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Debra (USA: OR) (2011/03/12):
Description:
"The domestic cat is a contradiction. No animal has developed such an intimate relationship with mankind, while at the same time demanding and getting such independence of movement and action. The dog may be man's best friend, but it is rarely allowed out on its own to wander from garden to garden or street to street. The headstrong cat walks alone." Thus begins Desmond Morris's fascinating examination of cat behavior and the way in which man and cats interact.
In this intriguing and engaging book Desmond Morris answers many of the questions he has been asked about cats - and some that have never been asked. Every cat lover will be amazed and enlightened by this new book.
Early Egyptian records show that the cat was already fully domesticated 3,500 years ago. Yet even the most domesticated of cats leads a double life; the overgrown kitten that purrs in its owner's lap is just as likely to become a self-sufficient, wild creature wrapped up in catching its prey or defending its territory. It is clear that cats today carry with them an ancient inheritance of amazing sensory capacities, vocal utterances, body language, and territorial displays.
Desmond Morris developed the habit of catwatching as a boy growing up in the English countryside, where he remembers having spent many hours lying in the grass observing the farm cats as they stalked their prey. As a zoologist, he has had in his care most members of the cat family - from great tigers, powerful leopards, and mighty jaguars to tiny tiger cats and little jaguarundi.* Why Does a Cat Purr?
* Why Does a Cat Wag Its Tail?
* Why Do Cats Keep Crying to Be Let Out and Then Cry to Be Let In Again?
* Why Does a Cat Hiss?
* Why Does a Cat Chatter Its Teeth When It Sees a Bird Through the Window?
* How Does a Cat Use Its Whiskers?
* Can Cats See Color?
* Why Are Cat Owners Healthier Than Other People?
* Why Is a Female Cat Called a Queen?
* Why Does a Cat Have Nine Lives?
* Why Do We Say "It is Raining Cats and Dogs"?
Find the answers to these questions and many more in 'Catwatching'.
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