An ARC was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.
I was a little hesitant to read this book after my experience with In Defense of Dogs. On the whole I found the book to be drawn out and contradictory.
Cat sense suffers from its own set of problems. The first quarter of the book focuses on the genetics behind the domesticated cats markings by tracing it's ancestry. I had enough of genetics in college so this section wasn't really anything new to me. However I think it may be too heavy for someone with just a passing interest in having cats as pet's.
On the other side it's not in depth enough for anyone looking to do some serious research on feline behaviour. It seems Bradshaw wanted this book to be a jack of all trades book but in the process it fails to really appeal to any one set of readers.
It's hard for me to put much weight in his experiments as they were designed and carried out by himself. This makes me wonder how accurate they can be.
For all it's faults this book contains some great information in the last few chapters. Bradshaw tries to encourage the reader to see world through the eyes of their domesticated cat. As a veterinary nurse I have seen first hand how anthropomorphism by owners can be damaging to cats. Bradshaw shines a light on cats forced to live their life cooped up in apartments in the company of strange cats of whom they spend a life time trying to avoid. I see many owners gush over how 2 cats are the best of friends when the exact opposite is the case.
These problems are often over looked as cats are dismissed as "untrainable" which, of course is not true. They just require the use of different methods to that of the dog.
Another plus for me was the mention of the breeding of pedigree cats. Cat breeders are often let slip through the net as much of the focus seems to be on dog breeders and puppy farms. The reality is that cat breeders are just as much at fault. They too continue to selectively breed for vanity sake which can cause huge suffering. He points out the extensive eye problems that the Siamese suffers from and the respiratory issues associated with the brachycephalic breeds.
It may be considered heavy for some in parts but if you are new to the world of cats and have started to develop a keen interest in all things feline then this book is for you.
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