1 comments about Cat Body Language Phrasebook: 100 Ways to Read Their Signals.

1. Though there are 100 photos in the book, there are nowhere near 100 ways to read them--many of the ways are repeated, some as many as five or six times.
   
   For example, the "defensive" posture--ears laid back, back arched, standing sideways and fur fluffed out, is repeated numerous times with different names such as "Stay away!" or "I'm scared, but I'll fight if I have to!"
   
   All in all, I'd estimate that there are 25 to 30 different ones. All of the photos are good and some are very good, but few, if any of them will be unknown to even people who have never had a cat. For the dedicated cat owner, there's no new information here, and in fact, there is a fairly good deal of MIS-information.
   
   I;d say this book is worth adding to a cat book collection for the photos and the occasional insight, but not worth buying, even used, as a source of in-depth information about reading cat signals/body language.

1 comments about The Power of Purrs: Reflections on a Life with Cats.

1. I couldn't put Gary Shiebler's THE POWER OF PURRS down. The honesty in his writing resonates. I laughed, I cried (and I'm not just saying that for dramatic effect!), and I remembered the cats that have come in and out of my own life. Even if you hate cats, you'll love the insightful stories Shiebler shares. Maybe you'll even change your mind . . .

No comments about Cats in the Parsonage 2 (All God's Creatures Series, Book 3) (All God's Creatures).

1 comments about A Cat with No Regrets (Alice Nestleton Mystery).

1. I have read several of the Alice Nestleton stories and they never managed to appeal to me. This one is a perfect example of why.
   
   The story starts by having our intrepid heroine on her way to a remote village in France to shoot a movie. Right in the first chapter, an event that cripples the movie is the death of the project sponsor. As it turns out, the death was actually intended to cripple the sponsor. Further, as you read, you find out that a character that appeared in other books in this series is actually the murderer, the sponsor's love is a witting accomplice to the murder. The murderer's assistant murders someone else in their own turn. The resolution to the two murders is that the two murderes take their own lives as Alice looks on astonished. And, to top it all off, the main suspect in the early part of the book is none other than Alice's long-lost-sister's daughter whom Alice did not know existed. That comes about because the niece lives in that remote village in France and raised a cat that the sponsor took and that cat plays the role of a red herring for the novel.
   
   Are you confused yet?
   
   If you are not, then maybe this novel will make sense to you. As to me, I was sorely tempted to move on after about 50 pages of this drivel. The only reason I stuck it out is because I have only quite reading one book in the middle in my whole life, and I was not willing to do so again.
   
   This series is best left unread.

5 comments about The Book of Jones: A Tribute to the Mercurial, Manic, and Utterly Seductive Cat.

1. This book is great. It is so beautiful. I think this book is sweet. I am fond of the author/artist.



2. Jones was the cat of Hunter S. Thompson. Ralph Steadman, the artist for many of Thompson's books, was at his house on numorous occasions and made various scetches of the cat. After jones had been dead for some time and Ralph famous, this slim volume was published as a tribute.

   What can I say? I like cats and I like Ralph Steadman's art. It works for me.




3. As one who loves good literature and cats, I was eager to own this book after reading the reviews. I was disappointed with each and every page! I found the story and the 'characters' lacking both depth and interest. I am not familiar with the author, but closed the book wishing he had allowed someone else to put his sketches to word.



4. This was a very enjoyable book, especially for cat lovers. As a person who has nine inside cats, I really understand the personality of Jones and can see how he got under Ralph's skin. The drawings are wonderful, and even though I personally didn't know Jones, I felt like I did. I give this book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes cats.



5. This book was given to me for my birthday by my wife after we had seen it in a bookstore. I've always found Steadman's work to be amazing, and he doesn't disappoint this time. From all accounts, Jones was a typical cat: supremely disdainful of everyone around him, and yet more than willing to take advantage of Hunter, et. al., when necessary. The bond between a cat and a person is never easy to describe, and yet Ralph does so with surprising ease. Those of us who are familiar with Dr Thompson and his works can easily see how he and Jones were perfect for each other. A must read for cat lovers and Hunter fans alike.

4 comments about Your Cat's Just Not That Into You: "What Part of Meow Don't You Understand?".

1. I thought this book was hilarious and I love cats. It was meant to be a humorous parody of the human to human relationship books out there. It does stereotype cat behaviours, similar to the self help-relationship books that stereotype gender behaviors. That was the spirit in which it was intended since many of us view our relationship with our pets, similar to our other human relationships.
   I think the reviewers that gave this a low rating need to lighten up.



2. I thought I was buying a book that would give me insight into my cat's world. What I got was a joke book and the punchline is always "Your cats just not that into you." Ok, I get it. I guess I'll take the author's advice and take her to the spa, and drop this book off in a donation bin along the way.



3. This book is written from the point of view of someone who doesn't like cats. It's amusing but not laugh-out-loud funny.



4. My cat wrote this review. He says, "What I like most about books is that, if you lay on one, people tend to stop reading and pet you. I plopped down on top of this one and it felt pretty comfortable. Sure enough, my pet human stopped and gave me a great massage. She says the book explains why we cats can be aloof and disdainful. It has many "Dear Abby" type letters, classified ads, advice and definitions.
   
   One classified ad read, "If you're submissive, read on. Upbeat, Rubenesque Maine Coon seeks good home with endlessly giving, insecure owner who'll try to please me even when I'm having a hissy fit. The right owner will never assume he's doing too much for his pet, or experience moral outrage if I "get lucky" with a gopher. Let's have lunch and talk."
   
   This book also offers a peek into a cat's mind and offers other advice that our humans ought to know. Hey, my human is still laughing over it -- so it must be good. Besides, I like to see my pets amused. You might want to educate your pet humans with this book, too."

3 comments about The Complete Siamese.

1. This book was very informative regarding the genetic aspects of breeding Siamese, and provided insight into the breeding done during the 20th century through the 1980s.



2. An excellent book if you are interested in breeding your Siamese-it goes into that aspect in depth. Unfortunately, I was looking for something that would not only give me the history, the types but also behavior patterns of Siamese - both good and bad (and how to deal with and correct the bad). Also, I was looking for more information as to medical problems that might be inherent in the Siamese breed. In other words, I wanted an overall picture of the Siamese directed at the average Siamese pet owner. This I did not get!



3. excellent book - very authoratative and well researched. Excellent pictures - I particularly liked the pencil drawings (which I actually did!!!!).

No comments about The Cat Angel: Saving the World One Cat at a Time.

4 comments about Felix.

1. This book should be considered a combination of art/animation history,as well as a bible for Felix fans!



2. Canemaker takes the reader through the amazing roller coaster ride that is the career of Felix the Cat. From the shady past of producer Pat Sullivan, to the brilliant career of Otto Messmer, this is a great read. Complete with rarely seen Felix memorabilia, this book has it all. It is just too bad that there aren't more books like Canemaker's out there for the dyed-in-the-wool fan. Pick it up!



3. John Canemaker has the rare gift of bringing the human side of great animation to life. He is at the top of his form in this book, which follows the story of Felix the Cat from his creation by Otto Messmer through the present day. Very highly recommended for anyone interested in Animation in any form whatsoever.



4. An excellent book filled with early pictures of Felix the Cat. A must for anyone (like me) who has an interest in early animation. In the book are interesting facts about the first comic superhero that was born about 65 years before Bart Simpson. Did you know that Walt Disney admitted to stealing some of the way Mickey Mouse looked from old drawings of Felix the Cat? I have found this this black-and-white coffee table book very useful in my research for my Felix the Cat web page. (http://w3.nai.net/~eifert)

1 comments about Genetics for Cat Breeders (International Series in Pure and Applied Biology. Division:).

1. There are cat breeders, and there are Cat Breeders! If litter constantly crumbles off your shoes, and you don't 'know' a cat until you've seen its' pedigree, you're a Cat Nerd :] Mastering Robinson's book will be your last 'final' to achieving Grand Champion Cat Nerd status! I must admit to a personal bias in favor of this book as I enjoy combing apart a puzzling test cross as much as playing with kittens! This is one *serious* book! As with most things genetic, Robinson has generated considerable controversy with certain of his assertions and conclusions, but this is without a doubt 'The Merk' for serious cat breeders. His work begins with a quick refresher for those in need. But frankly, if you're an 'old timer' who has never pulled at least a B in a full-blown 300 level Mendelian genetics course, you'll be in over your head by page five. There are separate sections addressing individual breeds and type, providing much of the information you've always wondered about. With this book as a foundation you can move your breeding program into the realm of testable objective research. You'll know how to determine, for example, if a particular coat pattern results from the heterozygotic interaction of codominant alleles, from the presence of an unlinked modifier gene, or if you really have a new dominant mutant. Ooooooh!!! With this book you will evolve an analytical eye, enabling you to extract meaningful details from the haphazard work of hobby breeders - a great time saving resource for a serious breeder. Are you working with a clear goal in mind, or just putting cats together? The good news: this is an advanced text for a rare few :) The bad news: this is an advanced text for a rare few :( If you've found this review, have read the book, and would like to indulge in some technical prose with a fellow Cat Nerd, please write - it's lonely out here! Michael Olsen, CallisteCats Birmans