Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat--Not a Sour Puss (Paperback)

by Pam Johnson-Bennett (Author)
Key Phrases: interactive playtime, bathe your cat, submissive cat, Fast Forward, Litter Box Survival Guide, Clamour Puss (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Feline behaviorist Johnson-Bennett (Twisted Whiskers: Solving Your Cat's Behavioral Problems) suggests that if cat owners learn how to think like a cat, they can better understand their pets and build a more positive relationship. One way is to view the world not from the vantage point of a 5'7" human but from the cat's level, ten inches off the ground. If you needed to scratch your claws and saw only drapes and furniture and no scratching post, what would you use? The author gives helpful tips for stopping destructive chewing, aggression, furniture scratching, and litter-box difficulties. Her advice on grooming, pests, traveling, and first aid are clear and straightforward. She also recommends types and brands of toys, equipment, food, and other feline products. A similar guide is Brian Kilcommon's Good Owners, Great Cats (LJ 10/1/95), which has a more attractive layout and is easier to use. Still, this volume is more comprehensive than Johnson-Bennett's earlier works, with excellent insight into feline behavior, humor, and common sense. Recommended for most pet collections.
-Eva Lautemann, Georgia Perimeter Coll. Lib., Clarkston
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
A popular cat expert and award-winning author of four books on feline behavior reveals the key to a satisfying and rewarding relationship with your cat.

Think it's impossible to train a cat? Think again! Yes, you can learn to understand your cat. No, cats are not always aloof. No, they don't ruin furniture out of spite. Most often feline "misbehavior" is the result of owners not understanding their cat's needs. In this comprehensive book that takes readers through every step of cat ownership, Pam Johnson-Bennett helps you understand the instincts that determine feline behavior, positive and negative. An authoritative resource for cat owners of all stripes, Think Like a Cat covers everything from where to get a kitten to choosing a vet; from basic health care to treating more serious medical problems; from selecting an irresistible scratching post to avoiding litter box problems. A seasoned therapist and former veterinary technician, Johnson-Bennett offers welcome advice in a straightforward manner that will help cats--and their owners--share a happy, healthy life together.

Johnson-Bennett's first book, Cat Love, was chosen by Cat Fancy magazine as one of the best books ever published on cats.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 1 edition (January 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140288546
• ISBN-13: 978-0965013017
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,948 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource!, March 13, 2000

By	Meg Brunner (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

I just got my first cat (she's 6 months old) and have been searching around desperately ever since for a good, solid reference book full of everything I need to know to keep my cat healthy and happy. A kind of "Our Bodies, Our Selves" for my pet, you could say. But most of the books I found were all pictures, no substance.

I stumbled across this one when I found it on a sale table. I thought it was just going to be a handbook on cat psychology, but it turns out it's much, much more!

This book has information on just about everything you would ever need to know about taking care of your kitty. It's got a chapter on every subject I had a question about, plus informational lists (like, of which houseplants are poisonous), very detailed and easy-to-follow instructions (like, on how to do CPR on your cat), and extremely innovative ideas and solutions to common problems (like, how to keep your cat off your kitchen counters).

I heartily recommend this book to everybody who has a cat or is thinking about getting one. It's terrific!

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for Cat Owners, July 31, 2001

By	George Webster, Ph.D., (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

There is so much misinformation about cats that it's a welcome treat to have a book that gives us insight into things that are important to them. Cats love security. They love a familiar setting. They like a routine, but they can become bored if we don't play with them regularly. The author has fine suggestions on effective play. She also has excellent thoughts on how cats try to communicate with us. It took me a long time to figure out what my cat was trying to tell me, but you can get it nicely from this book. The volume has useful information on cat health, but its great value is in helping you think like a cat. Every cat owner would be wise to have a copy.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book I've been waiting for, February 21, 2000

By	Gabrielle (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

I was amazed at how insightful this book was. I discovered so many things that I'd been doing wrong. Since applying Pam's methods, my cats have become better behaved and appear much happier. The book is written with humor and sensitivity yet packs a gutsy punch with respect to the dos and don'ts of training cats.

Now whenever I look into the eyes of my four cats, I feel as if I know what they're thinking. I plan on giving this book to all the cat owners I know.