Why Does the Cat Do That?

by Susan Bonners

Why do cats rub up against furniture? Why do they like to hide in bags? What makes them purr? These are just some of the questions answered in this fascinating and informative picture book on feline behavior.

Through the inventive narrative, young readers examine the instincts of the common house cat. The text works on two it describes a day in the life of a pet cat named Molly, and then explains the scientific basis for all of her actions. Some of the most ordinary cat antics, like pouncing on a toy or scratching against an object, are deeply rooted in the behavior of wild ancestors. Susan Bonners expertly explains why our beloved pets act the curious way they do.

Genres: Cats, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 1998

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the recurring and repeated juxtaposition of fictional narrative and non fictional explanation regarding general cat (feline) behaviour has certainly been interesting and also very much enlightening (and that yes, Susan Bonners artwork is also sweetly and expressively rendered and as such very much realistic with regard to how cats look and how they tend to behave, how they tend to act, although personally, I would definitely have preferred the accompanying illustrations to be in black and white as somehow the use of colour kind of seems to make the drawings really flat and one dimensional ), on an entirely personal level, I do have one huge and very much major issue with Why Does the Cat Do That?. For honestly, I am indeed rather massively and right from the first page of Why Does the Cat Do That? frustrated and annoyed that Susan Bonners has in her fiction section both Molly the cat’s owners and young house-sitter Bob obviously think that there is nothing at all wrong with letting domestic cats roam outside. And well, considering how much of a threat outside cats or even inside cats that are periodically but consistently allowed to freely roam are to especially native songbirds, I am really more than a bit ticked off that Susan Bonners obviously does not seem to think that this is in any manner problematic, as none of her printed words ever even remotely touch on the fact that cats which are allowed to roam outdoors are often really not a positive thing for in particular native bird species and ecosystems.

And thus, even though I do think that Why Does the Cat Do That? provides both a nice combination of text and image and much relevant information regarding feline behaviour, that author and illustrator Susan Bonners never even with one word considers the ecological issues posed by domestic cats roaming outside, this has most definitely very much lessened my potential reading pleasure (and to the point of me only considering two stars maximum, as indeed, Why Does the Cat Do That? also contains no bibliographical information whatsoever, and in my humble opinion, this certainly does rather limit the teaching and learning value of Why Does the Cat Do That? and in particular regarding the non fiction feline behaviour explanatory sections and is also something that I always have trouble understanding).

[In · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the funny things cats do, you'll appreciate this book. Cats are complex creatures . . .much like ourselves.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

openlibrary.org
Narrative story on one page, non-fiction on the next. Educational, good for kids whether or not they like cats. Nice pictures.

[Donna Siebold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delivered as both a fictional accounting of Bob the novice cat-sitter and a non-fictional side explaining why a cat behaves as it does this book is quite intriguing. It would be an excellent idea for all future cat owners to browse this one before they go out and get their own Lion King.

[Salsabrarian]

While Bob housesits for a friends, he also looks after their cat; the cat’s behaviors are paralled by natural explanations for them, how they evolved. Interesting treatment of a cat’s everyday behaviors.

[Margarita .H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read this book all the time when I was little, I remember checking it out at least a dozen times.

[Aurora Dimitre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure this deserved to be the 100th book I read this year, but, you know, cute book about cats, that's chill.