Being Your Cat: What’s really going on in your feline’s mind

by Celia Haddon, Daniel Mills (Primary Contributor)

Renowned cat expert Celia Haddon puts the reader inside the mind of their cat, to show them how they think, feel and experience the world.

Ever wondered why your cat won't sit on your lap? Why she would suddenly watch the football on television, how she sees the world and what she thinks of you and your family? Prepare to enter the mind of your cat and revolutionize the way you see the world and your enigmatic pet.

Bestselling cat author Celia Haddon and veterinary expert Professor Daniel Mills take you into the mind of your feline and, drawing on the latest scientific research, describe how your cat experiences the world. This is a unique book drawing on a wealth of veterinary science and studies, which relays those findings in a way that will amuse and delight owners. By placing you in the mind of your cat you will know what it's like physically, empirically, psychologically and emotionally to  be  your cat.

Being Your Cat  will fascinate and surprise those who wish to know the secret world of cats and reveals how their experiences don't always stray far from our own.

Genres: Cats, Nonfiction, Animals

256 pages, Paperback

Published May 30, 2023

About the author

"I have loved animals from as far back as I can remember", writes Celia Haddon. "As a child, I realised that some animals suffered at the hands of ignorant humans. To right this I have published several books about cats. Cats make me laugh. We humans don't really understand them, though. If we did, they would have a happier life.

For 20 years I wrote about companion animals (pets) for the Daily Telegraph. For 12 of these years I was a pet agony aunt and dealt with about 100,000 letters. My aim was to improve animals' lives by giving good information - and, with luck, to make my readers laugh at the same time.

I have also written several daily quotation books, now out of print, and a history of the first English Olimpick Games in 1612 - now republished in Kindle. My latest cat is Tilly and my latest cat book is Tilly: the Ugliest Cat in the Shelter. It tells the story of how I rescued Tilly from 18 months without adoption; and how she rescued me in the darkest moment of my life.

Tilly tweets at http://twitter.com/TillyUgliestCat

My former cat George lives on digitally and advises other cats how to train humans at http://george-online.blogspot.com

My website with useful animal behaviour information is www.catexpert.co.uk

- from Amazon

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered why your cats behave the way they do? Cats are often a mystery to us humans, this new book can prepare you to enter the mind of your feline and help you understand how they see, smell and hear the world.

Celia Haddon a best selling cat author and cat expert has written this new book with veterinary behaviourist Prof. Daniel Mills, together they will take you into your cat's mind and look at the latest scientific research and explain how your cat experiences the world we live in.

This book examines the cat by explaining what it's like physically, psychologically and emotionally to be a cat.

The book is written in such a way that it comes across as though you are reading it to your cat and therefore it is easy for us mere humans to understand :) This also makes it a charming book to read and fun. There are many feline behaviour books around and some can be a heavy read, which can put cat owners off reading, but this book is very engaging and the information easy to digest.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters about being a kitten, chapters on the different feline senses but most of all the chapter called "What You As A Cat Want, Choice and Control" It's becoming much more common for behaviourists and cat educators to talk about giving cats a choice and control in their lives and treatment, this may sound funny to most cat owners as we often think cat do what they want anyway, but every cat is different and has it's own individual personality and just because one cat likes to be treated in a certain way, doesn't mean all cats do, for example being fussed and cuddled, being picked up, held like a baby, dressed up (i've never met a cat who loved this apart from a Sphynx who suffered from the cold). There is no one size fits all when it comes to cat happiness. Cats deserve our respect, the same as any family member. As a pet cat, cats need humans who accept them as they are and not force them to behave in a way that makes them unhappy and stressed.

Many cats may not wish to be lap cats but prefer to be nearby while others are like limpets and would stay on you all day and night :)

I enjoyed this book very much and recommend it to all cat owners especially new inexperienced owners, but also experienced owners as there is always new things to discover about our feline friends.

I was sent this book from Octopus Publishing for an honest review and is available from all the usual places.

Until next time, love and purrs Rachel & Lola xxx

[Mayaisfiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really incredible work. I’m always impressed by any project with Professor Mills’ involvement. I appreciated that it was written in the second person, positioning the reader as a cat. As a dog person typically, this book has been extremely useful in negotiating my own relationship with the cats in my life.

[Sukrita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun and informative, I liked that they pretend I'm a cat reading it. Very nice. Cat also approves.

[Ruthie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love cats 🐈‍⬛ This was meant for a younger audience, I believe

[Nine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew most of the information given but the perspective was interesting and I learned a few new things.