CATLORE

by Desmond Morris

Desmond Morris considers the cat in myth and history, and answers questions he received from cat owners after the publication of the internationally best-selling Catwatching. 31 black-and-white photographs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cats, Animals, Science, Nature

180 pages, Hardcover

First published December 27, 1987

About the author

Desmond John Morris (born 24 January 1928) is an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology. He is known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape, and for his television programmes such as Zoo Time.

Reviews

[Angela Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the follow-on from Catwatching, and includes another collection of revealing and fascination information about cats. If you think you know lots abut cats, you'll be surprised at how much you didn't know. The writing style is also very easy to read, and the book is rather absorbing overall. A must read for anyone who lives with a cat.

[Robert Hult · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with the most up-to-date information about felines that I have ever read. This book is bound to save a lot of feline lives, since it gives the reader everything they would ever want to know about their pet cats.

[Tamzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful escape...

[Sus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing and a must-read for cat lovers. Hilarious, informative, and head-scratchingly weird. Kinda like cats?

[Emkoshka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I learnt so much miscellaneous information about cats from this delightful little volume. Alas, most of it wasn't appropriate to share with the primary school children I work with; way too much sexual content that I can never unknow now. I do love that it's very much a book of its era too (1987), with such topical questions as 'Are there any gay cats?' and 'Is it possible to catch AIDS from cats?' I was going to give this book away after reading, but I think it's actually an essential keeper, with the chapter entitled 'How many tail-signals does a cat make?' particularly useful for teasing out the nuanced intricacies of my feline friend's mood. And who knew that purring could mean something as banal as 'I am inoffensive'?!

[Shug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book years ago. Very interesting.

[John Giroux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather dated, but entertaining.

[Raimo Wirkkala · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel to the earlier "Catwatching" and is just more of the same; information dispensed in a FAQ-format.

[Xanthi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read quite a few books about cats now so it is good when you come across a book that offers things that you have not already read elsewhere before. This was the case with this book, for most of it, anyway. The book is dated somewhat, now.
Whilst in agreement wholeheartedly with the author about the issue of declawing, I found myself opposed to his very strong views on desexing cats. When it comes to this topic, he pulls no punches. Basically, his stance is that desexing is extreme and takes umbrage at people using the 'excuse' of population control and 'doing it for the cat's benefit', saying that the tying of cat ovary tubes and vasectomies would be just as effective. His opinion is that we want to desex our cats so that we do not have to put up with tom cat marking urination habits, queen's calling whilst in heat, etc. In other words, we are desexing to benefit us and make cat keeping more convenient for us.
Although vasectomies and tube tying would help to keep the population down,it would do little, however, to help reduce cat fights and injuries, and the spread of feline Aids and leukemia which are transmissible via cat fights and sex. Perhaps those diseases were not prevalent when this book was published? Perhaps desexing operations were more involved and riskier then than now?
I do hope that people who may read this book do not use it as an excuse to do nothing and let their cats multiple. There are far too many cats and not enough homes for them, leading to perfectly healthy cats being euthanized in alarming numbers in shelters around the world. If you love cats, you will get them desexed!

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Outdated. The author has clearly anthropomorphized the neutering of cats by saying it is unfair to de-sex cats! This sounds like a very human fear of becoming unmanned! He seems to espouse the out-worn theory of letting cats have at least one litter. There are numerous other places where the author has imposed his own thoughts and ideas about cat behavior as though it was gospel-truth, only to know that further (or actual!) research since the time it was written (1987,) has proven things to be otherwise.
I did appreciate learning about the four types of cat-hairs, that was informative. Also, I found the reason for point-coloring in Siamese, Burmese, etc. to be fascinating (if correct!)
However, information on other breeds was minimal and there was hardly anything on modifying bad behaviors.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what didn't I learn from this book? Although in places, this book was a bit dated, much of the information can still be useful today. Very easy to read with short chapters, this book was full of cool information. I have a very rambunctious cat and found that I have a slightly better idea how he ticks now. I learned why it's a bad thing to stare a cat down, and quite related to this is why those who don't care for cat tend to be the person(s) a cat will go to more often than a "cat lover." Another interesting aspect of the cat is why it's a bad idea to have a "vegetarian" diet for a cat as well as why they "graze."

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that was something.
Well written, straight forward and juicy.
As a person with little business with cats- so far at least, illustrations would have done me well in some parts but again Google exists, so.
Why would they appreciate sour tastes buggs me, speculations and theories are appreciated, in fact , regarding that it's a 28yo book, I wonder if the questions unanswered then have remained unanswered now as the one of telepathy with owners.
I laughed at the thought of superfecundation during superfetaion.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doing research on my Ruthie. Now I want to read his other books.

[Steve Clark]

Edition: 2nd printing