by Pam Johnson-Bennett
This breezy book written by a feline behavior consultant helps cat owners understand and deal with undesirable behaviors. Each chapter includes several accounts of problems owners have sought her help for, the advice she gave, and how the problem was finally solved. There are the familiar litter-box and scratching issues (some with surprising causes and resolutions), overly aggressive and anxious cats. Then there's a chapter called "Behaviors They Never Warned You About" which gets a bit stranger. A cat so completely obsessed with water he supervises dish washing, hand washing, drinks being poured, toilet usage, and even jumps in the shower. Cats that chew and suck on clothing, riddling sweaters and socks with holes. A cat who mourns the death of the family dog. A cat who suffers from panic attacks, brought on by being petted. And a touching story about a stray cat who befriended a lonely old man with cancer. Psycho Kitty? is an easy read, informative, and useful to any pet owner seeking to understand some of their cat's odd behavior.Rating: 3/5 160 pages, 1998
Aren't all cats psycho? Kind of like Border Collies? :-) This book looks really interesting.
ReplyDeleteLezlie
I have a few friends who would love this book. Not to mention, the title is to cute. Also wanted to tell you I have an award waiting for you at my blog, here's the link, happy blogging.
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The kitty on the cover is adorable! :)
ReplyDeleteyup, that cover is too cute. Anything in there about a cat who meows too much? Maggie is very vocal, especially in the mornings when I'm up and hubby is still trying to sleep. Wish I knew what she wanted!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a book for me. The sucking on clothing thing - I had one who did that. The vet said it had to do with being weaned too young (he was a stray we rescued, so I had no idea how young he was when he was taken from his mother).
ReplyDeleteLezlie- Yeah! This author makes the case that cats aren't really crazy, though, we just don't get the messages they're trying to tell us.
ReplyDeleteJules- Thank you so much for the award! I've been busy and not blogging much this week, so I hadn't gotten up a recognition post yet...
Melody- I think so, too!
Trish- No particular chapter on extra-vocal cats, but the author has written a few other books about cat behavior: Hiss and Tell, Twisted Whiskers, Starting from Scratch, Think Like a Cat- one of them might deal with that. (Is you cat part siamese, by the way?)
Nymeth- She said the same thing in this book, that it was probably from being weaned too young. Her solution to the wool-sucking cat surprised me the most- feeding him more fiber- all-dry food diet, and keeping all clothes out of sight/reach for weeks, to break the habit (in a nutshell). Did you ever cure your cat of the habit?
Nope, she's just a regular cat. I think she just likes a lot of attention, especially since we haven't been watching as much TV lately and she hansn't been getting her "cuddle time."
ReplyDeleteAre Siamese cats more vocal?
I've heard that they are. My little kitty always gets cuddles when I'm watching tv, too- but my Mom's dog had a totally different view on it- tv watching delayed her walk time and she would stand in front of it and bark!
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