Hiss and Tell: True Stories from the Files of a Cat Shrink

by Pam Johnson-Bennett

"Pam Johnson-Bennett is the queen of cat behavior!" -- Steve Dale, author of My Pet World

The author of Catwise , Think Like a Cat , and Cat vs. Cat , Johnson-Bennett sheds light on the communication breakdowns between cats and their humans. In this offbeat and illuminating book, feline behaviorist Pam Johnson-Bennett , takes you on the wildest house calls of her career. Meet Mambo, the cat who attacks his owner, but only on Sundays, and Bonsai, the cat whose dislike for the new boyfriend becomes very embarrassing. What secret does Freddie know about his owner's new wife? These stories--each of which unfolds like a mystery--will help owners better understand the ever fascinating cat psyche.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Cats, Humor, Memoir, Short Stories, Family

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Pam Johnson-Bennett is the host of the TV series "Psycho Kitty" which airs on the Discovery UK channel. She is the best-selling author of 7 books on cats and is considered a pioneer in the field of cat behavior consulting. Her ground-breaking book, Think Like a Cat, is considered the cat bible among owners, experts, and shelter personnel worldwide. She is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and a clinical member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants as well as being the Founder and former long-time Chair of the IAABC Cat Division. She has been the behavior expert for Friskies for over a decade and also served on the Advisory Boards of the American Humane Association and Tree House Humane Society. She is a frequent expert columnist for WebVet. She was formerly the behavior columnist for Cats Magazine, Cat Channel, Yahoo, ivillage, Catster and the Daily Cat.

In addition to career in cat behavior consulting, she has also co-authored a book about motherhood. About her non-cat book, she says: "My 8th book is a total departure from cat behavior and delves into the scary, messy, embarrassing and alien world of being a mother of two kids. "Cookies for Dinner" is where I and my co-author fess up about how your breasts basically become the fast-food take-out window at lunchtime and how, at some point, it's a rite of passage for mothers to end up at the supermarket check-out line while still in our pajamas. Oh, and then there's the time I was locked out of my house while wearing less-than flattering swimwear... but I digress."

Reviews

[Xanthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of memorable experiences a cat behaviouralist in the USA has had over the years in the line of duty. There are some very puzzling, weird and wonderful stories in here. The author pretty much has to play detective to try and work out the stem of each cat related problem. She interviews the people involved, interacts with the cats, checks out their environments and tries to piece things together. Her wit is quite dry and I have to respect her ability to put up with the down right rudeness of some of her human clients. I am sure dealing with them must be much harder than dealing with the cats themselves. I would get too frustrated with them! But then I guess she must keep her emotions in check and persist for the sake of the cats, which is admirable. The story about the little terminally ill girl and her mother's reaction to the girl's cat after her daughter died, had me fuming. I am glad, though, that that story had a happy ending.
My one criticism of this book? Too brief! I would have loved to have read more about her cases and how she tackled them.

[Lisa Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author, Pam Johnson-Bennett, is the feline equivalent of the Dog Whisperer! It's fascinating to read her true stories of how she figures out feline misbehaviors and how to correct them. I'm sure it would help people with the same, if not similar, circumstances. She is excellent at what she does, and I can't wait to read two more of her books: Twisted Whiskers and Psycho Kitty, both solving even more kitty behavior problems.

[Aspasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pam Johnson-Bennett is a cat shrink. Yes, you read that right, a cat shrink. This book is a collection of some of her most memorable clients. Stories range from sad to hilarious as we are given a peek into the mind of a cat.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ms. Johnson-Bennett's Cat vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat was a life-saver for me, a dedicated cat lover and "mommy" to ten cats who get along very well 95% of the time thanks in large part to that book. Hiss and Tell: True Stories from the Files of a Cat Shrink is more a collection of anecdotes and doesn't offer much in the way of practical advice, but I enjoyed the stories.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a cat lover, this book of short stories by cat behavioralist Pam Johnson-Bennett did not disappoint. Each story is about a separate case where Pam Johnson-Bennett was brought in by the cat owners, who were encountering strange and difficult problems with their cats. The author then explained how she discovered the problem and what solutions she proposed. It is an excellent resource for all cat owners to learn how their cat thinks and how it might react to changes in its environment and family. I found the book entertaining and far too short!

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #11 Read in 2014
Hiss and Tell by Pam Johnson-Bennett

Johnson-Bennett is a cat behaviorist and each chapter of this book details one of her cat cases. Some are heartwarming; some are humorous. All provide good tips to use when dealing with some bad behavior by your own cats. Johnson-Bennett writes well; the sections flow nicely. I recommend it for the cat lovers.

http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com

[Cathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about cat behavior from this book. I thought it was just going to be a bunch of funny stories, but there is a lot of advice in here too. I have read MANY cat behavior books and even hired a cat whisperer! I highly recommend this book for entertaining and amazing cat stories and advice on how to treat your own cats.

[Graceann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pam Johnson tells of her most perplexing mysteries encountered as a cat therapist (which involves training the human much more than training the pet). The way in which she figures out the problem with minimal useful assistance from the owners, and then goes about solving it, is fascinating. It reads almost like detective work.

[Karen & Gerard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insights To Explaining Cat Behavior:
This book was extremely interesting to me because I love cats and it explained some of the puzzling behaviors that can arise. I found it fascinating that this woman was able to actually think like a cat to figure out what was causing the strange behaviors. It is both humorous and educational. I recommend it highly to any cat owner.

[Natnat337 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really a fantastic book to read if you have cats, and particularly if you have a cat with a behavior problem. She discusses several case studies and talks about what might be the reason behind the behavioral challenge and how she resolved it. There were a few situations that were sad, but there is a lot of great info in here. Also, it is interesting to read!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories about real clients the author has had as a feline behaviorist. Some are very cute, some were really interesting and silly, some were tear jerkers. Very cute book, I enjoyed reading it. Light and quick read. Even learned a few things about investigating a kitty crime scene and altering bad kitty behaviors. Definitely recommend it to cat lovers.

[Schnaucl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of anecdotes by a cat behaviorist. Some of the stories are funny and some of them are moving (I cried a few times, I admit). If you want to find out how to rectify behavior problems this isn't the book to read (you might try her others, which are written for that purpose). But if you're just looking for stories of cats it's a pretty good read.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and quick read ~ fun stories and a couple that made me mist up ~ I think I missed my calling! Shoulda been a "Cat Shrink"!

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this author. She really understands cats. This is just a cute collection of cases she has worked on.

[Colleen Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all cat lovers! Some of the stories had me chuckling out loud, and a couple definitely brought tears to my eyes. Just wish it was longer.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very touching as well as funny stories. A couple brought tears to my eyes.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam Johnson-Bennett's Hiss and Tell rates five stars because the message it delivers so effectively is "Play With Your Cat." My own cat is important to me and has been for seventeen years. The other non-fiction cat book that I read this year was Caleb Carr's. Both authors delivered this same message, but had different games in mind. Johnson-Bennett's focused on positive, interactive games. Carr's were more like kill drills. Yet the importance of playing with your cat can't be ignored. If you didn't play with your children, you would expect them to be unhappy and develop behavioral problems. The same outcomes apply to cats. In her practice, Johnson-Bennett uses play therapy, a technique used for human children, to diagnose and treat cats. The stories in this book provide insight into feline behavior. Read it and then play with your cat. Expect your cat to purr and maybe curl up next to you or nestle onto your lap.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit it: I'm a cat lover. However, I don't read many books about cats. This one caught my eye at the library - I mean, have you seen the cover? - and I immediately fell to reading it. It's broken up into short chapters, each a case study that the author - a cat psychologist - has handled in the past. Highly entertaining, these stories will make you laugh frequently, and grab the tissues on occasion. But while you're being entertained, you'll also learn quite a bit about the nature of cats, and how to handle some common behavioral issues. For more in-depth educational fare, I'd recommend the author's other books as well.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly enjoyable read! =) Made me laugh, made me cry... grossed me out once or twice! Having always lived with cats, I've experienced a few of these interesting feline behaviors first hand. The author definitely knows her subject matter. It's nice to see that her clients were willing to make an effort to figure out what the problem was instead of doing what so many others do (dump their problem cat at the nearest shelter). Cats aren't possessions or decorations, but sentient beings and are happiest when treated with respect and understanding.

[Kris Sellgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This breezy book is a collection of anecdotes by a cat shrink -- um, no, I mean by a feline behaviorist. Stories galore of cats behaving weirdly, the author applying her cat problem-solving skills to the mystery, and happy endings. Recommended as light reading for the cat-inclined.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

i adore the cover of this one. excellent funny and occasionally sad enough to make you teary eyed. and this is the book with the horrifying spare bed story that i don't think I'll ever forget and makes me grateful that my cat for all his issues doesn't do that.

[Sadaf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun and light read on feline behaviour. She is a cat shrink and we accompany her on various house calls where she tries to figure what went wrong with the cats. Some hilarious and some sad instances of cat behaviour are explored. A fun and light read overall.

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining book about cat dilemmas. Had some insights, but it's mostly just fluff.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative only if you have a cat or a cat lover.

[schmoozie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and light nightime read.

[Missy]

I loved it -- thank you so much for sharing. I have two cats of my own and I recognize them in some of these stories.

Part of a bookcrossing bookray. Passed along to a bookcrosser.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just not the target audience for this one.

[Solomong]

Interesting and odd stories of cat behavior. I'd read another book of case studies like this.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collection of short stories from a cat behaviorist. You'll laugh and you'll cry.

[RavenT · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this genre of animal-related, animal-positive non-fiction - James Herriot and Gerald Durrell, Jackson Galaxy, and so forth. I also adore felines. So I am the perfect reader for this book. I enjoyed the author's accounts of various cats and their human companions that popped up in her practice. Most anecdotes were amusing, but 0ne of the stories was so touching that it brought tears to my eyes, no shame felt.