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The Inner Life of Cats

the Science and Secrets of Our Mysterious Feline Companions
Dec 08, 2017Summerday18 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
It started out so promising, with lush, evocative writing. Unfortunately, the author relies heavily on a discredited "study" blaming cats rather than humans for tragic losses in North American bird populations. The most useful contributions were an interview with Eileen Karsh about her research of cat behaviour (p. 30-50), and an inside view of cat rescues in no-kill Rome, including a meeting with researcher Eugenia Natoli (p. 113). A review of Mildred Moelk's study of cat vocalization was also interesting (p. 64). Unfortunately the author leaves the impression that trap-neuter-return programs are doomed to failure, lighting on an off-hand comment in Natoli's paper that referred to the challenges of many abandoned cats, without considering the wealth of other research that describes their success in controlling populations of feral cats. Much of the book was devoted to the author's personal experience with a cat, which it seemed to me would have worked better in a separate book.