Very useful book for cat owners. Has training tips, tips for cats with special needs, medical knowledge, travel tips, and so much more. ( )

I'm an experienced cat owner, but I recently took in a very frightened and mistreated cat so I was looking for some reassurance that I was doing the right thing for him. There wasn't much in here that was new to me, but I found it comforting to read through it anyway. There are a few things that I found questionable, or that I know is a lot more complicated then what is presented in the book, but overall this is a really good guide to cats. ( )

Un libro interesante tanto para novatos como para habituales gatunos. Trata prácticamente de todos los temas: adopciones, cría, comportamiento, higiene, enfermedades, accidentes, cambios, etc.

Con una perspectiva de adiestramiento/educación basada en el refuerzo positivo (con los gatos el castigo no funciona).

También refuta con información los típicos prejuicios sobre los gatos que, por desconocimiento o falta de interés, se suelen extender.

Quizás demasiada información para leerlo en una sentada (aunque para hacerse una idea general está muy bien). Es un libro para tener como referencia ante cualquier situación o imprevisto. ( )

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.

( )

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 However, in my opion the book is lacking and outdated when it comes to the areas of training and nutrition.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Although it's not a dog training book, I'm disappointed that it promotes outdated ideas on dog training (as a contrast to how the author wants us to train cats) - "a dog is a pack animal hardwired to either to be the leader of the pack or to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. ( )