Need a good book on cat behavior/psychology

EVERY book I've found thus far assumes at least one of two things: A)
that my cat has behavioral problems that need to be corrected, or B)
the I'm a newbie in cat care and I need to know about litterboxes and
vets.

Ug! I'm interested in cat psychology, what makes them tick, how they
"think," why they act the way they do. I already know how to care for
cats and I don't need to correct any behavioral problems.

Any recommendations?

wrote:
EVERY book I've found thus far assumes at least one of two things: A)
thatknow how to care for
cats and I don't need to correct any behavioral problems.

Any recommendations?

Write your own book. Fo Real!
Just put yourself in thier shoes and say..
now why would I do a thing like that (whatever it is)

Animals are instinctual, they do not have a conscience.

Even without a conscience cats do sense when something
is wrong with dey owners.

Barry

You could write a book called, "An Interview with Bootsy"

wrote:

Any recommendations?

Now Im working on a coffee table book about cats.
oooo, not very original!

what better way to get in someones mind by just speding time with them.

i think Im scraping here.

Books by Roger Tabor. Do a google or amazon search. A lot of them do
have advice on how to deal with cats, but i remember them has lots of
research on general cat behavior/psychology.

whitershadeofpale wrote:
Animals are instinctual, they do not have a conscience.
Even without a conscience cats do sense when something
is wrong with dey owners.

Is this not the very definition of conscience, knowing right from
wrong?

You just proved that cats DO have a conscience.

They know when they are being bad without a doubt.

Barry
You could write a book called, "An Interview with Bootsy"

Good idea. Cats, especially ferals, are like people who live by their
wits.
They get bored easily, like children with attention deficits,
with or without it being a "disorder."

Cats need to exercise their brains or they go to sleep.
The resting brainwaves of cats is around 14 Hz.
In humans, it's around 10 Hz, quite a bit slower.

Come to think of it, have you in psychology about "attention?"
You might get some clues there. It's worth a peek, methinks.

wrote:
whitershadeofpale wrote:
Animals are instinctual, they do not have a conscience.
Even without a conscience cats do sense when something
is wrong with dey owners.

Is this not the very definition of conscience, knowing right from
wrong?

They have no appearance of having a conscious until they are caught.
Then what we are really seeing is not the working of the conscience.

You just proved that cats DO have a conscience.

They know when they are being bad without a doubt.

Based on our actions, therefor they must modify...
what is it that makes them want to stay close...
many many animals are like this.

It's instilled in them from birth; to touch and be touched.

Have you read anything by Pam Bennett-Johnson?

wrote:
EVERY book I've found thus far assumes at least one of two things: A)
that my cat has behavioral problems that need to be corrected, or B)
the I'm a newbie in cat care and I need to know about litterboxes and
vets.

Ug! I'm interested in cat psychology, what makes them tick, how they
"think," why they act the way they do. I already know how to care for
cats and I don't need to correct any behavioral problems.

Any recommendations?



--
J Kimmel

www.metalinnovations.com

"Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum." - When you have
their full attention in your grip, their hearts and minds will follow.

wrote in message
oups.com...
EVERY book I've found thus far assumes at least one of two things: A)
that my cat has behavioral problems that need to be corrected, or B)
the I'm a newbie in cat care and I need to know about litterboxes and
vets.

Ug! I'm interested in cat psychology, what makes them tick, how they
"think," why they act the way they do. I already know how to care for
cats and I don't need to correct any behavioral problems.

Any recommendations?


The Cat who Cried for Help- Attitudes, Emotions and Psychology of Cats by
Nicholas Dodman

Understanding Cats and Understanding Cat Behavior- both by Roger Tabor.

The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats- a journey into the feline heart. by
Jeffery Moussaieff Masson

And if you *really* want to know what's going on inside a cat's head, read
The Silent Miaow by Paul Gallico. After you read it, you'll sleep with one
eye open! lol

Phil

whitershadeofpale wrote:
wrote:
whitershadeofpale wrote:
Animals are instinctual, they do not have a conscience.
Even without a conscience cats do sense when something
is wrong with dey owners.

Is this not the very definition of conscience, knowing right from
wrong?

They have no appearance of having a conscious until they are caught.
Then what we are really seeing is not the working of the conscience.

But this is also true of many people. They become religious or show
concern only after getting caught, for example.

This does not mean they do not have a conscience. It indicates that the
dictates of a cats' conscience are not the same rules applying to
people.

For example, I do not have to attack every mouse that I see. What we
view as negative conscience is positive conscience for a cat. They have
different rules and different frames of reference. Same universe,
different priorities.

My cat behaves herself when I am not around. I do not find toilet paper
strewn about. Almost never do I find things knocked on the floor. In
fact, she is the soul of wit and brevity and decorum.

You just proved that cats DO have a conscience.

They know when they are being bad without a doubt.

Based on our actions, therefor they must modify...
what is it that makes them want to stay close...
many many animals are like this.

This is so for many living creatures. And the gathering together of
living creatures shows that it's instinctual and not because of
conscience?

It's instilled in them from birth; to touch and be touched.

People who are touched tend to do much better than those who are left
alone.
Bad pun but it' true.

Phil P. wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
EVERY book I've found thus far assumes at least one of two things: A)
that my cat has behavioral problems that need to be corrected, or B)
the I'm a newbie in cat care and I need to know about litterboxes and
vets.

Ug! I'm interested in cat psychology, what makes them tick, how they
"think," why they act the way they do. I already know how to care for
cats and I don't need to correct any behavioral problems.

Any recommendations?


The Cat who Cried for Help- Attitudes, Emotions and Psychology of Cats by
Nicholas Dodman

Understanding Cats and Understanding Cat Behavior- both by Roger Tabor.

The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats- a journey into the feline heart. by
Jeffery Moussaieff Masson

And if you *really* want to know what's going on inside a cat's head, read
The Silent Miaow by Paul Gallico. After you read it, you'll sleep with one
eye open! lol

Phil

I second the recommendations for books by Dodman and Tabor. I haven't
read Masson. One of the worst in my opinion is Desmond Morris--actually
laughed at some of the notions he came up with. And although she is not
an animal behaviorist, but in fact got her start as a groomer, Anita
Frazier (The New Natural Cat) did teach me some things about cat
behavior. That's where I learned how pleased cats are when you return
"the slow blink".
-Yngver