Cats Body Language

by Myrna Milani

Overview

What does your cat really want when it rubs up against your leg?
Is it showing affection or aggression when it sucks a hole in your favorite sweater?
Why does it turn up its nose at the cat food you bought on sale, settling only for the most expensive meal?

Making use of the latest scientific evidence on animal consciousness, Dr. Milani shows how a thorough understanding of feline anatomy, physiology, and behavior can lead to a warm and lasting bond between cats and the people who love them. She also lets us know what our responses to feline behavior tell the cat about us and our emotions.

The Body Language and Emotion of Cats is a fascinating guide to understanding this enigmatic pet and provides a way to enrich and expand the bond between owner and cat.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780688128401
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/28/1993
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	300
Sales rank:	345,288
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Myrna M. Milani graduated from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and has taught and spoken widely on various aspects of the human-animal bond. She has also written The Body Language and Emotion of Cats (also available from Quill/William Morrow).

Editorial Reviews

Veterinarian Milani (The Body Language and Emotion of Dogs) is a behaviorist who ventures into the field of animal consciousness. Drawing upon recent scientific research, she demonstrates that animals, like humans, display individual variations in instinctual behavior, and that just as owners often think of pets as members of the family, pets bond with humans as if we were members of their species. Although overwritten, the work is replete with valuable insights and entertaining anecdotes that serve to demystify and, therefore, make more tolerable feline idiosyncrasies. For example, when a cat rubs its face against the edge of the open door or against your leg, it is leaving its scenta type of marking behavior. And when a cat suddenly attacks after being petted for a while, the cat is behaving as if it were terminating a mating encounterwhich ends with the female lashing out in pain and the male lashing out defensively. (September 25)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Some very important aspects of cat and human interaction are covered in this book that could help owners better understand the needs and motivations of the family feline. However, the uneven writing quality, the pedestrian style, and the contrived case examples lessen readability. The writing and information are best when the author takes a detached and analytical view of cat behavior, worst when she injects her own anthropomorphic opinions. Milani, past president of the New Hampshire Veterinary Medical Associaton, wrote The Body Language and Emotion of Dogs. Recommended for libraries with a strong demand for pet literature. Kimberly E. Megginson, Veterans Administration, Castle Point, N.Y,.

Library Journal