The Meaning of Meow: What Your Cat Really Thinks!

by Pamela Weintraub

Some of the world's top experts, including devoted veterinarians, open a window into the minds of our feline freinds.  
 

Cats have become so beloved in recent years that some 75 million live in American homes as family pets. Another quarter million are community cats, increasingly serving us in barns, breweries, warehouses and more to keep rodents and other unwanted wildlife under control. 

Yet the cat has often seemed mysterious—compared to dogs, our cats can feel bit more aloof and difficult to truly “get.” 

But new research into our feline friends now reveals their love for us, their secret language, including accents and dialects, and their inner depths. In a series of engaging stories featuring the world’s top experts, veterinarians and pet-owners themselves, this premium book opens a window into the minds of our feline friends.

Among the features: How to raise a kitten to become a great cat; how to understand your cat's purrs, meows and body language; how to teach your cat tricks; and how to rescue a stranded cat and make it your own. A bonus feature covers favorite breeds and the advantages each confers.

Genres: Animals, Cats, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published April 21, 2020

Reviews

[Susan Bewley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received this book for free as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy)

Before I go any further, I have to admit; I spent some time flipping through and looking at the pictures. You rarely find an information book that is just this beautiful. All of the photography is stunning and fitting for each of the various sections. The information itself is easy to understand, attention-grabbing, and, best of all, well researched. The author references multiple topics that are things many cat owners of all experience levels thinking about, such as mix species households, the perfect cat for your home, and how to read your cat to know their needs. There is even a fantastic section on rescuing a cat and everything you need to know to make it successful for you and your cat. Overall, I think The Meaning of Meow: What Your Cat Really Thinks is fantastic and perfect for any cat lovers collection!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Lots of great photos of wonderful cats. Lots of information, well presented.
Chapter groupings are: The Power of Purr; History of Cats; Find Your Perfect Cat; Human-Cat Connection; Helping Your Cat Thrive.
Individual chapters include: Cutest cats; The cat advantage; Why cats resemble their owners; The story of cat litter; You had me at "Meow"; Deciphering the feline vocabulary; How to read your cat; Cat training 101; Fostering kittens; Can cats and dogs get along; How to rescue a cat; Caring for an aging cat; 10 amazing feline facts.
For the cat lover and the curious and those who just like to look at cat pictures.
My only quibble with this book is the title as given above. The picture they show and the copy I have give the title as The Meaning of Meow: What your cat really thinks. I can't find any reference to the title that GoodReads has given it. Unless they fix it, the title GoodReads has assigned is: Inside Your Cat's Mind: What They Really Think. The title on the book is much more enticing than this rather pedestrian version.
There's also a companion book The Meaning of Woof, for dog lovers.

[Scarlet Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Produced like a flashy, glossy magazine and collecting the kinds of meme-worthy bytes of information found in same, this book didn’t provide much more information than the average cat-fancier would already have come across elsewhere. It didn’t even focus on cat language or psychology, which is what Id been looking for (and what the cover implies.)
As a fun and colorful primer on cats and cat ownership for the uninitiated or new cat owner, it could be more engaging and easier to get through than other books, and it’s a fairly fast read, but it was still kind of a waste of time for me, who has owned and loved cats my whole life.

[Abril Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book a year after I adopted my cat and I really wish I had done it before that happened, but still it was very interesting and helpful! Plus, it has a bunch of cute pictures of cats.
If you're interested in knowing a bit more about your pet or you're thinking about adopting one, read this book!
Plenty of useful tips and interesting facts.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this difficult to read, and didn't feel very confident of any science behind the author's claims. There was a lot of appeal to authority, without a sense that the authorities had anything besides their own beliefs. However, the pictures were pretty amazing and fun to look at, and we did get a few excellent tips, so it was definitely worth reading. Just not entirely enjoyable.

[Rosalyn Cordell]

This book was excellent. Full of tips to help with your cat. I bought it as a gift & read it first. My daughter-in-law, who received it for her birthday was delighted with it & even sent me a picture of her reading it to her cat.

[Sandy Rechtsteiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a picture book than educational, but it did have a few interesting tidbits of knowledge. Written in very short chapters, most had some interesting pieces about cats you may have not known, but not overall educational nor does it have many interesting stories about cats.

[Wei Mon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird that there was not one black cat pictured in this entire book.

[Thomas Mengeling · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s good but little information kibble. You’ve read so many cat books, it’s almost the same information. If you want to read on cat breeds, DK books has some good ones with interesting information. Yes, I’m a cat lover, rescued a cat two years ago. This book has some good tips on how the cat can heal it’s owner. I felt like reading a children’s book of cats, the photos are great but the information seemed scarce. More like a picture book then a information book.