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Do Cats Think? Notes of a Cat-Watcher by Paul Corey
The fascinating hilarious notes of an expert cat-watcher.
Cats remember. Cats communicate. Cats learn. Cats...think? Paul Corey believes they do. And this fascinating book, filled with ancedotes and descriptions of cat behavior from decades of personal observation, he points the way to learning more about your cat and perhaps yourself. He also makes a strong case for cat-watching as a delightful, productive hobby in an automated edge. As researchers have pointed out, in many ways cats are surprisingly similar to man. They may even surpass him, Corey believes, in dignity and independence. Without attempting to anthropomorphize, he shares example of intelligent behavior exhibited by cats he and his wife have taken care of over the years. Do cats think? deals with cat communication (from what the author calls the "silent miaow" to what appears to be tears) and learning (such as the "kitten-garten," in which the mother cat trains her young to hunt, play, groom, and observe the rules of the house).
Cats remember. Cats communicate. Cats learn. Cats...think? Paul Corey believes they do. And this fascinating book, filled with ancedotes and descriptions of cat behavior from decades of personal observation, he points the way to learning more about your cat and perhaps yourself. He also makes a strong case for cat-watching as a delightful, productive hobby in an automated edge. As researchers have pointed out, in many ways cats are surprisingly similar to man. They may even surpass him, Corey believes, in dignity and independence. Without attempting to anthropomorphize, he shares example of intelligent behavior exhibited by cats he and his wife have taken care of over the years. Do cats think? deals with cat communication (from what the author calls the "silent miaow" to what appears to be tears) and learning (such as the "kitten-garten," in which the mother cat trains her young to hunt, play, groom, and observe the rules of the house).
- GenresCatsNonfictionAnimals
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 1, 2021
This was an OK book, nothing special. The information was interesting but I object strongly with the treatment of his cats and their behavior. He allows them to roam and kill birds and baby animals (even praising their efforts at time) and because they are allowed to run free, nearly all of them met tragic deaths: snake bites, gun shots, road kill, etc. Not a book I'd recommend to a genuine cat lover.
June 22, 2023
I’ve never seen the word “anthropomorphized” typed out so many times
July 5, 2025
To answer the question: Well, yes. Do we really suppose that any non-human animal has only one brain cell dedicated only to "eat, drink, sleep, procreate"? The *amount* of thought may surprise you, but this really shouldn't be a question.
Sadly, this book did not age well from the start:
To be fair, in 1977, would anyone have predicted that extremely rich people would have gotten EVEN MORE EXTREMELY RICH, to the extreme detriment of the not-remotely-rich?
Admittedly, I was disinclined to keep reading beyond the first couple of chapters because, despite saying he *used* to hate or at least strongly dislike cats, the author admits to having never gotten his first two toms neutered—despite money and, I assume, caring for a LIVE ANIMAL being an issue!! So reading about his cats, who went on to father quite a number of kittens (including and especially with the one's own sister cat), and his account of not having much money? Guy needed to not have cats! Further, he let the unfixed toms wander about outside, where the first one was killed (no details on how), and the second one ended up both injured from a steel trap and, following a month in the hospital after injuries probably from the trap, finally disappearing and never returning, only to very likely have been caught and killed by a hostile neighbour.
(The introductory chapter going into some detail about science experiments involving removing parts of a still-alive animal's brain for nonmedical purposes doesn't help. Ugh!)
I only kept reading because the chapter title after that one promised the next cat was finally neutered, though it *starts* with the fact his cat's sister-and-baby-mama was curiously finicky about which toms she mated with, choosing only orange-yellow ones... until one time that the author figures she was raped, because they were the first litter that wasn't orange-yellow, and she rejected the kittens.
Not exactly ENCOURAGING to read, though.
So my initial opinion was this guy didn't really deserve to have cats to watch. Also, he clearly didn't watch mice, or his anecdote about one cat that begged for cheese then very probably went off to hunt for mice with "baited breath" was about the cat having learned "mice love cheese" but—like most humans—NOT that it's a myth. (Not that dairy is that great for cats, either.)
I did finish the book, though. The chapters about his neutered cats are better, and more autobiographical fun than the earlier chapters. He still let his cats outside to be "working" cats, though, keeping the rodent population down (claiming his cats didn't go after birds except sparingly, including a partridge!! once, though he would gladly have trained them to go after bluejays if he could have, citing them as a greater threat than cats to other birds). However, he also cited his sometimes-outdoor cats as largely meeting some terrible end from straying too far from home and drowning/getting a fatal snake bite/shot by hunters.
It's more of what I prefer to read, but still not what I want to read, whether you believe that cats have a happier life getting to be their best selves rather than protecting them (and boring them) by keeping them indoors only.
There's also some interesting stories about his cats talking to each other on a deeper level than humans can detect, like if they could "speak" with scents and (nigh-inaudible teeth-clicking noises), since his cats seem to communicate some complicated ideas without words or expressions like humans would use. I don't doubt that they can—I just don't have the cats myself to observe even remotely as close to full-time as the author did.
On the whole, it's a sort of lengthy proposal to suggest that maybe cat-lovers (or even cat-haters who are science-lovers) unite to study cats more in-depth to better understand them, since they (anecdotally) clearly demonstrate a much higher intelligence and reason than we attribute to them as a society.
It also could just be the author's cats are related to Hera Baldwin. Never know! Anyway, rated accordingly for the fact I had to get through some unpleasant parts to get to the better but not AMAZING stuff and had to write off his experience with his first cats as the hard times all of them had to get through for him to finally know better.
Sadly, this book did not age well from the start:
To be fair, in 1977, would anyone have predicted that extremely rich people would have gotten EVEN MORE EXTREMELY RICH, to the extreme detriment of the not-remotely-rich?
Admittedly, I was disinclined to keep reading beyond the first couple of chapters because, despite saying he *used* to hate or at least strongly dislike cats, the author admits to having never gotten his first two toms neutered—despite money and, I assume, caring for a LIVE ANIMAL being an issue!! So reading about his cats, who went on to father quite a number of kittens (including and especially with the one's own sister cat), and his account of not having much money? Guy needed to not have cats! Further, he let the unfixed toms wander about outside, where the first one was killed (no details on how), and the second one ended up both injured from a steel trap and, following a month in the hospital after injuries probably from the trap, finally disappearing and never returning, only to very likely have been caught and killed by a hostile neighbour.
(The introductory chapter going into some detail about science experiments involving removing parts of a still-alive animal's brain for nonmedical purposes doesn't help. Ugh!)
I only kept reading because the chapter title after that one promised the next cat was finally neutered, though it *starts* with the fact his cat's sister-and-baby-mama was curiously finicky about which toms she mated with, choosing only orange-yellow ones... until one time that the author figures she was raped, because they were the first litter that wasn't orange-yellow, and she rejected the kittens.
Not exactly ENCOURAGING to read, though.
So my initial opinion was this guy didn't really deserve to have cats to watch. Also, he clearly didn't watch mice, or his anecdote about one cat that begged for cheese then very probably went off to hunt for mice with "baited breath" was about the cat having learned "mice love cheese" but—like most humans—NOT that it's a myth. (Not that dairy is that great for cats, either.)
I did finish the book, though. The chapters about his neutered cats are better, and more autobiographical fun than the earlier chapters. He still let his cats outside to be "working" cats, though, keeping the rodent population down (claiming his cats didn't go after birds except sparingly, including a partridge!! once, though he would gladly have trained them to go after bluejays if he could have, citing them as a greater threat than cats to other birds). However, he also cited his sometimes-outdoor cats as largely meeting some terrible end from straying too far from home and drowning/getting a fatal snake bite/shot by hunters.
It's more of what I prefer to read, but still not what I want to read, whether you believe that cats have a happier life getting to be their best selves rather than protecting them (and boring them) by keeping them indoors only.
There's also some interesting stories about his cats talking to each other on a deeper level than humans can detect, like if they could "speak" with scents and (nigh-inaudible teeth-clicking noises), since his cats seem to communicate some complicated ideas without words or expressions like humans would use. I don't doubt that they can—I just don't have the cats myself to observe even remotely as close to full-time as the author did.
On the whole, it's a sort of lengthy proposal to suggest that maybe cat-lovers (or even cat-haters who are science-lovers) unite to study cats more in-depth to better understand them, since they (anecdotally) clearly demonstrate a much higher intelligence and reason than we attribute to them as a society.
It also could just be the author's cats are related to Hera Baldwin. Never know! Anyway, rated accordingly for the fact I had to get through some unpleasant parts to get to the better but not AMAZING stuff and had to write off his experience with his first cats as the hard times all of them had to get through for him to finally know better.
February 12, 2017
Author Paul Corey didn’t always like cats, but when one adopted him he was hooked. Do Cats Think is based on the following forty years of his life, a life shared with various cats, of various desires and natures. And the author invites his readers to see through different, maybe feline eyes.
One of my favorite stories tells of a cat demanding a much-loved place to sit and fighting off another cat’s incursions. When the battle’s done, the victor gives a gift to the loser—how much humans could learn from this.
Perhaps we shouldn’t anthropomorphize our pets. But that doesn’t stop us learning from them, and the cats in these stories might have much to teach… patience, forgiveness, focus, hope, love… I certainly enjoyed the read, finding it alternately intriguing, amusing, absorbing and thought-provoking.
Disclosure: A friend loaned me the book after a visit to a cat cafe.
One of my favorite stories tells of a cat demanding a much-loved place to sit and fighting off another cat’s incursions. When the battle’s done, the victor gives a gift to the loser—how much humans could learn from this.
Perhaps we shouldn’t anthropomorphize our pets. But that doesn’t stop us learning from them, and the cats in these stories might have much to teach… patience, forgiveness, focus, hope, love… I certainly enjoyed the read, finding it alternately intriguing, amusing, absorbing and thought-provoking.
Disclosure: A friend loaned me the book after a visit to a cat cafe.
November 17, 2018
I know that the author was attempting not to anthropomorphize, but he did. It's in the way he describes every cat he has ever had and every story involving a cat. I don't mind too much since I do a lot of anthropomorphizing myself, but it kind of felt like false advertising. In all honestly, this book was a gift, and I am not certain if I would have found or chosen it on my own. Much of the cat-watching advice is given at the very end, but it basically involves just keeping a notebook nearby in hopes of witnessing something amazing. What makes the book interesting is all of the personal and sentimental stories—I found myself smiling, often.
As for scientifically proving that cats think similarly to humans? Well, this is not the book for that kind of hardcore science. Personally, I have never had cats behave the way Paul Corey's have, but I have heard of intelligent felines. I think it's important to mention that he compared cats to dogs several times, and I thought it was ridiculous that he would almost insult canines in order to promote felines. We also get to see how the author and his wife change from amateur cat owners to fixing most of their mistakes over the decades; prepare to read about the importance of spaying and neutering. Some stories were almost too unbelievable.
As for scientifically proving that cats think similarly to humans? Well, this is not the book for that kind of hardcore science. Personally, I have never had cats behave the way Paul Corey's have, but I have heard of intelligent felines. I think it's important to mention that he compared cats to dogs several times, and I thought it was ridiculous that he would almost insult canines in order to promote felines. We also get to see how the author and his wife change from amateur cat owners to fixing most of their mistakes over the decades; prepare to read about the importance of spaying and neutering. Some stories were almost too unbelievable.
January 18, 2024
I like the concept of this book but many of the things that happened to the author's cats were tragic and fully preventable. The author mentions many horrible ways an outdoor cat can suffer and die when he speaks of his cats being shot, hit by cars, and bitten by rattlesnakes. He also talks about hitting his cats as a training method, as well as the inbreeding of several of his cats because he didn't initially believe in spaying or neutering. Overall this book was rather sad despite the author not intending it to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2019
As a fellow cat watcher I loved Corey's observations. I would be curious to read more on the indoor cat. Mine have all be indoor cats from birth and display many similar characteristics to the many Corey chronicled, but I've noticed some very different behaviours between indoor and outdoor cats.
Thank you for a fun, enlightening, and enjoyable read!
Thank you for a fun, enlightening, and enjoyable read!
August 16, 2024
Had some cute stories of cats he has had, but had to skip several chapters dedicated to their hunting prowess. I know cats can hunt, but don't need to be reminded. He even let his cat(spoiler alert) kill baby rabbits and terrorize chicks. Just not what this animal lover was looking for. Happy reading
December 11, 2023
This is sort of the book that you pick up and put back down again throughout a long, which is why it took me almost a year to read it. It's interesting and entertaining on a rainy day in between books. I got my original copy at a used bookstore and I'm happy to display it on my shelf.
February 20, 2021
A good insight into the mind of a cat. According to another persons view. I do believe that cats have an order to their thinking. Of course they have an ornery side too. Love them anyway.
July 23, 2023
Interesting read.
May 31, 2016
If you're looking for stories about cats, this book certainly has its share, and they're good too. The author even has a few interesting theories. But he's also completely annoying in his speeches about "the human animal", "cat watchers" and how useless dogs are in comparison to cats (seriously, why is it that dog lovers and cat lovers have to be derogatory about whatever species isn't their favorite? Why is it so impossible to like both equally but in different ways? Why can't it ever be "but this is a book about cats, not dogs" instead of "cats are better, therefore this book is about them"?)
It's very relevant to consider the period of time these stories took place in, as well as the time in which it was published. Certain things which are commonplace now simply did not exist, or were not easily available at the time.
And yes, he does talk about cats as hunters. And approves of cats as hunters. If that bothers you, this isn't the cat stories book for you, because he's going to talk about it a lot. You may also want to abandon this review here if that's the case.
Personally, I also happen to approve of cats as hunters, though I don't approve of them eating their prey in the house. I've never praised or scolded a cat for hunting, they don't appear to need that as motivation. However, even if I weren't for it now, if you view the time we're looking at, there wasn't much you could do about vermin, and they ARE vermin, particularly if you have a garden. Now we can just keep them out, and most of us don't have gardens to protect. Even so, the fact remains that keeping down the rodent population keeps the snakes (including the poisonous ones) away. And there is no better rodent slayer than the cat. Safer than poison and often less cruel than most traps as well. But I digress.
This is a book I enjoyed for the stories, and found annoying when he started to prattle on about how he felt about scientists. He started sounding like the scientists do when they belittle the "average individual". It's the same superior attitude, and it's annoying on either side of the argument (rather like how I feel about the dog lovers vs. cat lovers debate. There's nothing in the world preventing you from admitting both have their value and place except you).
It's very relevant to consider the period of time these stories took place in, as well as the time in which it was published. Certain things which are commonplace now simply did not exist, or were not easily available at the time.
And yes, he does talk about cats as hunters. And approves of cats as hunters. If that bothers you, this isn't the cat stories book for you, because he's going to talk about it a lot. You may also want to abandon this review here if that's the case.
Personally, I also happen to approve of cats as hunters, though I don't approve of them eating their prey in the house. I've never praised or scolded a cat for hunting, they don't appear to need that as motivation. However, even if I weren't for it now, if you view the time we're looking at, there wasn't much you could do about vermin, and they ARE vermin, particularly if you have a garden. Now we can just keep them out, and most of us don't have gardens to protect. Even so, the fact remains that keeping down the rodent population keeps the snakes (including the poisonous ones) away. And there is no better rodent slayer than the cat. Safer than poison and often less cruel than most traps as well. But I digress.
This is a book I enjoyed for the stories, and found annoying when he started to prattle on about how he felt about scientists. He started sounding like the scientists do when they belittle the "average individual". It's the same superior attitude, and it's annoying on either side of the argument (rather like how I feel about the dog lovers vs. cat lovers debate. There's nothing in the world preventing you from admitting both have their value and place except you).
May 18, 2012
The book “Do Cat’s Think?: Notes of a cat-watcher” is a book about how the author, Paul Corey, observed cats to learn about how they behave. He calls himself a “cat-watcher” and makes it a hobby of his to watch the behaviors of cats. He shares with us what he has learned about their intelligence, how the grow, how they communicate, and how they remember. Corey tells us about his personal encounters with cats that he has raised with his wife and himself and shows what he has learned about them over his years as a cat-watcher. The main setting in this book is Corey’s house, where he spent most of his time with his cats. The main characters are Corey, his wife, his kids, and his cats. The only main conflicts in this book are when either one of his cats goes missing or if one dies. Even though Corey calls himself a “cat- watcher”, you can still tell that he grows attactment to his cats and morns for them if the go missing or die. I really liked this book this book because it is a great read for entertainment and because of the personal stories told by Corey, but since the book was written in the 70’s, some of Corey’s facts about cats are out of date and are false. I would recommend this book for anyone that wants to learn about why cats behave the way they do and for people that like hearing personal stories about cats and their owners. Any cat owner should be able to make a connection to this book whether it’s from Corey’s personal stories, or from seeing their own cat’s behaviors reflected in this book.
April 25, 2012
This book is very stupid. Granted it was written in the 70's and the author predicted that well before the year 2000, automation and technology would reduce peoples' work-week to only a few hours, giving them tons of leisure time. What better to do with that leisure time than cat-watching!
Cat-watching sounds like a very boring hobby since they sleep most of the day. He advocates it in the name of science.
Now, I really like cats. I freely admit to projecting emotions and motivations on them that probably aren't there. But this guy takes it to the extreme.
He also has a lot of hate towards dog-lovers, saying the reason they want a dog is so that after being belittled and abused at work they can have something to abuse and kick around when they get home and still have it be loyal to him. I don't think I know any dog owners that think like that, (I hope not, at least!) He also talks about "ghetto-people" being more stupid than "non-ghetto" people. Odd sentiments in a book about cats.
It seems to be just his experiences with cats through the years, telling the stories of their lives. Also being very dismissive of scientists.
Not worth reading at all.
Cat-watching sounds like a very boring hobby since they sleep most of the day. He advocates it in the name of science.
Now, I really like cats. I freely admit to projecting emotions and motivations on them that probably aren't there. But this guy takes it to the extreme.
He also has a lot of hate towards dog-lovers, saying the reason they want a dog is so that after being belittled and abused at work they can have something to abuse and kick around when they get home and still have it be loyal to him. I don't think I know any dog owners that think like that, (I hope not, at least!) He also talks about "ghetto-people" being more stupid than "non-ghetto" people. Odd sentiments in a book about cats.
It seems to be just his experiences with cats through the years, telling the stories of their lives. Also being very dismissive of scientists.
Not worth reading at all.
February 14, 2025
Written by a man who is delightfully eccentric, the premise of this book is that by the year 2000 there is will be so much automation that humans will only perform a few works hours every week. One worthy hobby to fill all of our copious free time, says the author, is cat-watching. He then proceeds to watch his own dozen or so cats and wrote about all the most interesting things they do. I really loved this, but readers need to keep an open mind and a good sense of humor. I think it will delight cat lovers and confuse everyone else.
July 22, 2017
This is easily one of the craziest books I have ever read in my life. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in starting a cat-watching club and who has time travelled from the 70's. Everyone else should probably pass on it.
Why did I read the whole book? Oh yeah, because it was easily one of the craziest books I have ever read in my life. I laughed when I got to the very final page and the author casually suggested that if we see evidence of cat ESP, we should send the story into a publication.
Why did I read the whole book? Oh yeah, because it was easily one of the craziest books I have ever read in my life. I laughed when I got to the very final page and the author casually suggested that if we see evidence of cat ESP, we should send the story into a publication.
December 20, 2013
Vieilli, mais sympa. 160 pages d'anecdotes félines: évidemment Corey n'en aurait pas produit une seule s'il faisait, comme moi, partie du groupe facebook "Mon chat m'a domestiqué (et j'aime ça)", huhuhu.
J'ai récupéré ce livre à un marché gratuit en pensant à une copine, et oui, je pense qu'il lui plaira tout à fait!
J'ai récupéré ce livre à un marché gratuit en pensant à une copine, et oui, je pense qu'il lui plaira tout à fait!
Read
February 20, 2014Memoirs mixed with observation. I think he predicted the rise of cat behaviorists long before they existed. However, I just see catching watching as it as a hobby, not a true scientific endeavour with the ability to replicate and setup variables and controls.
March 27, 2008
In parts it's very far-fetched even for a cat lover!
Read
December 4, 2008Do Cats Think?: Notes of a Cat-Watcher by Paul Corey (1991)
June 24, 2009
Lots of funny parts. The only problem I have with it is the author encourages their cats to kill 'pests'
July 26, 2011
Just a general book about cats. Information on how they communicate and things like that.
July 29, 2013
My Great Uncle!
May 22, 2009
Excellent story about one man's observations of the cat's in his life.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews