? Oh, I don't know what floats their boat, but since they obviously don't get it I'll leave it at that.

This is a fine weaving of tales, lore, history and an affirmation of the great bond between people and their beloved furballs through the ages. Take a cue from the Metaphysical in the title. If you wish for material that stirs the depth of your soul about these creatures who are so much a part of our lives, then you've found your book.

3 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars First Half, April 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Metaphysical Cat : Tales of Cats and Their Humans (Hardcover)

I had to return this book before I finished reading it. This book wasn't quite what I was expecting. The first part was more like a history of cats. I was expecting cute stories about cats and their people. I can say that the second part of the book did seem to be heading in this direction. Hope to see some more reviews to find out how this ends and if it's worth getting back.