A book that should definitely feature on your bookcase – “The Nine Emotional Lives Of Cats.”
While studying for my feline psychology diploma, I accrued quite a lot of books regarding behaviour. Some were on the recommended reading list, others were just books I read the synopsis for and thought sounded interesting. This book is the latter. “The Nine Emotional Lives Of Cats – A Journey Into The Feline Heart”, is beautifully written and well worth picking up if you’re curious for insights regarding a cats thinking from an academic, but also compassionate standpoint.
I think the descriptive on the authors own site is succinctly
put, so here it is:
“Masson delves deep
into the secretive, playful world of cats, revealing emotions, debunking myths,
and honouring the feline’s evolution from solitary jungle creature to human
companion.
Drawing from literature, history, animal behavioural research, and the wonderful true stories of cat experts and cat lovers around the world, Jeffrey Masson vividly explores the delights and mysteries of the feline heart. But at the core of this remarkable book are Masson’s candid, often amusing observations of his own five cats. Their mischievousness, aloofness, and affection provide a way to examine emotions from contentment to jealousy, from anger to love.
Consider the question: Are cats selfish? While human egocentricity is defined by how little a person cares about others, the cat’s narcissism is not like that at all. Cats may appear self-centred, but they watch us all the time, taking us in. They see us; they notice us – a far cry from vanity.
Cats are curious, a trait that rarely kills them. On the contrary, it gives them the chance to assess, in their own idiosyncratic way, whether we are worthy of their attention. Cats are happy to be themselves. What they think of us is a different question entirely. “We need cats to need us,” notes Masson, “It unnerves us that they do not. However, if they do not need us, they nonetheless seem to love us.”
The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats will captivate readers with its surprises and insights, offering a new perspective on the deep connection shared by humans and their feline friends. This is the book that Masson’s many fans and cat lovers everywhere have been waiting for.”
You can learn more about the author by following this link to his site:
A Journey Into the Feline Heart …