Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy

by Zazie Todd

Overview

"Definitely a book your cat would want you to read!"--Dr. Sarah Ellis, co-author of The Trainable Cat

"Zazie Todd has created a must-have guide to improving your cat's life."--Modern Cat Magazine

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

Cat lovers 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 (i.e. don't use a spray bottle!)

Provide for special needs like asthma

Make senior cats comfortable

And so much more!

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781778400797
Publisher:	Greystone Books
Publication date:	06/06/2023
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Zazie Todd loves nothing more than helping people with their pets. She is the creator of Companion Animal Psychology, an award-winning blog that shares the latest science about our animal companions and evidence-based ways to care for them. Todd has a PhD in Psychology and an Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour from International Cat Care. Her award-winning book about dog behavior, Wag, was featured in the New York Times, Slate, and People Magazine. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, a dog, and two cats.

Table of Contents

Foreword Pam Johnson-Bennett 1

Introduction 3

1 Happy Cats 7

2 Getting a Kitten or Cat 29

3 How to Set Up Your Home for a Cat 43

4 Key Aspects of Caring for a Cat 61

5 How to Train a Cat 80

6 The Vet and Grooming 97

7 Enrichment for Cats 113

8 Cats and Their People 128

9 The Social Cat 146

10 Feeding Your Cat 164

11 Behavior Problems in Cats 178

12 Senior Cats and Cats With Special Needs 203

13 The End of Life 215

14 How to Have a Happy Cat 230

Checklist for a Happy Cat 236

Appendix: Training Plans 240

Teach Your Cat to Sit Pretty 240

Teach Your Cat to Like Their Carrier 244

Notes 248

Acknowledgments 267

Index 269

Editorial Reviews

"Zazie Todd has created a must-have guide to improving your cat's life."
--Modern Cat Magazine

"Purr covers all the essentials to ensure we are raising our cats right!"
--Ingrid Johnson, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and founder of Fundamentally Feline

"Purr is cat-centered, so much that it feels like a very smart cat wrote it! Starting with the most recent scientific findings, Zazie Todd explains with clarity what cats enjoy, what is good for their well-being, and how we can build a strong reciprocal bond with them. Indispensable reading."
--Carlo Siracusa, co-editor of Decoding Your Cat and board-certified veterinary behaviorist, UPenn Vet School

"A digestible mixture of science summaries, expert opinions, anecdotes about Zazie's cats, and practical tips. Purr is definitely a book your cat would want you to read!"
--Dr. Sarah Ellis, co-author of The Trainable Cat and Head of Cat Advocacy, International Cat Care

"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 of What a Dog Knows

"Practical, entertaining, and thorough. Cat owners are in good hands with Zazie Todd."
--Lucy Jane Santos, author of Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium

"Purr is an absolute must-read for all animal lovers! This fantastic, evidence-based guide is bound to influence cat-guardian relationships for the better."
--Sarah-Elizabeth Byosiere, Director of the Thinking Dog Center and Assistant Professor at Hunter College (CUNY)

"What a gift to applied animal behavior is Zazie Todd. Purr is both packed with the latest findings and eminently readable. I could not recommend it more highly."
--Jean Donaldson, The Academy for Dog Trainers

"Purr is a must read for anyone who shares their life with a cat and wants to provide the most fulfilling, enriched, and happiest existence possible for them."
--Kate LaSala, Rescued By Training, certified trainer and behavior consultant

"A wonderful, evidence-based guide with concrete suggestions for cat owners to improve the lives of the cats they live with. Purr is a welcome and exciting addition for every cat lover's bookshelf."
--Mikel Delgado, Ph.D., Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and co-founder of Feline Minds

"Full of great science delivered with genuine warmth and heart; I just couldn't put this book down. Through Wag and now Purr, Zazie Todd has united dog-people and cat-people in a single goal: to make the lives of animals in our care richer and healthier--mentally, physically, emotionally--than we ever thought possible."
--Jules Howard, zoological commentator and author of Wonderdog

From the Publisher