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Do Cats Need Shrinks?
A humorous guide for cat lovers by an eminent cat psychologist presents a captivating glimpse into the feline psyche, relating the qualities of their unique personalities and discussing typical patterns of quirky behavior.
- GenresNonfictionCats
201 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1991
About the author
Peter Neville
47 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 2, 2024
A cat-servant's best employment manual ever!
A tatty copy of this book resides on my vet's bookshelf. I've borrowed it so often I've decided it's time to track a copy down for my own bookshelf.
The back cover asks us what to do when your cat hates your husband*. But for me, more importantly, it could ask "what to do when your two indoor-only rescue cats die inch py painful illness inch of unhappiness because they can't go outside?"
Not even following the inimitable Jackson Galaxy could help me with that one. Rescue cats in my part of Australia are almost always part or completely feral. Generations of being completely wild renders ferrals pretty much... WILD. Their need for mental stimulation can be sky high, far beyond the needs of any a cat from a line of ancestors that have happily kept themselves domesticated for thousands of years.
I absolutely unwaveringly believe when you commit to adopting an animal, that means you take care of its welfare completely. I also absolutely and unwaveringly believe we humans MUST be custodians of Country, and take care of it, and tend to its health as our own.
Difficult position I put myself in, aye!
I was watching my two beloved cats die a slow, painful death from unhappiness.
Reader, the stark truth is, you can do everything you can to enrich a cat's world inside a house, but that may not be enough. Evan a catio was interpreted as 'Inside' by them, so there was no solution in that, either.
Somehow I had to get them outside, and somehow I had to do so in a way the local wildlife, (some of which was endangered) HAD to be completely safe.
This is why I can't thank the author of this book, and my vet for their tatty copy, enough. I manage it! Within this book is what I needed in this book to be able to do so. Jackson Galaxy helped too, believe me. They were talking the same language, for sure. But where Jackson Galaxy's wonderful advice stops at the front door, this book walks out that door with the cat, tail held high, and shows you how your cat can enjoy that world safely, while the wildlife is also safe.
This is just BRILLIANT.
Thankyou Mr Neville from the bottom of my heart.
On a further note, when our (spayed of course) male cat started spraying inside, I was able to track down the reasons why and what to do about it. Cat was happier, I was MUCH happier, and again, it was this book, which helped me understand the outdoors world of felines, not just the indoors one, that enabled me to solve the problem.
Jackson Galaxy's books also helped me work out what to do to help my golden gingerbread boy feel safe and secure again inside the house. But this book gave me the keys to how to help my gingerbread boy Defeat the Dreaded Feline Feral Foe that had moved into our territory, and Harrying His Girl (my other cat!) and who was uh so much better fighter than my gingerbread boy. (Not hard :-D)
Fantastic book. Can't recommend it highly enough.
The helpful info doesn't stop with just my problems, or your cat's problems with your husband. There's a huge amount of very helpful info, all deftly given in a lighthearted way. Very readable!
Get. A. Copy!
And since I just saw the author did a book on dogs too, I might go buy that one as well, and see if it can help me work out how to stop my dogs from wreaking havoc on my garden's medium-sized lizards. They do worse damage than any cat on those *meep*. One of the lizard species I have is rare since the advent of cane toads in the area too.
Wish me - and the lizards - luck on that one!
*The answer, of course, is boot the hubby out ;-P (Although a few other options are outlined in the book!)
A tatty copy of this book resides on my vet's bookshelf. I've borrowed it so often I've decided it's time to track a copy down for my own bookshelf.
The back cover asks us what to do when your cat hates your husband*. But for me, more importantly, it could ask "what to do when your two indoor-only rescue cats die inch py painful illness inch of unhappiness because they can't go outside?"
Not even following the inimitable Jackson Galaxy could help me with that one. Rescue cats in my part of Australia are almost always part or completely feral. Generations of being completely wild renders ferrals pretty much... WILD. Their need for mental stimulation can be sky high, far beyond the needs of any a cat from a line of ancestors that have happily kept themselves domesticated for thousands of years.
I absolutely unwaveringly believe when you commit to adopting an animal, that means you take care of its welfare completely. I also absolutely and unwaveringly believe we humans MUST be custodians of Country, and take care of it, and tend to its health as our own.
Difficult position I put myself in, aye!
I was watching my two beloved cats die a slow, painful death from unhappiness.
Reader, the stark truth is, you can do everything you can to enrich a cat's world inside a house, but that may not be enough. Evan a catio was interpreted as 'Inside' by them, so there was no solution in that, either.
Somehow I had to get them outside, and somehow I had to do so in a way the local wildlife, (some of which was endangered) HAD to be completely safe.
This is why I can't thank the author of this book, and my vet for their tatty copy, enough. I manage it! Within this book is what I needed in this book to be able to do so. Jackson Galaxy helped too, believe me. They were talking the same language, for sure. But where Jackson Galaxy's wonderful advice stops at the front door, this book walks out that door with the cat, tail held high, and shows you how your cat can enjoy that world safely, while the wildlife is also safe.
This is just BRILLIANT.
Thankyou Mr Neville from the bottom of my heart.
On a further note, when our (spayed of course) male cat started spraying inside, I was able to track down the reasons why and what to do about it. Cat was happier, I was MUCH happier, and again, it was this book, which helped me understand the outdoors world of felines, not just the indoors one, that enabled me to solve the problem.
Jackson Galaxy's books also helped me work out what to do to help my golden gingerbread boy feel safe and secure again inside the house. But this book gave me the keys to how to help my gingerbread boy Defeat the Dreaded Feline Feral Foe that had moved into our territory, and Harrying His Girl (my other cat!) and who was uh so much better fighter than my gingerbread boy. (Not hard :-D)
Fantastic book. Can't recommend it highly enough.
The helpful info doesn't stop with just my problems, or your cat's problems with your husband. There's a huge amount of very helpful info, all deftly given in a lighthearted way. Very readable!
Get. A. Copy!
And since I just saw the author did a book on dogs too, I might go buy that one as well, and see if it can help me work out how to stop my dogs from wreaking havoc on my garden's medium-sized lizards. They do worse damage than any cat on those *meep*. One of the lizard species I have is rare since the advent of cane toads in the area too.
Wish me - and the lizards - luck on that one!
*The answer, of course, is boot the hubby out ;-P (Although a few other options are outlined in the book!)
March 9, 2023
this was good for what it is - explaining behavioural problems in domestic cats and suggestions on how to change the behaviour - but I was expecting a more broad look on cat behaviour, not just problems. peace and love
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews