The Trainable Cat: How to Make Life Happier for You and Your Cat

Description

Contrary to myth, you can train your cat, helping it become a more fulfilled, more sociable and more happy animal The idea of a trained cat seems a contradiction in terms. As domestic pets, cats have evolved very differently from dogs- naturally solitary, wary, easily threatened by newcomers, they are attached to place rather than people, and much of their 'antisocial' behaviour arises in situations where that attachment is threatened. But, as cat experts Sarah Ellis and John Bradshaw argue, such stress-induced behaviour can be prevented, reduced, even eliminated, by training. A comprehensive and engaging step-by-step guide, The Trainable Cat will help you to help your cat negotiate the complexities of everyday life- to enjoy living with humans - including new babies and lively toddlers - and other pets; to answer to their name; settle into a new home; and to overcome the anxiety of a visit to the vet. The result will be a cat that is easier to manage, and a cat happy in its own well-being.

John Bradshaw is a biologist who founded and directs the world-renowned Anthrozoology Institute, based at the University of Bristol. He has been studying the behaviour of domestic cats and their owners for over twenty-five years, and is the author of, among others, the Sunday Times Bestsellers In Defence of Dogs and Cat Sense. As Feline Behaviour Specialist at charity International Cat Care and Visiting Fellow in the School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Sarah Ellis specializes in the science and psychology of companion animals. John and Sarah are on-screen experts for, among others, BBC2's Cat Watch.

I doubt you'll find a more well-informed or scientific book on cats that better shows you how feline thinking works -- Carol Midgley * The Times * Most people think that cats cannot be trained, but experts John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis beg to differ ... They explain how even the grumpiest of cats can learn to enjoy being groomed * Lady * In addition to improving the cat's welfare, the training enhances the relationship between owner and animal ... It's amazing what a few treats and perseverance can do... Though the training book is now rather dog-eared, the cat has left it mercifully unchewed * Guardian *