Rating: 
Summary: Ilan Masson - the real hero of the book
Review: "I've read all of Jeffrey Masson's animal books in almost one week -and I loved them all,
but when the "Pig who Sang to the Moon" came out last fall - it became my very favorite!Every animal is different, true, but it's so much more prevalent in cats then any other species. My cat, which had been abused, slowly gained my trust over the years and is becoming sweeter and sweeter as he gets older. The discussion seems to be evolved around "should or shouldn't cats venture outside" - well, I have no heart to keep mine locked up. He is very careful crossing the street of my suburb, loves to take the walks with me trotting beside or behind me - and love him! Yes, the passage about the misbehaving cat being returned to the first owner didn't escape me, as well as the pleading of Ilan, the author's 3 years old son. The father's main priority seemed to be keeping the order in his big, extended family, but for the little boy with a soft heart -the cat is all that matters. It is something very touching in Ilan's plea, if only because he was so very young at the time - are we still more children of Heaven then Earth at that age? - I sometimes wonder.. I love little Ilan for his tenderness for animals, and the fact that he won over his father's heart in this case - testify for Jeffrey Masson being not only a great animal lover, but also a great Father to Ilan and Manu. Again - thanks Jeff for all the books you've written and thank you for such an extensive bibliography you've included. It led to "Dominion" by Matthew Scully, the book that everyone should read, to wonderful, so touching books of Kristin von Kreisler, and I'm sure, it will lead to many more in the future.
And as always - can't thank enough Louis Dorfman from whom all my Journey to the Animals World begun."
Rating:
Summary: good book
Review: "The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats," in my opinion is very good. It's interesting. I wish it had gone a little more into emotions and what different ways a cat communicates and what things mean. But overall it was really good. It's nice to see a man who loves cats. I also enjoyed hearing the stories about he and his families cats in New Zeland. I learned a good deal about cats from these books. I have two cats and love them dearly and this book has helped me learn a little more about them. Really good job and a good book for cat lovers.
Rating: 
Summary: Use your library card, rather than purchasing...
Review: ...The author had his heart in the right place, but it resembled one long journal entry. I found it hard to read, not so much because of the awkward writing (as one reviewer noted), but because it offered no real insight into our beloved felines. And the author's making such a big deal over his cats enjoying taking hikes with him made me realize the author really isn't a great authority on the nature of cats at all. He was merely 'discovering' cats and was taking the reader along for the somewhat boring ride. It certainly didn't dazzle this reader, as I live with three cats who come with us on vacation trips in our RV and not only do they take regular hikes with us during these excursions, but one of the cats enjoys being on my husband's shoulders while he rides around on his mountain bike. I hesitate recommending that people not read this book, however if you're expecting an insightful tome to grace your bookshelves, I'd suggest you save your money...
Rating:
Summary: Just One Emotional Year Not Enough
Review: After Masson's When Elephants Weep and Dogs Never Lie About Love, I started with anticipation. What a disappointment. After picking up four 3 month old kittens from various places plus a cat (from a woman with 120 cats) and observing them for one year Masson is a cat expert. He should have stopped when he was ahead.
Rating: 
Summary: The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats
Review: An informative and interesting book about 9 emotions that are common in cats. (This review refers to the audio cassette version.) Mr. Masson, a psychoanalyst, discusses cat emotions such as narcissism, love, jealousy and aloofness. He uses an academic tone, but provides helpful insights to the cat owner. I learned more about my cat and what makes him tick through this book! Did you know that a cat who holds his tail straight up is very confident? Or a cat who holds his tail in the shape of a question mark is friendly, but not confident? You will learn insights such as these and more...
Rating: 
Summary: Egotistical know-it-all
Review: Another "yawn!" This guy thinks he's an expert because he has five cats? He has no writing skills whatsoever! 1 Star is too much for this book! I have several cats myself and totally disagree with his "thinking!"
Rating:
Summary: A Waste of Money - Don't Buy It!
Review: As a cat lover, I was a real sucker and bought this book on the strengh of the cover, which advertised that the author was a NTY bestselling writer. I thought it would be a thoughtful analysis of cats and their emotions. Moreover, the author is a "psychoanalyst" and I thought that meant he would insert some science in his observations, quote some interesting research, and enlighten us all. Well, I was sorely disappointed by the end of the second chapter, and I couldn't finish the book! Basically, the author just adopted 5 cats and started writing about his touchy-feely emotions about their behavior. His book is full of poor writing and gross platitudes, so much so that you just can't go on after a certain point. It's almost like a very boring diary written day to day about someone's pet. There is no attempt to liven it with humor or enrich it with philosophy. He is too uninteresting a personality for his observations to count. While Montaigne and Bill Bryson can enthrall us even as they just go on and on about their personal observations, Masson cannot because his thoughts just aren't interesting and are poorly expressed to boot. I started suspecting that maybe English isn't his first language, but that's not the main problem either. I am upset that someone can get something like that published and charge $$$ for it, where there are so many good writers out there who claim that their book proposals are constantly rejected. I suppose it's because he's published an NYT best-seller before. Lastly, I object to the fact that the author claims to be a psychoanalyst - what is that exactly? His medical background or educational degrees are not listed in his bio. In fact, nothing in his bio tells me that he is qualified to write about animals, let alone about psychoanalysis. Another book which is full of humor, interesting everyday observations, and also a solid science background (citing breakthrough research, etc.) has already been written. It's Dr Nicholas Dobson's "The Cat Who Cried For Help". Dobson is a vet and teacher at Tufts. Not only is he a man of science, he is a great writer. That book really does what Masson's book failed to do - bring us one step closer to understanding the feline mind. Buy that one instead! P.S. Another irksome thing is that on the very first page of his intro, Masson already fesses up that he actually GAVE AWAY his previous set of dogs and cats when he moved to London (because of quarantine laws). He simply adopted a new set when he got to a new country. You do not give away your companion animals. You simply (like me) do not move to London.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful and Informative!
Review: Before I was halfway through I decided to buy several copies to give as gifts. I laughed right out loud more than once. There are lots of insights into why cats act the way they do. Very easy to read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: Dumbest book I've ever read - and I'm not just saying that
Review: I am an animal lover, I love cats and dogs, all living creatures. But I do not love this book. I thought this book would be a cute read and help me better understand my own herd of feline.
But to say this book is strange is saying it kindly. There were a few excerpts where I felt it teetered on the verge of very 'bizarre' human/cat relations - the way he describes his relationship with his cats is actually unsettling at some moments.
This guy needs to get out more. On top of that, he certainly doesn't have anything inciteful to offer regarding cats, or their personalities. It's basically a book of what everyone always says about cats, why they say it, and then why he disagrees with some points. What's worse than his typical talk about a typical cat's personality, is his redundant writing style. For instance he says one thing, then says it again differently, then culminates the two and combines both ways into one ultimately redundant sentence. It honestly seemed like he did this just to make the book longer.
Please save your money. I wouldn't wish this displeasure upon anyone. It would be a great gift for people you don't like.
Rating:
Summary: Not well done
Review: I borrowed the tape from the library and was surprised to find it not re-wound. Looks like the last borrower only listened to half the first tape before returning it to the library, just as I will. Mr. Masson claims to know a lot about cats. But then he claims they have "no economic value." Anyone who looked into the topic would know cats have been treasured as mousers since the Egyptians and Indians began storing grains, maybe earlier. Some historians think civilization might not have developed had the mouse population consumed our grains and spread disease unchecked. In the first tape, Masson also claims cats care nothing for humans. Personal experience suggests otherwise and there are numerous reports that show Masson wrong. Was it too much trouble to research the topic? Masson's pedantic writing style may be meant to compensate for his lack of facts. It didn't do anything for me.
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