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    Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat - Not a Sour Puss
    Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat - Not a Sour Puss
    Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat - Not a Sour Puss
    Audiobook17 hours

    Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat - Not a Sour Puss

    Written by Pam Johnson-Bennett

    Narrated by Donna Postel

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    America's favorite cat behavior expert, author of Catwise and Cat vs. Cat, offers the most complete resource for cat owners of all stripes, now fully updated and revised.

    Think it's impossible to train a cat? Think again! By learning how to think like a cat, you'll be amazed at just how easy it is. Whether you are a veteran cat lover, a brand-new owner of a sweet kitten, or the frustrated companion of a feline whose driving you crazy, Pam Johnson-Bennett will help you understand what makes your cat tick (as well as scratch and purr). Topics range from where to get a cat to securing a vet; from basic health care to treating more serious problems; choosing an irresistible scratching post and avoiding litterbox problems.

    A comprehensive guide to cat care and training, she helps you understand the instincts that guide feline behavior. Using behavior modification and play therapy techniques, she shares successful methods that will help you and your cat build a great relationship.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 13, 2019
    ISBN9781630153724
    Think Like a Cat: How to Raise a Well-Adjusted Cat - Not a Sour Puss

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    Reviews for Think Like a Cat

    4/5

    63 ratings5 reviews

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    • 5/5
      As a new kitten owner, I found this book insightful and a great source of information.

      Pam Johnson-Bennett highlights good arguments about the advantages of having an indoor cat instead of outdoor - the everyday risks for your cat, and she gives a thoroughly detailed analysis of the psychology behind cat behaviour and how they change as they age.

      I found the part about how to look after your cats health extremely interesting as I had no idea just how important it is to brush your cats teeth everyday to avoid inevitable and expensive tooth and gum conditions.

      I could not recommend it enough to both new and existing cat owners.

    • 3/5
      Even thou the book is really exhaustive, I felt like the requirements and fears the author expresses seem to be exaggerated to the point of being overwhelming for the new cat owner. I am now convinced I shouldnt have a second cat and that my kitty will die if I ever let him out or of almost any reason. However, I will come back to reread interesting parts of the book if I ever need detailed info about some aspects of a cat life
    • 4/5
      Excellent information on general cat care and management, and how to avoid and solve common behavior problems, including mulit-cat and multi-animal household issues. There are great tips on how to get a cat ready for the arrival of a baby, and how to travel with your cat. The medical section and appendix are also excellent. However, in my opion the book is lacking and outdated when it comes to the areas of training and nutrition. This is particularly disappointing since the book was published as recently as 2000.Although it's not a dog training book, I'm disappointed that it promotes outdated ideas on dog training (as a contrast to how the author wants us to train cats) - "a dog is a pack animal hardwired to either to be the leader of the pack or to follow the leader" (House Rules, p. 88)The book advocates three basic approaches to training:Positive reinforcement - defined as treats or praise. (No mention of other forms of +R, and play apparently not included in this category...)"Remote control" training - defined as physical deterrents (later, squirt bottle. Contrasted with "punishment" - apparently defined as direct physical punishment - which "will only make the cat fear you".OTOH, the author claims that "a quick squirt of water on the fanny comes out of nowhere, as far as [the cat's] concerned; she doesn't associate it with you hiding around the corner". Redirection (good - play apparently goes in here).The book is also generally heavy on environmental enrichment (great!) and management (great!), which I would also consider training (behavior modification) techniques.And there is a whole chapter on play including how to use play to modify behavior.Specific training described:- Very basic recall training (no mention of reinforcement value, no distraction training, no tactics for outdoor recall training). - Basic handling "Get your kitten comfortable with being handled by incorporating gentle touch manipulations into you petting sessions." Terrific!! Not much guidance on how to desensitize an older untrained cat to handling, though. - Leash training - "you'll need to confine your walking to your own yard" (huh?) - The author apparently thinks the risk of running into "other animals" (I assume she means dogs or aggressive cats) is too great elsewhere. (In my case, we're more likely to run into problematic animals - enemy cats - in our backyard than most other places...). Advice on picking a harness (H type recommended - agree). No mention of walking jacket - don't know if they were available/common when book was written. Harness training: Advocates putting the harness on and leaving it on for 15-30 minutes while distracting the cat. (I'd prefer a more gradual introduction for most cats, though this might work well with a bold kitten.) - Very very basic tricks. "I know you're probably not going to believe this, but you can actually teach your cat to do tricks." Gasp! Really? (Ok, definitely outdated on this count.) "Cat's don't respond to praise as well as dogs do." (Actually, most dogs don't respond that well to praise alone, either.) Sit - lured with optional molding (hand on back end). Down - lured with optional molding (hand on back end). No mention of "Wave" or "jump" or other easy tricks, and no mention of any reward marker.I really like how Pam reiterates multiple times that cats need physical and mental stimulation and an enriched environment."Much so-called 'misbehavior' can just be the result of a cat needing something to do, and there are some cats who do require more stimulation than others." (House Rules, p. 94)Goes into detail on scratching posts and cat trees.Great chapter on how to play with your cat, types of toys etc. Good info on how to tell if cats are playing or fighting. Would have really benefitted from some drawings or photographs. Emphasises that "misbehavior" in cats is generally caused by something the owner is doing or not doing. Good. For counter training the author recommends putting an aversive surface on the counter (sticky tape). She mentions boobytrapping with penny-filled soda cans, but discouraged this because it might punish the wrong cat or the wrong behavior. (Good!) Also recommends direct punishment by way of a squirt bottle (with plain water) or compressed air canister. Play biting: Advocates a strick "no biting" rule. (I personally prefer to encourage bite inhibition if possible, and played lots of bitey-bitey finger games with my last kitten. His play biting still diminished on its own, and I have to work hard to get him to bite in play now, and he always does so quite softly, never breaking the skin. This is also true for the few warning bites he has given me, when scared or upset for very good reasons, and I believe there is a connection: that the rehearsal of non-damaging biting during play makes him more likely to bite non-damagingly when he "really" bites as well. However this is personal opinion only, supported by anecdotes from dog and cat owners, but no research I am aware of.)Decent section on aggression of various types. Good description of overstimulation during petting and what signs to watch for. Excellent chapter on litter boxes and elimination problems. Excellent chapter on scratching issues.Nutrition: Advocates "foods manufactured by major companies". Generally recommends free feeding unless feeding canned food or if a single cat in a multi-cat household is on a special diet. Does mention that scheduled meals can help with bonding. On "home-cooked meals" the book states: "from a nutritional standpoint you'll probably do more harm than good... High-quality commercial cat foods are so nutritionally balanced that there's really no reason to risk the chance of not providing all of the nutrients needed in the proper amounts." Wow, that's really unequivocal. I wouldn't mind if the book recommended commercial foods over raw/natural feeding - giving sound reasons, of which there are a number - but there's not even a mention of the issue. Outdated, again.Conclusion: Excellent all-round book for the novice cat owner, but (despite the title) don't rely on it exclusively for behavior and training information, and consider researching issues around optimal feeding of an obligate carnivore.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Good over view of everything you need to know about a cat. I was a little disappointed at how little I learned from it, but I guess that I just didn't realize how much I already knew about cats (I've had cats my whole life). Still, glad I read it.
    • 4/5
      This book was great! I recently got a kitten for the first time and of course had a million questions about what to do for him. This book was easy to read and made me feel a lot more confident. It was packed with good information on pretty much everything I could think of and obviously written by someone who knows and cares a lot about cats.