Customer Reviews

Starting from Scratch: How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your Adult Cat

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anti Icky Poo! Starter Kit, Feliway (75mL) Spray and This Book started me and my cat- a 2 year old scottish fold- on the road to recovery after I found she'd been peeing out of the box for some time. She's extremely timid.
I consider myself pretty hands-on & knowledgeable about all things cats- I've never had a 'pee-er- but this book had not 1, not 2, but SEVERAL important points and things to try I hadn't known or thought of.
The importance of interactive playtime and bonding is stressed and I
have seen a change already. I would highly recommend this
book before you spend tons of money on flower remedys, and please, please always remember it's NOT the cat so do not ever punish, grumble, or emit any sort of negativity your cat will feel.
If you only get one book I'd get this one- I got 3 others- twisted whiskers, psycho-kitty, and cat behavior book- none compared to this book, even for considerate and knowledgeable 'cat-people' it's full of revelations. And Rmember-SPAY, NEUTER, and DON'T DECLAW!

I had picked up one of the author's older books a while ago and was pretty impressed, but it was mostly a collection of stories. So, while interesting, it was no where near complete.

This book, on the other hand, is practically an encyclopedia of feline behavior. VERY cool. She starts with body language, her recommendations for setting up their environment and building confidence, and then goes onto common problems and how to solve them.

The only real blank is that she seems to assume that your cat is used to and at least somewhat trusts YOU. The section on a shy cat assumes that the cat is afraid of visitors.

I just skimmed it, so perhaps it's in one of the introductory sections that I missed (like the play therapy section, which she covered a bit in her other book so I didn't read it in this one). I'll reread it more in depth later and update.

I really like her approach, though, because she does not recommend discipline that the cat will associate with the person - like water bottles, noise makers, yelling, and stuff like that. Instead of negative approaches (like locking the cat out of the bedroom) she suggests positive approaches (like creating an interesting environment in another room). Definitely more work, but I think more successful in the long run.

Pam Johnson-Bennett is one of the best authors in the newly emerging field of cat behavior and this book is no exception. She offers no-nonsense, practical ways of understanding and dealing with your cat's quirks and problems. Her solutions are rarely the "QUICK AND EASY" variety (if you wanted that, I guess you should have gotten a pet rock). But this book goes a long way toward helping you understand your complex and mysterious little housemate. If you take the time to follow her instructions and do what she says, you will get results. Do it for your cat!

I have lived with cats my whole life, and even worked in a veterinarian's office as my first job out of high school, so I thought I knew plenty about cats. Boy did I have a lot to learn!

I originally checked this book out from the library in hopes of finding a few pointers on how to train a cat to stay off of the kitchen counters. As I started reading it, however, I realized it had MUCH more to offer. It truly is an encyclopedic reference for anyone sharing life with a cat (or several). This book is NOT just about behavior problems.

Everything from setting up the environment, to how to use play, to grooming, to common health issues is covered. I only wish I could go back in time and use Johnson-Bennet's insights with my previous cats.

There is quite a bit of overlap between this book and the author's previous work, Think Like a Cat. If you are getting a young kitten, Think Like a Cat has some useful pointers on selection and preparation. Other than that, everything from this earlier book is covered in Starting From Scratch--plus a whole lot more.

Highly recommended!

If you are looking for a quick and easy fix to feline behavior problems, then this book is not for you. And frankly, you need to rethink your strategy and look at long term. There are no easy fixes to hard problems.

I have a formerly feral young cat with some behavior problems--mix that with a foster cat who chases her and you get some big ugly. I have read almost half this book over the past few days, have started some of the techniques she recommends, and I have already seen a difference.

We still have a way to go, but this evening has been more peaceful than the last two weeks combined. The cats are even napping in the same room, although of course not together. I can easily distract and redirect the aggressive cat's (the foster) stalking behavior, and my cat is already more relaxed and showing much less fear aggression.

I have been a cat person my whole life and consider myself pretty fluent in cat. There is still so much this book has taught me. The main thing being that you have to throw out your personal conception of what YOU believe is going on and really listen to and look at the cat and let her tell you. (the book helps you interpret cues) I never thought my cat would be fear aggressive as she appears (to me) to be fearless. But I now clearly see a lot of her problems come from anxiety and being uncertain, which = fear to a cat.

I have also identified behaviors which are affectionate and indicate deep trust on the part of my cat, and it's very touching to know she DOES trust me and loves me.

I have gone from being committed to hanging in there until things change to being extremely confident not just that they WILL change, but confident on HOW they will change and what I can do to get there. I have a plan, and now all I need is time and consistency.

I cannot say how highly I recommend this book, even to a life long cat person.

This book is fantastic.

I took life-with-a-kitty for granted for a numbers of years until I recently adopted a stray kitten who is perfect in every way except for his nasty biting habit. After weeks of frustration, I finally decided I needed to find some advice about cat behavior. Originally, I picked up this book for its section on aggression but after the first few chapters I was hooked. The format of the book is wonderful, the information she presents about cats and their natural behaviors is astounding, and the suggestions she makes throughout the book are more than helpful. In just a few weeks, my relationship with my cat has improved tremendously. In addition to the behavior modifications I was able to do with the cat thanks to her advice, I have also learned so much about how to keep my cat happy, active, and stimulated. I never knew it was so easy! And it makes both the cat and I extremely happy.

The author believes the best way to modify your cats behavior is through positive reinforcement techniques. I have found this method to be extremely effective. However, modifying your cats behavior through positive reinforcement takes time, patience, and presence on your part. If you are not willing to be an active member in your cat's life, then you will get nowhere fast with this book. If you are willing to be attentive and active, then the rewards will be worth the effort ten times over again.

I'm always skeptical about behavior books for animals because most don't really help, but I was having some problems with my adult cats that I just didn't know what to do about anymore. This book actually did a great job of explaining things from the cat's pov and I've made some modifications in my behavior which has made things much better. The best thing I learned from the book was the phrase, "Cats want to be good." Not something that ever came to me because while my female cat is very bright and I love her dearly, she has always been a brat and a manipulator (of me and her brother) and somewhat of a bully to other cats. This then colored how I saw the behavior of my younger male cat. Now, whenever he is not good, I start from the premise that he want so be good (and he really is the most loving of cats, to me and his sister), and look for the reason why he can't be. That's the best lesson in this book but there are many other great ones. The author really knows what she is talking about.

When I adopted Mr.Tibbs(formerly Big Boy),he came preprogrammed.For the past 2 years,we've been learning each other's ways,,and this book,especially the chapter on body language,was very helpful.At least I have a chance now to figure out what he's trying to tell me.Of course,I also have a plaque that says"My cat isn't spoiled,I'm just very well-trained".I really enjoy this book and plan on re-reading it should problems arise!I found it very useful!

My girlfriend and I each had two cats... and decided to move in together. Not long after we had a bitter rivalry on our hands between one of my females and both of her males, and one of the males was urinating on anything that stood still. We were tearing our hair out over our dysfunctional family until I bought Starting From Scratch. We're in the middle of re-introducing the cats, but we've already seen a huge improvement in all our cats lives from following Pam Johnson-Bennett's advice.

This book was well-written and kept my attention even in the sections that covered problems that my cat did not have. What I liked most was that the author did not just tell you what to do to keep your cat from creating minor disasters, but explained clearly the cat psychology and instincts that prompt them to do what they do. It helped me understand my cat. I've had dogs most of my life, so this primer on the psyche of the cat is very useful and informative. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a cat, even if you're not having behavior problems - this book will help you prevent them!