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

I have not finished this book yet but have gotten more than my money's worth. My plan is to reread this after completing it the first pass, and then referencing it often. I'm not actually nuts, I have good reason for my thoroughness. My husband and I recently lost our beloved cat Isis, after 19 years together. The loss was all but devastating to us. We have a second cat, an elderly male who is now 13-years old, and was also grieving the loss. After a couple of weeks of the three of us wallowing in pain, we decided to adopt a rescue animal-companion. We left ourselves open to adopting as many as three. It would give us a total of four cats which we felt we could manage financially, but more importantly we would be able to meet the time and attention needs of a maximum of four. Within a matter of 21 days we all but fell into three separate adoptions. The newbies range in age from about 5 months to just now 5 weeks. They had a range of issues from two of them being underweight, one being found off of the side of an expressway and the youngest that was weeks too young to be away from her mother or at the very, very least her other litter mates. Adding to our challenges has been misrepresented ages and that we brought them into the house in stages, but still rather fast. The oldest of the new adoptees, a male that was stated to be 13-weeks, (turned out to be closer to 18 weeks) came home to us on April 14th. The next a female stated to be 13-weeks, (turned out to be closer to 7 weeks) came home on April 30th. The assumption had been that the two "13-week old kittens" would be able to play and keep one another company. In actuality after two weeks of solid meals and a safe environment, the male blossomed adding nearly three pounds in the 24 DAYS we've had him. He is no longer the scrawny, feeble-looking, nearly feral kitten that he appeared to be. He's healthy and inquisitive and wonderful! BUT, now there is a clear 4-pound difference between these two kittens. Play must be monitored as he learns his strength and she learns her limits. Adding to that, we have a ONE-POUND kitten that came home with us on May 4th. They had represented her to be nearly 8 weeks, as it turns out she was much closer to 4. She was supposedly weaned, but "torn" is a better description. She wants to play with the others but it is even more important that limits be set for her. Adding into this collage of personalities and specific needs, we have our elderly cat. He is doing better every day but this has been no easy transition for him. So how does all of this relate to this book? The information has been incredibly helpful! Instead of attempting to force our version of integration on each of these incredible life forms, we are seeing life from their perspectives. It changes EVERYTHING! There are so many things that never even would have crossed our minds. I'm making "puzzle feeders" for our 5-month old to help him with some of his innate need to "figure things out". He also requires a GREAT deal more release for his excess energy, where the two girls need a great deal more rest. Separate spaces, safe hiding places, access to "escape routes" from one another, all of these things are different when looked at from the floor of our house UP, rather than looking around or DOWN on what is available to them. I have rambled on way too long, but I will say that I HIGHLY recommend this book! One quick note regarding the one-star reviews stating that this was either not informative enough or that they disagree with keeping cats inside the home, I just could not disagree more. I had no idea of the blood types of cats, had never heard of a puzzle feeder and never considered whether or not I could have a real impact on the emotional wellness of each of these tossed-together lives on anything like the level that we have. We are doing many things now intentionally rather than accidentally bumping into ideas that may have been helpful. It feels fantastic to offer such a stable environment to them all. When it come to the idea of keeping cats confined, I think this probably depends. If one has many acres of safe spaces for a cat then sure, in and out is probably fine. In either a suburban or urban setting this is just not the case. If one simply looks around at their neighborhood and notices the lack of weeds in the lawns due to routine weed-killing regimes, watches strays without adequate immunization, observes the number of cars in their area including distracted drivers, and considers the very real possibility of someone's intentional malice towards their cat, it changes the concept of "keeping them prisoner". Also, if one feels their home to be a prison, the cats are probably not the biggest issue they may have. Home should never feel this way to either us or our animal companions. I agreed with the author. We may debate whether or not to spay, neuter and/or declaw. We can debate whether or not they should be allowed to roam the neighborhoods or remain within the home. What we should not debate, should be able to in fact agree on, is that each of these decisions will impact the entire life cycle of another living being. They are completely dependent on us to make these decisions based not on our opinions, but rather what is in the best interest of the animals, based solely on facts. This book offers factual statements of what is in the best interest of our cats. This is a well researched book that offers those of us sharing our lives with cats, insights that we simply might not have considered or been offered in any other way. Great book that I have already planned to also purchase in paperback for quick reference.

As other reviews have stated, Think Like a Cat is very informative and covers a wide range of topics. I am glad that I bought it. It rates five-stars when compared to other cat books. Still, the following are areas of concern: On page 16 it reads that the kitten should not be taken from her mother before 10 to 12 weeks old. On the next page it states that the critical socialization period is 3 to 7 weeks of age (earlier and shorter than a dog). The problem with her timeline is that the new owner is totally out of the socialization period. The website by Kleinbrook Animal Hospital largely agrees with our author, but believes the kitten should be given to the new owner after weaning at 6 to 9 weeks of age so that the end of the important socializtion period can be with the new owner. The author almost dismisses the idea of the cat being able to roam outside. Cats like the outdoors. It is in their nature. I wish she would give more time to this option. (Note -I had a cat that after troubled times outdoors decided he largely wanted indoors, but that was his option.) I wish the costs of veterinary services would be discussed. Perhaps it is too expensive for the potential owner to care for a cat in a first class manner. Lastly, I would suggest that the temperament and personality of various breeds of cats be discussed in an added chapter. Still, very good book as it is. And, I like its ergonomic shape, size and feel.

I got the Kindle version. It is packed with information, much of it conventional "how to" guidance for folks considering a cat or unexpectedly finding themselves with one who has adopted them, but many sections, especially in the behavioral topics, It is quite detailed, which can be excellent if you are hungry to get the whole story or boring if you already have had cats and know the material, but some of the tips are excellent for both experienced cat owners and (especially) for newbies. I know of a cat adopted from a shelter, and after being ripped out of somewhere or getting lost or abandoned, then being ripped out of the shelter and in a new place with all new faces, it is terrifying for a cat, and they may hide for weeks or even months, but the people who adopted this one felt that a few days under the sofa (coming out to use litter and to eat) was enough so reached in and tried to grab her and drag her out, got scratched, returned the cat. I hope the humans can not vote or reproduce. But, for folks like that, this is a great book and can avoid a lot of trouble for both humans and cats. For experienced cat owners, you can skim quickly over some sections, but the sections on behavior, training, understanding why a cat does what it does, etc., is interesting and helpful. If I were the editor, I would've divided the book into sections, one for if/when a person is considering a cat, one for those who are getting a kitten, one for getting an older cat, and then one for all the behavioral and training topics. All in all, a good read, some info treasures buried amongst other info that, to anyone who has cats and cares about them, is obvious info, but not to everyone. The author makes some excellent points, like don't expect a cat to learn your name for it if you use ten variants or nicknames of it, you have to be consistent and clear. Use of play and toys and how they are beneficial if not necessary to healthy, well-behaved cats, etc. Good info and written like a friend speaking to you, very clear.

Un libro con muchas explicaciones valiosas para los que desean adoptar un amigo felino o para los que ya tienen uno o más gatos. Ayuda a entender muchas reacciones y señales que ellos nos dan, y una lista sin fin de consejos prácticos para mejorar la vida de nuestra mascota.

We are bringing home a Siberian kitten and this book was recommended to me - despite not being breed specific. I have really enjoyed reading this book - it is engaging and not dry. There is lots of medical information at the back of the book which will be useful to dip in and out of over the course of a cats life. I had four cats at different times many years ago which I inherited in different ways. Only one was particularly affectionate and from reading this book I can now understand why. I didn't realise the importance of a kittens early years in determining the behaviour of an adult cat or the importance of play for building up a bond with a cat. I also didn't even think about needing to brush a cats teeth so that it doesn't suffer from dental problems as it gets older (for anyone interested there are some good videos on Youtube on how to brush a cats teeth which I looked at because of this book). I don't want to repeat the mistakes of my past and hope to be the best cat owner I can be thanks to all of the advice in this book.

If you really want to understand your cat, and stop scaring it with useless reproaches and teachings, read this book! You will look at your cat from a different angle and start building a real dialogue with this beautiful creatures.

An excellent reference for new and old cat owners alike.

Five stars but I do have to point out that as soon as I opened the book the pages started coming out, some manufacturing error, something to be aware of! Still love the book, I wish more people would read it.