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Decoding Cats: Inside the Feline Mind  By  cover art

Decoding Cats: Inside the Feline Mind

By: Kristyn Vitale,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Kristyn Vitale
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About the Creator and Performer

Kristyn Vitale is a researcher and educator in the field of animal behavior. Her main research interests focus on cat social cognition, cat behavior, and the human-cat bond. She is specifically interested in the impact of human behavior on the social behavior of cats. After graduating from Kent State University, Dr. Vitale received a Master’s in Environmental Science from Miami University and a PhD in Animal Science from Oregon State University. She is currently an Instructor in Animal Behavior and Cognition in the Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences at Oregon State. Dr. Vitale’s research into cat behavior has been published in academic journals such as Current Biology, Animal Cognition, and the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. She is also an active public speaker, whose work has been featured in numerous popular media outlets, including National Geographic, The Washington Post, Scientific American, and The New York Times.

What listeners say about Decoding Cats: Inside the Feline Mind

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Many studies and some practical information

I would say that this was an interesting book to listen to. It refers to quite many studies regarding feline behaviour and some practical information. The only moment that I cringed was when the author mentioned the punishment of toddlers when they throw a tantrum and on top of that in another example she mentions punishing a tantrum by taking away their candy, when comparing the feline to the human behaviour. Cringe, cringe. Tantrums are age appropriate and a normal behaviour of a toddler and it doesn't have to be corrected and punished, especially by using food as punishment (big no-no). Very unfortunate example. If you are looking for a book with lots of practical information regarding training cats, playing with them, taking care of them etc, you can better choose another book. But considering the fact that this isn't a practical guide for cat, I enjoyed it because it provides interesting information based on scientific research.

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6 people found this helpful

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Learned a lot about cats!

I have always been a cat lover since I was young, looking to learn as much as I can about them. This book taught me a lot about cats that I didnt know about and was well worth the listen to.

The narrator makes the content understandable and enjoyable. Would recommend for the cat lovers who want to learn more about their furry friends.

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6 people found this helpful

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A GREAT book for cat owners!

You learn about cats' history, why cats act like cats, and how to improve both your lives. The best part is that it bases all on science. And explains it, so everyone can understand.

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4 people found this helpful

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Cats are soooooooo smart.

Loved getting the why's and wherefores of cat behaviour. One thing came clearly through: evolution is smart, especially as relates to the housecat. 😻

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4 people found this helpful

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Questionable

Between the reader's bizarre pronunciation of foreign words and some information which is simply false, I stopped listening after the first few chapters. Cannot recommend this work.

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4 people found this helpful

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Really enjoyed it!

Awesome narrator, great and useful information that is easily understable for the general public. Worth your time!

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  • BC
  • 04-19-21

Great Info

Although I don’t currently have any cats, I didn’t have at least two over all of my life until 4 years ago. After 47 years with cats around a lot of this info rings true. Cats are wonderful animals and seemingly get a bad rap, but it seems things are changing.

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Nice defense of cats, but . . .

I still conclude they're often aloof and haughty. For example, Prof. Vitale assures us that cats recognize when you call their names. So, when they fail to respond to this, they're intentionally ignoring you. A little attention was paid to how feral cats kill native wildlife, upsetting balances in habitats.

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Very interesting

Ive always had cats and didn't expect to learn so much information. It was very informative

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  • RJ
  • 07-02-23

Exceptional!

Dr. Kristyn Vitale at Oregon State University presents a course on cat behavior and human interaction via ten lectures. The Dr. will discuss and educate on stereotypes, training, and differences between wild and domestic. Such as the Feliss lineage, African, and the significance to humans. Free roaming, feral, and domestic. The history of, and the domestication process. The Farm Fox Experiment, vocalizations, colorizations; piebald versus blending with the environment, maturity, litter, and body proportions. It’s an excellent read and well worth your time.

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  • S. Emmett
  • 11-11-23

Great for all cat lovers

Great selection of cat information. I'm adopting my first cat soon and learnt a lot about cat behaviour from this book.

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  • Joseph
  • 10-17-23

Better than a paid audio book

I got this audio for free and found it has so much helpful information for me as a cat owner. Dr Vitale, with her research into cat behaviour and as a cat lover herself, helps us catch a glimpse of the world from a cat’s perspective and demystifies misconceptions about cats, which we unjustly stereotype.

A must-listen for all cat owners or those considering to adopt one.

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  • Mike Thaiger
  • 12-30-22

furrballs knowledge

Even though you might know some of it but still very educational and some few experiments you can do yourself with your feline friends!

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  • Anonymous User
  • 12-03-22

So good

I learned so much. So many of the things owners do are counter intuitive. Five stars!!

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  • Max
  • 09-05-22

Great narration and super informative

This was actually incredibly helpful and will keep coming back to re-listen for all the great advice, knowledge and narration.

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  • Anna Nym
  • 06-29-22

Loved it

This course was great! There were a few things that I already knew or at least suspected about cats and their behaviour, but the narrator added so much more interesting content, especially about how social cats really are, that in fact, you can train them etc. I really learned a lot, being a relatively new housemate of a cat.

I would recommend this course to everyone who already has or is thinking about adopting a cat, who is planning a move, had a "difficult" cat or simply wants to get to know their feline friend better.

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  • Juliet
  • 02-14-22

It might have been interesting

I'm fascinated by cats and it seemed to have potential but the narration was so awful even I couldn't listen a minute longer.

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  • Rhys
  • 02-09-22

insightful

don't be put off by the science. great book for cat knowledge, I learned a lot

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  • Anonymous User
  • 10-02-22

A very helpful course for all cat owners.

I listened to this course in preparation for getting my own cat. It was very useful. Often my new cat does things, and I think back to the course. I've even advised friends with information learnt from this course. Overall a very helpful course that I believe has made me an understanding, patient, and nurturing cat owner.

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  • Libertina
  • 09-23-22

Good for new cat parents

If you’re fairly new to cats and their behaviours and habits, you’ll probably get a lot of useful information from this. I have had several decades of experience with cats, so was already familiar with a lot of this content but I did pick up on some new pointers and advice.

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  • Deirdre E Siegel
  • 10-13-21

How to live with your Cat

Excellent manual on enjoying, living with and understanding your Cat.
Fabulous listen, thank you Kristyn :-)

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  • Stephen Silk
  • 09-27-21

Really interesting, practical, & well-presented

I really liked this, and it was easy to listen to. The academic material was mixed in, and never felt like a textbook. And the author/narrator has a real passion for her subject, and it shows.

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