Bea Reviews The Cat Whisperer: Why Cats Do What They Do–and How to Get Them to Do What You Want by Mieshelle Nagelschneider

Publisher: Bantam
Format Read & Source: Egalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date:  March 5, 2013

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Blurb from goodreads:  Who says you can’t train a cat? Just when you thought you had reached the end of your ball of twine, one of America’s most popular cat behaviorists comes to the rescue of perplexed cat owners everywhere, providing practical and effective strategies for solving every feline behavior problem imaginable—from litter box issues to scratching, spraying, biting, and beyond. 

Cat Whisperer Mieshelle Nagelschneider has been helping people deal with these dilemmas for two decades, achieving a near-perfect success rate. Central to her approach is a keen understanding of the unique way cats see the world—their need for safety and security, their acute territoriality, and their insatiable desire to catch and kill prey. Her proven C.A.T. cat behavior modification plan is a commonsense course of action that can be specifically tailored to your cat in the context of its behavior problems and its particular household environment. Easy-to-implement solutions help transform even the most anxiety-riddled companions into confident, gregarious, and relaxed cats who live longer, happier, and healthier lives. Inside you’ll discover



• how to harness the power of “friendly pheromones” to improve your cat’s appetite, exploration, grooming, and play
• where, when, and how to create a litter box environment that will  provide ease of access and reduce anxiety for you and your cat
• how to end aggression in multiple-cat households and help your cats coexist peacefully

Is it impossible to train a cat? Not anymore! Your days of yelling and tearing your hair out in the wake of the latest household “cat-astrophe” are over. In this fascinating and indispensable book, the Cat Whisperer takes you inside the mind of a feline to explain why members of one of the world’s most inscrutable species act the way they do—and how you can convince them to change their behaviors for the sake of your peace of mind . . . and theirs.

Bea's Thoughts:

If you like cats, if you’re curious about cats, if you wonder why your cat does something, you need to read this book. Nagelschneider has an easy, relaxed voice that makes it feel as if you’re sitting, chatting with a friend, while her knowledge of, her respect for, and her love of cats shine through.

When she gives advice, she explains why she’s recommending it, and also explains why she’s not advising that you do something else. For instance, she’ll discuss conventional advice and why she doesn’t agree with it or why it doesn’t work. I found that  to be particularly useful. Despite the fact that I have lived with cats all my life, I discovered there was still a lot I didn’t know. I was happy to discover that there’s a lot I’m doing right with my cat. While he has no major bad habits, there are still things I can do to improve his life and a handy reference book for when I have questions or problems in the future.

The book is arranged so that you can, if you desire, read chapters out of order though I think in order would be best if read in order. She frequently refers you back to information in other chapters, rather than constantly repeat herself, and there are extensive footnotes and appendices. One thing I didn’t like was the constant referral to her website for products; it was self-promotion overkill. That is my only complaint about the book actually; some self-promotion is  reasonable but she went overboard. The information itself is practical, most of the time; useful; and clearly laid out. There are some action plans, such as bringing a new cat into the house or re-integrating existing cats, that are extremely intensive, both in implementation and time involved,  and I think many people would take shortcuts. Honestly, I probably would. But overall, this is a useful, easy to read and use, practical guide that I think all cat owners should have. I plan on buying it for several friends.

This review first appeared at BookTrib.com