What Cats Want is a unique, non-fiction read to help you understand your cat (is that even possible? I swear they are little aliens hiding in there).

This illustrated guide is a great read for those seeking a little extra help. It's also presented in such a fun way. There's basic rules and guidelines to help new cat lovers out. I feel like some of this is already known by long term cat owners.

Overall, I think this book is super helpful and is a great start to understanding our adorable, furry friends!

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. ( )

The book looked cute, but turned out to be a major disappointment.

It was originally published in Japan, and was then translated into English for a release in the UK. Since this is the British version, the spellings and all of the weights & measurements are awkward for the U. S. audience. The section about air conditioning—which is treated like some sort of bizarre eccentricity—just comes across as asinine to readers in the United States where robust air conditioning systems are the universal norm. The publishers really should have made the effort to tailor an edition for its American market.

The book is full of cutesy cartoon illustrations that are amusing. The written content is presented in succinct blocks of text that are easy to digest. The text alternates between a solid black colored ink and an orange/red colored ink; the reddish-orange color is faint and very difficult to read, which is an unnecessary nuisance. Why not just print everything in the standard, easy-to-read black font?

The information presented is very generic and superficial. First time cat parents who know absolutely nothing about cats may find some of the tidbits useful, but seasoned cat fanciers will find the content old hat and even—in some cases—erroneous. .

Based on my own experiences, some of the information presented is actually wrong; for example, my cats love to have their tummies rubbed, and they actually swish their tails when they are super happy, not annoyed.

I was surprised to find the author lists tuna, sardines, and mackerel as hazardous foods for cats. These are some of my cats favorite foods! And my vet actually encourages me to include canned tuna (& chicken) in my cats’ diet. I don’t know who is right, although I have raised numerous cats on tuna-rich diets and they all happily lived to ripe old ages of 15-20 years. Given some of the other dubious information in the book, I am rather doubtful; however, since it is important, I will probably be investigating these claims further.

In general, I would not recommend this book to most people. It’s fun to flip through the silly kitty illustrations, but that’s about it. People who have zero experience with cats may find the content useful for basic, easily accessible information, but—since some of that information is questionable—I think they would be better off with more detailed and reliable resources. ( )

MT found this last year and bought it for our nieces who were adopting a couple of kittens. He liked it so much he bought a copy for our library too. It’s a very easy read, with small bits of information about every facet of raising happy cats.

I’d say the book is far more suited to those like my nieces, for whom having cats in the family is a wholly new experience. Veteran cat-slaves will find a lot of what they already know here, although I really appreciated the charts showing the different meanings of cat expressions and tail positions. The chart of differing meows was harder to interpret. I’d also have liked the book to address more pragmatically the issue of different foods for different stages of life (we have two “senior” cats and one kitten, all of whom think they should be eating out of all the bowls – how to seperate diets?).

But for anyone I knew who was getting their first cat companion, or even their second or third, this is the book I’d give them as an excellent introduction. Lots of information easily and attractively presented. ( )

My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/K7fZdfIs2Xs

Enjoy! ( )

If you are a feline fancier, and would like a "cat's eye view" of life, then this book is for you. This is basically a handbook for cat owners on how to give their cats the best existence and encourage them live the life of a pampered pet. The tone is practical and humorous, yet knowledgeable, providing basic cat care information in a format that is understandable by most people. You do not need a science background to gain a good understanding of your pet's needs. Each chapter focuses on specific aspects of cats, beginning with basic anatomy, and going on to feeding, setting up the environment, moving, cat body language and sounds, kittenhood to geriatric cats. The cute cartoony drawings enhance the readability of the book. There are also special tips and ideas that are highlighted for ease of reading. Readers who want to know "what cats want" will enjoy this short and easy to read book.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )