Decoding Cats: Inside the Feline Mind

By: Kristyn Vitale, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Kristyn Vitale

One minute they’re purring next to us, the next they’re attacking our toes, yet for all their mysterious and quirky ways, we can’t help but love these little lions we’ve let into our homes and our hearts.

Whether you’re a cat mom or dad or just want to know more about the way domesticated animals evolved, think, and behave, join Dr. Kristyn Vitale, a researcher in the Human-Animal Interaction Lab at Oregon State University, to get inside the mind of the curious, the cute, and sometimes seemingly crazy cat.

Over 10 lectures. Dr. Vitale will take you through the inscrutable characteristics of cat behavior. She’ll introduce you to cat activities - cat’tivities! - such as socialization and enrichment, which can help to increase your cat’s well-being. She’ll also dispel the common myth that you can’t train a cat - showing you how to both train your cat to do the behaviors you want and correct behaviors you don’t want your cat doing. And she’ll guide you through the evolution of this purrfect pet - from a wild animal to how it become the unique house cat sleeping on your bed.

You’ll find that the more you can decode your cat’s behavior, the stronger your bond with them will be.

©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC.

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.

Interesting but lacking

I was very intrigued by the title. Understanding pets is a good thing. Apart for a few examples, the book contains insights into cat behavior. The examples used are good and interesting, but I expected more.

Cat Owner for over 50 years

I have been “Owned” by my furry Feline Companions for more than 50 years. There were things that I already knew about cats, but there were quite a number of New things that I did not!! It was a very enjoyable book and performance 🐾🐾🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛👍👍💜💕❤️❣️

Great insight into cat behavior

Interesting info on history and study of cat behaviors and some sample training routines for listeners to try. Some reviewers might not have listened to the entire audiobook if they didn’t find the tips for adjusting their cats behavior.

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.

Interesting but not quite what I wanted

Lots of scientific information but not enough practical information. For instance, why a cat might suddenly bite and how to avoid that, bathroom problems, how to bathe your cat, what to look for when buying a cat, should an indoor cat get the same vaccinations as an outdoor cat, etc.

Very interesting

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

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.

Another dissertation turned into an audiobook

The reader’s voice was lilting and sweet but sorry, I could care less about “personality” vs “ behavioral characteristics”. Just tell me what it means when my cat purrs or licks me or smacks her mouth.

Informative

Easy to understand. Good suggestions to increase enjoyment of your cat and interactions with it.