How Do Cats Do That?

Although this is a children's book, I was quite excited to read it as I am a total cat lover, and the behaviours of cats fascinates me. This book definitely delivered - written by Peter Scottsdale who is a self-confessed cat lover himself, it included all the information you could possibly want to know about cats, and answers more questions than you probably thought you had. Would highly recommend this to any cat owner. As for children, there are a few mentions of 'foreplay' when it comes to the mating ritual, which may present some tricky questions for parents!

Reviews on two blogs:

#1 It was 1am. I was looking for a book to read. Instead of something in the realm of fiction for grownups, I saw the crazy cat on the cover of How Do Cats Do That? and downloaded this book instead.
Written in simple language in order to appeal to all ages, the book does exactly what you’d expect: it explains everything you would want to know about cats and their behaviour.
After having a gazillion stray cats turn up in my life in recent years, I’ve already read everything I could find about this particular topic, but this is a good summary for people who need to know a lot about cats in a hurry.
A quick, easy read.

#2 This is a good, fast read that explains everything you would want to know about a cat’s behaviour. The language is easy enough for younger readers, but not so simple that it won’t appeal to adults.
Recommended for people who have or who are thinking of getting a new cat.

As a cat owner I found this book very interesting and informative. I now understand more about what makes my furry girl do the things she does

It's a book about cats. It didn't get five stars because there were not enough cat pictures, but I did love it. I felt so much of what this book was saying. It talks a lot about how cats communicate and how they feel about us (humans). It would be good for someone who is getting a new cat or has never had a cat before.

This is an easy-read but very interesting book about cats. It’s aimed at young readers but adults will enjoy it too as it’s clear and concise. It really does answer more or less any question you can come up with about cats, such as how they’re such good jumpers, how they see, how they purr, how they react to catnip and so on. These answers frequently take in a ‘why’ aspect too so give a very rounded response.
The author’s delight in cats and his expertise come over very clearly. It’s beautifully illustrated with lovely photos.
This is a book you can read in one go, or dip into every now and again when your cat does something you want to know more about.

How Do Cats Do That was a great book. I am owned by 3 cats and was intrigued by this book. Included in the book is all the information you could possibly need to know about cats, their behaviours and why they do what they do.

A very lovely book about cats with a lots of interesting information and wonderful pictures.
Recommended to cat persons.
Many thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial

[Note:  This book was provided free of charge by Books Go Social/Net Gallery.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

While I do not consider myself a cat person, or indeed a pet person of any kind so far in my life, I do at least have some curiosity about cats and the way that they are viewed [1].  This book, it should be noted, does not answer all of one's questions at cats, as it is only 50 pages long and most of those pages are mostly empty, but while some of us have questions about the process of domestication as well as the limits of adaptation that cats have that this book does not in any way answer, this book does at least provide just-so stories for the kinds of questions that many people would have about cats.  Perhaps most touchingly, the author offers the opinion that cats do not look down upon humans as they are reputed to do but rather consider human beings to be in a role similar to that of a mother.  By and large I found the writing to be infused with a genuine love for cats, and even if I'm not a cat person that counts for a good deal.

In terms of its contents, this book offers very direct and straightforward answers to a series of questions that involve cats and why and how they do what they do.  The author answers a variety of questions, each with the question marked at the top and ending with a statement like "And that's how cats ______."  This pattern is kept up through out the entire book, giving it a sense of consistency.  The following questions were answered:  How do cats communicate?  How do cats purr?  How do cats show love?  How do cats jump so high?  How do cats' tails work?  How do cats use their whiskers?  How do cats' nails get so sharp?  How do cats wash themselves?  How do cats see?  How do cats identify their owners?  How do cats view their owners?  How do cats play?  How do cats adapt?  How do cats fight?  How do cats protect themselves?  How do cats hunt?  How do cats pee?  How do cats spray?  How do cats mate?  How do cats give birth?  How do cats age?  How do cats keep warm?  How do cats cool down?  How do cats sleep?  How do cats drink water?  How do cats eat?  How do cats react to catnip?  How do cats land on their feet?  How do cats find their way home?  How do cats show pain?  How do cats get worms?  How do cats get ringworm?  How do cats get fleas and ticks?  How do cats get ear mites?  The book ends with a thanks to the reader.

While this is certainly an enjoyable book to read, it is not a perfect book.  For one, the book is hung up on questions of how, but not much detail is provided in most cases.  Many of the questions are answered with a short paragraph and there is a definite shortage of drawings or illustrations or detailed explanations of, for example, the bone and muscular structure that was created in cats that allow them to jump so high.  Likewise, it would appear that the author's methodological naturalism, which is not something that I particularly enjoy seeing in books, prevents him from asking questions of why.  Purpose questions are far more thought-provoking and deep than mere questions on mechanism, particularly when those questions are not answered with more than a brief note in many cases.  Yet there is still much in this book to enjoy and appreciate despite its limitations and the shortcomings of its approach to questions of adaptation and development, and it is obvious in reading this book that the author has a great love for cats, something that is useful when writing a book about them, or reading a book about them, for that matter.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011/03/04/adventures-in-catsitting/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017/11/15/book-review-angels-with-fur/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014/08/13/book-review-how-to-tell-if-your-cat-is-trying-to-kill-you/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013/06/18/better-a-cat-than-a-rat/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012/08/26/a-note-on-cat-herding/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012/02/24/nothing-but-trouble/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012/02/08/yippy-dog/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011/10/03/white-lahu-cat-hunters/

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2011/05/11/we-are-siamese-if-you-dont-please/

"How Do Cats Do That?" is a handy little book about what cats do, how they do it and why. It is a very short book, but it contains a lot of information. Each "chapter," if I can call it that, is headlined with a question about something cats do and the following paragraphs explains what, how and why (not necessarily it that order).
I very much enjoyed reading it, though I did spot a few grammatical errors, but it did not take away from the fun of reading the book.
Much of my enjoyment of the book can be attributed to me being very much a cat person, living with two cats, and I think any catlover would enjoy reading this book (even if they already know a lot about cats).

I love cats! This book answered a lot of questions I had concerning cats, like, how do they cool down on hot days and why our feral populations yowls so much! Interesting book with loads of info. Should be read by anyone thinking about getting a cat, but would make a nice gift for a young cat owner, as well.

If you always wanted to know how cats purr, drink water, keep clean, and more this is where you will find out! Of course, you will learn almost everything a cat does. The author explains the what, how and why. This is not a large book to read or explained in technical terms. Anyone can read this without explanation from a dictionary or any reference material. It's a fun book to read and learn about the cat!

I loved this book. It was very informative! Highly recommend!

I originally got this book to read to my four old grandson as his uncle has a cat and he was always asking questions about her. I ended up enjoying reading it to him as much as to myself. We both loved reading about fun and interesting things about cat behavior, especially about how cats and kittens play and communicate. In fact, we would read a section and then go and watch the cat to see what she was doing (besides sleeping!) It was especially fun when she would loudly and continuously meow when her master got home.
The book gave me many opportunities to talk about the behavior of our old cats and look up to read things she would do, too. Both my grandson and I loved the book!

An interesting book for those who love cats, are thinking of getting a cat or live with cats, like I do! All of your questions answered in a fun and adorable way.

This is a children's book that has interest even for adults, if they want to know all about cats (since the explanations are succinct, but sufficiently detailed to appeal to older children and adults). FYI: It does talk about cat reproduction, too, which might lead to more questions from younger children. All in all, a very good primer on cats, with a good amount of detail and clearly written information.

Clearly written guide to for children (and adults) explaining what makes a cat tick. Scottsdale organizes the book by asking and answering questions about feline physiology and psychology such as "How do cats communicate" to "How do cats express love."

This slim tome answers many questions that young readers, or aspiring ailurophiles, may have about felines.

I found this book to be absolutely amazing. I must say however that I am a little biased as I have two cats that are my children. I found the information to be very accurate and interesting. It kept me captivated until the very end and it was something that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I definitely recommend it to any cat lovers or cat parents.