Rating: 
Summary: Informative, but a little presumptious
Review: This book answers frequently asked questions about cats, with illustrations that are often amusing. It is clearly written by someone who has spent a lot of time around cats, and the information in it can be useful.However. As someone who has spent a good deal of my life in situations where I could not speak for myself and others spoke -- often wrongly, if well-meaningly -- for me, I am sensitive to what happens when you assume too much about the complex activities going on in the mind of another being. And I had a lot of questions when I read this book. How is it *known* that cats regard us as their surrogate parents? Did a cat tell someone that? All the behaviors described as signaling that attitude toward us are behaviors cats display toward other cats or toward inanimate objects. Is my cat kneading a blanket convinced that the blanket is her mother, or is it simply one of those pleasure and comfort responses that can't be adequately explained? Does my cat like being nuzzled and licked by his sister because he thinks she's his mother? How would a human feel being told that we like hugs because they resemble the way our mothers cuddled us in infancy? Isn't it more that humans and cats each prefer certain displays of affection over others? How is it that cats would see us sometimes as mother cats, and sometimes as kittens? How do researchers know? Did a cat tell them, "When I lie on your lap and knead you while you stroke me, it's because I think you're my mommy, but when I bring you a mouse, it's because I think you're my baby?" I credit cats with enough powers of observation to realize that human beings are not cats. They have ways of relating that are uniquely adapted to relating specifically to humans, that differ from their responses to their own mothers and kittens. They know that we smell different, look different, and sound different from cats, and they treat us differently than they treat cats, even their mothers. The complexity of the human-cat relationship cannot be easily described by claiming that humans think of cats as some specific kind of human or that cats think of humans as some specific kind of cat. We talk to our cats, but we know they are not human beings. Cats talk to us in cat-language, but they are quite aware that we're not cats. I found the simplistic reductions in this book by an otherwise clearly thoughtful catwatcher disappointing. Because of this, I would take the descriptions of what cats are thinking with a grain of salt. There are indications as to what they are thinking, and some things are easier to guess than others -- the descriptions of why cats hate doors are much more convincing than the descriptions of why cats like humans -- but as to the more complex areas of feline thought, we humans are truly guessing and should not be ashamed to say it. Don't be too put off by my criticism of that point, though. The rest of the book is a solid list of answers to common questions about cats, including information I had been previously unaware of even after a lifetime of reading about cats. While it's true that most of this information is available in other books, and this book has a bit of a feeling of vagueness and incompleteness, it does pack a wide range of topics into a small, affordable volume.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Informative!
Review: This is an absolute must for cat lovers. Desmond Morris answers some of the most common questions about cats (example: Why do cats purr?) and sheds light on these amazing animals. I am the ultimate cat lover and this book was an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this Wonderful Cat's Companion Book
Review: We never really own cats. We live with them. Cats allow us a little room in the sock drawer (prime napping quarters) and an extra five minutes under the covers on Saturday (Where's breakfast?) However, when it comes to understanding a cat's quirks, no book is better than this one to offer reliable explanations by someone who truly respects the Feline community. I've been in residence with cats for most of my life and this little book has enhanced my experience with the "critters" immensely. It's a must read for any novice cat companion.
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