The Secret Life of Your Cat: Unlock the Mysteries of Your Pet's Behavior

by Vicky Halls

A comprehensive illustrated book that reveals why cats behave the way they do. The Secret Life of Your Cat uncovers the biology and physiology behind the uniquely feline approach to life and, in particular, how cats have adapted to living with humans. The book examines the cat inside out, starting with a nose-to-tail explanation of how evolution has shaped this perfect little predator. Information on feral, social and age- and breed-related behaviors reveals the biological and behavioral adaptations cats have made over centuries in order to successfully live with humans. The author also reveals what makes a cat content in its daily life, both in the house and out and about in the neighborhood. The author examines troublesome behaviors, such as aggression, toilet-troubles and turf wars, revealing their biological sources and suggesting remedies. There are also tips on the adaptations pet owners can make at home to provide a cat-friendly environment, and 240 full-color photos add romance to the text. For the cat lover who wants to know everything about a beloved pet to the animal lover who is curious about all pets, The Secret Life of Your Cat is a richly illustrated and authoritative guide to the singular mystery that is the cat.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cats, Animals, Reference

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[♏ Gina☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book covers a vast array of topics regarding felines: behavior, psychology, biology, communication, stages of life, needs, nutrition...you name it, it's in here.

It is easy to find whatever topic interests you most and go from there, or you can start with the evolution of felines and how they adapted to their new environment.

Of course, some cats may exhibit unwanted behavior and this book will also help the pet parent with handling the situation that will result in both the feline and the human being happier.

As a rescuer, I have dealt with a lot of different behaviors, including taking in a feral and turning him into a furry love bug. The most common reason cats are turned out of the home, abandoned, or turned into a shelter, are litter box issues. With a little time and patience, this is a fixable issue. I have one who was abandoned near my home. She will use the box for bowel movements, but has steadfastly refused a box for urine. After ruling out any medical issues, we found a solution. She happily uses puppy training pads for that, and I am fine with it. The pads are changed frequently, and they trap odors so no one even knows they are in the house. Please, check out all your options before you abandon or "dump" a cat.

Even if you think you know about all you possibly could regarding our feline friends, I guarantee you will find something in this book enlightening.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a coffee table book impulse buy, the cover model looks like my cat Señor Gris. It has beautiful pictures and interesting facts most cat owners already know. That doesn't mean I didn't learn anything. These are ways my cats life has been improved by this book:

- ideal temperature for cat food is 100° which is the same temperature as their prey in the wild. Señors breakfast is now heated. His dinner is dry food.
- Food and water bowls should be wide enough to prevent their whiskers from touching the sides. The little bowls went to the trash. Señor now eats from a plate and drinks from large dog bowls.

Best Factoid: Predation studies indicate birds represent only 4-18% of a feral cats food intake. How many times have you heard cats maligned for bird depletion? Now you can tell them to kiss your factoid!

[Monika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sissejuhatuseks nii palju, et kevadest on meil kodus kaks kassi. Eesti kirjandusklassikast tuntud Agu Sihvka sõnu kasutades: "Et kõik ausalt ära rääkida, siis ei olnud meil üldse plaanis kodulooma võtta." No, kui siis võibolla taksikoer, aga kasse kohe kindlasti mitte.
Kõik algas sellest, et ühel hommikul sain sõbrannaga kohvikus kokku ja ta mainis möödaminnes, et ta tuttava venna kassil on pojad ning kas ma ei tahaks ühte neist endale. Vastasin naljaga pooleks, et jah miks mitte, võiksin ju tõesti kassi võtta. Siis läks jutt teistele teemadele ja ma arvasin, et sellega on lugu ka lõpetatud, aga äkki hakkasin sõnumites kassipoegade pilte saama. Kokku oli neid pisikesi viis ja armsad olid nad küll. No, milline kassipoeg poleks? Vaatasin ning saatsin naerusuiseid nägusid vastu. Nii arenes asi päevani, mil tekkis küsimus, et kas ma tahaksin neid vaatama minna. Ei mingit kohustust võtta, aga no niisama vaatama. Ei, ma ei tahtnud mingeid kassipoegi näha, sest ma ju ikkagi ei tahtnud kassi, aga no hea küll.
Vahepeal olime piltide pealt mehega otsustanud, et no kui, siis ainult see valge ninaga. Sõidu ajal lootsin, et ehk see kasspoeg mulle ei meeldigi ...ja siis jalutas mulle esimesena vastu üleni hall kiisu ja ma tundsin, et kui üldse, siis just see. Aga no, mis siis sellest valge ninaga saab, kelle osas olin juba kuulutanud, et kui üldse kass, siis just see?
Istusin tagasiteel autos ja ei suutnud otsustada, keda võtta või jätta ja lõpuks saatsin mehele sõnumi - kas ma kaks kassi võin võtta? Teoreetiliselt oleks ta pidanud ei vastama, aga oli nõus. No ja nii tulingi ma paar nädalat hiljem koju kahe kassipojaga. Valge ninaga on Carter McSkittles ja hall Mr. Henry Darcy. Lühidalt Carter ja Henry. Aja jooksul on neist saanud me pere täieõiguslikud liikmed.
Sellisel olukorras tundus "Kasside varjatud elu" olevat just see raamat, mida mul on vaja lugeda. Vicky Halls kirjutab kassidest tõelise kirega ning tulemuseks on väga põhjalik käsiraamat, mis põhimõtteliselt katab kassi elu sünnist surmani. Lugedes sain vastused isegi neile küsimustele, mida mul algaja kassiomanikuna veel tekkinud polnudki. Näiteks meeldisid mulle väga ta mõtted, et:
- looma keskkonda ei tohi üleöö muuta, neile tuleb anda kohanemis- ning nuusutamisaega.
- kassi tuleb austada ning lasta tal rahulikult magada.
- kui sa proovid kassi õpetada, et ta ei tohi teatud kohta, nt laua peale ronida, siis on tulemuseks vaid see, et ta lihtsalt ei roni sinna sinu nähes, aga ronimata ka ei jäta.
Soovitan seda raamatut eelkõige algajatele kassiomanikele, kuid küllap pakub see äratundmisrõõmu neilegi, kes juba pikemaajaliselt kasse teeninud on (sest selle väite, et kassidel pole mitte omanikud, vaid teenrid, tõepärasuses olen juba veendunud).

[Stacey B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 - There was some good stuff in there that would probably help out someone who doesn't already have a cat and is thinking about getting one, but there's nothing in here that I haven't heard before.

[ReadRightMeow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the 2024 edition (not the 2010), and for some reason, it is listed under the old one.

It was a great book! It was an encyclopedia format with some fun facts sprinkled in the margins. I already knew most of the content, but there were fun little nuggets of information I did not know. I would recommend this book to beginners as it covers a wide span of information in just 1 quick book, but is fairly surface level. For the cat-obsessed, it does talk more in-depth about the lives of outdoor and indoor/outdoor cats than just indoor cats. Most books I have read ignore these groups, so it was interesting to learn about them!

[Marca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tegemist siiski pigem käsiraamatu, kui populaarteadusliku teosega kasside salaelust, mille tõttu mul raamatu lõpus veidi igav hakkas. Nipid on pigem õues käivate kasside omanikele, kes elavad väga kokkuhoidvas kogukonnas. Samuti jäi sageli mulje, et autori ees on olnud ka ülemäära raske ülesanne - kassi ei saa taltsutada ja seetõttu on ka ühtse manuaali kaasa andmine stiilis "ta teeb nii, sest tunneb naa" sama hea, kui üritada anda manuaali iga erineva vastutuleva inimesega toimetulemiseks.
Pikemalt siin: http://marcamaa.blogspot.com/2019/08/...

[Elin · Rating 3 out of 5]

”Kattens hemliga liv” av Vicky Halls ger en grundläggande kunskap om katten och hur man tar hand om den på bästa sätt. De flesta områden som hälsa, anatomi, beteenden osv tas upp men inte så mycket på djupet. Tex ville jag gärna läsa mer om beteendeproblem men det nämndes egentligen bara kort några råd angående detta, så för att läsa mer behöver man nog vända sig till andra böcker.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me more than any other cat book for solving problems with my 2 cats.

[Goldenrod · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of cat facts, but not an enjoyable read. Includes harsh and unpleasant information.

[Andrea1306 · Rating 4 out of 5]

è una vita che ho gatti e gattini intorno e non mi son mai preoccupato minimamente delle loro abitudini, le cose che sapevo le ho sempre apprese da chi ne sapeva di più, spesso però si sbagliavano.
Dopo aver comprato altri libri sui gatti molto descrittivi ma brevi, posso dire che questo raccoglie tutto quello che c'è da sapere.
Non ho trovato nulla di scontato e banale, anzi, avere un gatto in casa non è così facile come sembra.
Piccole strategie vi aiuteranno a fare cose cui non siete mai stati in grado di risolvere con i vostri amici a quattro zampe.
Unica nota negativa: a volta le spiegazioni di ripetono all'infinito per spiegare concetti semplici.
P.S.: il libro è pieno di foto bellissime.

[Anne Fabing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought I read everything there was to know about cats, I found a book that can teach me even more. Did you know that declawing a cat is prohibited in most other countries? Or that all kittens are born with blue eyes? And the ideal temperature for their food is 100 degrees because its the same temperature that their prey would be in the wild. For those of you allergic to cats, you are actually allergic to the protein in a cat`s saliva.

The book is filled with adorable pictures and is probably the most complete source of information on the care and feeding of your favorite feline.

[Edith Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to the library with a list of recommended cat behavior books. This was not on the list but I checked it out anyhow just because the cat on the cover looks a lot like my new kitten. As it turned out I liked this book better than the books on my list. It was a little repetitive with some of the same info in the text, picture captions, and text boxes, but I didn't mind too much because it was exactly the kind of basic, interesting, and often useful information about cat behavior that I was looking for. I also loved the photos.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting book -- would be especially helpful if you are contemplating getting a kitten or a second cat. Found some good insight as to why my Hoover does what she does! Also noted that I'm supposed to leave her alone when she is sleep, which is really difficult for me to do sometimes!! I'll be sharing some of this info with John...we want to be the best parents we can be!

[Shel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and it has made me realise that some of my cats habits aren't so weird after all!

The book even has a section on feral cats which is useful if, like me, you own a cat or are thinking of getting a cat that used to be feral.

The book is full of interesting facts and lovely pictures!

[Maasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for the ones who is having cats for the first time or wants to know more about cats. The knowledges and tips written in this book seems to be very basic matters. I enjoyed them because I'm completely a beginner about cats.
You can see loads of beautiful photos of cats so it might be suitable for a gift for a cat-fan friend.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I knew quite a bit about cats, but learned some very helpful facts about a multi-cat household!

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for the cat equivalent of the wonderful book Inside a Dog. Oh well. This is more of a generic cat owner's manual. Decent, but nothing special.

[Garryvivianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun to read. Like who really knows what your cat is thinking? But there were numerous interesting facts & silly things. The pictures of all the cats were adorable!

[Nora aka Diva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful for helping to cope with an extremely naughty, stubborn cat.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful photos. Good info, not as comprehensive as I'd have liked, and most of the focus is on cats who go outside.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! Very insightful!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs and intelligent text. A very informative chapter on feral cats.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving an extra star just for the cute pictures.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun book aaaallllll about cats. I liked it.

Didn't really learn anything new about cats, but it had some cute stories and some very adorable cat pictures.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of this I knew, but it was interesting to learn the parts that were new information for me!

[Meredith]

Cats Are Weird: The Book

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too general, with nothing really new to me. Lovely photos, though.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat book. Much of it I knew, but I did learn some things.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating compendium about all things feline. Gorgeous photographs complement the factoids.

[Lisa Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully informative!