Purr by Zazie Todd #Purr @CompAnimalPsych @greystonebooks @Brownlee_Donald #TheArtOfMakingYourCatHappy #BookReview

 

We all love our cats and we all want them to be happy. But making our cats happy isn’t about buying them lots of things—it’s about finding out what matters to them. In Purr, animal behavior expert Zazie Todd addresses every stage of your cat’s life and offers surprising and effective advice for even the most experienced cat owner, all with the science to back it up.

In this indispensable book, “cat lovers learn the science behind cats’ petting preferences; the multiple meanings of purrs, chirrups, and meows; how to best satisfy the scratching and stalking desires for indoor cats; and even how to keep both cats and wildlife safe if your felines spend time outside.”—Cat Warren, New York Times-bestselling author 

In Purr, Zazie Todd demystifies the feline-human relationship so you can form your special bond based on your cat’s unique needs—all while learning lots and having fun together.

Purr - The Science of Making Your Cat Happy by Zazie Todd is published on 26 May 2022 by Greystone Books. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I've been a cat lover and cat owner for all of my life. We currently have a fifteen-year-old female called Costa, she was one of a pair and her brother Nero died in early 2019. Costa rules the house, there's no disputing that, and she knows it. She has her own little ways, sometimes she's incredibly annoying, but most of the time, she's a loving, sweet cat who doesn't venture far from home. 

Whilst I do know lots about how cats behave, I haven't really ever thought about why they do a certain thing. Reading Purr has been an eye-opener for me. I've read about things that cats that I've known have often done, and realised just why they have been doing it. 

Whilst the book is science-based, it is never dull or dry. It's fun and the author adds her own personality to her writing. 

Amongst other things covered in Purr, cat loves will also discover how to:

• Enrich your cat's life through play and exercise
• Reduce anxiety and fear around your absence, visitors and trips to the vet
• Train your kitten or cat without causing harm (ie. don't use a spray bottle!)
• Provide for special needs like asthma
• Make senior cats comfortable

According to the PDSA, 24% of the UK population own a cat, and I bet that every one of those people have different ways of doing things. 

Purr will help owners to understand how things can be done without causing any distress to your cat, and there may be a few things that they will have to re-think. It's about learning from the science, trying things out and realising that even though we may be very experienced cat owners, there can be better ways to do things. 

This is a book that will stay on my shelf, I expect to go back to it many times, especially as Costa ages and her behaviour changes. 

A book for cats and their owners! 

Happy cats. Happy dogs. Thanks to science.

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. 

She is the founder of the popular blog Companion Animal Psychology, where she writes about everything from training methods to the human-canine relationship. 

Her subscription newsletter, The Pawsitive Post, includes twice-monthly bulletins to help you understand dog and cat behaviour along with online webinars and events. 

Todd also writes a blog for Psychology Today, Fellow Creatures. 

She lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and two cats.

Sign up to follow Zazie by email here: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/

Twitter @CompAnimalPsych