50. Claire Bessant - How to Talk to Your Cat

Title:
How to Talk to Your Cat
Author:
BESSANT, Claire
Publisher:
Smith Gryphon Limited
Format:
Paperback
BCID:
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/5910315
No. of pages:
119
First sentence:
Cats have become a passion for many people who regard them not just as interesting pets but as companions, confidantes and intelligent friends to unwind with, as well as creatures who give them an insight into a wilder side of life.
Score:
8/10

I actually bought this book as a gift for my boss who had just adopted two cats a number of years ago. I did mean to give it to him, honest, but it was so appealing to me that it found a home in my bookcase instead. I’ve flicked through it over the years but have now read it in its entirety for the Think Cat!

I enjoyed Bessant’s friendly style of writing and found the book to be an accessible look at feline behaviour. She looks mainly at communication between felines and then between felines and humans before moving on to training and common problems. I particularly liked her formula for converting ‘cat years’ to ‘human years’ and shall be adopting it rather than the usual ‘take the cat’s age and multiply by seven’ formula.

The book is illustrated with line drawings some of which are charming. However, I did find it a bit hard to differentiate some of the body language the captions said they depicted. I think photographs might have been easier to decipher of, of course, this would have added to the cover price.

I would recommend this book to anyone trying to get inside their cat’s head – either to deepen their relationship or to solve a problem. It may not literally tell ‘how to talk to your cat’ but it does travel in that direction and has tips at the end of each chapter on how to enhance your relationship with your cat. I’d definitely read more on this subject by the author.