Conville & Walsh
literary agency
Cat Sense
- Author: John Bradshaw
- Category: Non-fiction Animals / Environment Science
- Publisher: Penguin (UK), Basic Books (US)
- Pub date: Spring 2013
- Length: 100,000 words approx
About Cat Sense
Scholarly yet passionate… nothing less than a manifesto for a new understanding of our canine friends… fascinating
– Chris Cox, Guardian on DOG SENSE
Cats are not dogs. Dogs wear their hearts on their (metaphorical) sleeves; cats keep their emotions to themselves. Dogs are fully domesticated; cats keep one foot planted firmly in their wild origins. Dogs are omnivores, while cats are strict carnivores. Dogs have excited the interest of hundreds of scientists, especially in the past decade; the study of domestic cats has remained the province of a handful of dedicated behaviourists.
Yet there are at least as many pet cats as there are dogs, and from an ethical standpoint, cats are equally deserving of our understanding. Feline science, whilst not yet as comprehensive as canine science, still has much to contribute to owners’ understanding and appreciation of their pets. CAT SENSE will, for the first time, bring together all the best cat science, new and old, in one place, revealing an animal that is, in its own inimitable way, every bit as fascinating as the dog.
A few of the questions that this book will answer: how did domestication turn the solitary wildcat into a sociable pet? Why do cats unerringly seek out the company of the very people who appreciate their company the least? Does your cat love you – or are you just staff? Is purring really a reliable sign of happiness? What are cats thinking when they’re playing with toys? Where do cats’ personalities come from – and where are they going? Pedigree cats – will they go down the same road as pedigree dogs? What does the future hold for cats?
About the Author
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 dogs and their owners for over 25 years, and is the author of many scientific articles, research papers and reviews, which have not only shed new light on the dog’s abilities and needs, but have also changed the way that dogs are understood and cared for all over the world. Intent on understanding every aspect of the relationship between man and his “best friend”, the domestic dog, his research has ranged from studies of why guide dogs are less well accepted in Japan than they are in the West, to how gundogs learn how to track their quarry. John firmly believes that the future of the dog lies not simply in the blunt instruments of legislation and regulation, but with better public understanding of what dogs actually are, their needs and wants.