The personality of your cat is a fascinating mixture of affection and independence. You may think you know him as he purrs in your lap, but come across a cat in the street on a dark night, amidst a soap-opera scene of sex and violence, and it's easy to think he suffers from a dual personality. However, each ear twitch and tail flick has a meaning. Every single cat carries an inheritance of amazing sensory capacities, vocal utterances, body language and territorial displays. By answering such questions as 'What does a cat signal with its ears?' 'Why does your cat tear at the fabric of your chair?' 'Why does a cat swing its head from side to side when staring at its prey?', Desmond Morris give an extraordinary insight into the nature of your cat.
The personality of your cat is a fascinating mixture of affection and independence. You may think you know him as he purrs in your lap, but come across a cat in the street on a dark night, amidst a soap-opera scene of sex and violence, and it's easy to think he suffers from a dual personality. However, each ear twitch and tail flick has a meaning. Every single cat carries an inheritance of amazing sensory capacities, vocal utterances, body language and territorial displays. By answering such questions as 'What does a cat signal with its ears?' 'Why does your cat tear at the fabric of your chair?' 'Why does a cat swing its head from side to side when staring at its prey?', Desmond Morris give an extraordinary insight into the nature of your cat.
Desmond Morris studied animal behaviour at Oxford University and then moved to become curator of mammals at London Zoo, where he established his own behaviour research group. Other titles include "The Naked Ape" and, "Dogs: a dictionary of dog breeds".
Desmond Morris studied animal behaviour at Oxford University and then moved to become curator of Mammals at London Zoo, where he established his own behaviour research group. His first book The Naked Ape was a worldwide bestseller and changed the way we viewed our own species forever. Since then Desmond Morris has written a string of succesful popular science titles and reference books, including Dogs- A Dictonary of Dog Breeds, also published by Ebury Press.
In each of these books by the author of Bodywatching an introductory essay is followed by a question-and-answer section (items one to four pages in length). The questions include ones about mating, hunting behavior, and physical characteristics. Morris writes very well, and his answers are often witty as well as informed. Nearly any reader would find these books interesting. Unfortunately, all of Morris's information is available from such other sources as encyclopedias and general dog and cat books, so a purchasing library is getting little new for its money. If your budget permits ``extra'' buying in the pet area, do acquire these books. Your readers will like them. But if the budget is tight, they are marginal purchases. Susan Matusak, Wilson Coll. Lib., Chambersburg, Pa.
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