The Cat's Meow

How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa

De: Jonathan B. Losos

Narrado por: Jonathan B. Losos

The past, present, and future of the world's most popular and beloved pet, from a leading evolutionary biologist and great cat lover.

"Engaging and wide-ranging ... The Cat's Meow is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy." —The Washington Post

The domestic cat—your cat—has, from its evolutionary origins in Africa, been transformed in comparatively little time into one of the most successful and diverse species on the planet. Jonathan Losos, writing as both a scientist and a cat lover, explores how researchers today are unraveling the secrets of the cat, past and present, using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you’d be amazed where those backyard cats roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat . . . really?) to forensic archaeology. In addition to solving the mysteries of your cat's past, it gives us a cat's-eye view of today's habitats, including meeting wild cousins around the world whose habits your sweet house cat sometimes eerily parallels.

Do lions and tigers meow? If not, why not? Why does my cat leave a dead mouse at my feet (or on my pillow)? Is a pet ocelot a bad idea? When and why did the cat make its real leap off the African plain? What’s with all those cats in Egyptian hieroglyphics? In a genial voice, casually deciphering complex science and history with many examples from his own research and multi-cat household, Losos explores how selection, both natural and artificial, over the last several millennia has shaped the contemporary cat, with new breeds vastly different in anatomy and behavior from their ancestral stock. Yet the cat, ever a predator, still seems only one paw out of the wild, and readily reverts to its feral ways as it occupies new lands around the world.

Humans are transforming cats, and they in turn are transforming the world around them. This charming and intelligent book suggests what the future may hold for both Felis catus and Homo sapiens.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[An] engaging and wide-ranging narrative... The Cat's Meow is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy." —The Washington Post

"Cats are amazing. They fascinate and bewilder us....[the] cat stories detailed here will only heighten the reader's amazment. And Losos has done cats at least as proud as we imagine they pride themselves." --Science

"A wide-ranging guide to the biology of cats, from their evolutionary origins and partial domestication to their behaviour and genetics...Losos is an engaging and often funny guide who explains the science clearly and with nuance." —New Scientist

"Fascinating, fun, and full of facts, this thorough investigation will appeal to general readers and cat lovers alike." — Booklist

"Not just another cat book, this enthusiastic study traces the evolution of the domesticated house cat from the African wildcat and explores the scientific questions it raises...A vivid, well-rounded treat for anyone interested in cats." - Kirkus Reviews

“The Cat’s Meow by Jonathan Losos is an impressive and enlightening deep dive into how our beloved feline companions found their way into our hearts and homes. Recommended reading for all cat lovers.” – Pam Johnson-Bennett, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and author of Catwise, Cat vs. Cat, and Think Like a Cat

“A fascinating, evidence-based look at how we have lived with cats for thousands of years - with an eye on where our relationship with cats might go in the future. The Cat's Meow is an engaging journey through cat evolution and domestication.” – Mikel Delgado, Ph.D, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist

"What does the future hold for humankind’s other best friend? Reaching back into the evolutionary history of the cat family, brought right up to date with the emergence of new breeds and hybrids, this fascinating book deserves to be on every cat-lover's nightstand." –John Bradshaw, author of Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet

"If you have ever lived with a feline long enough to reach an accommodation, you’ve probably asked yourself: Am I training the cat, or is the cat training me? That question is a gateway to the labyrinth of fascinating riddles explored by Jonathan Losos—himself a lifelong ailurophile as well as an eminent evolutionary biologist—in this engaging and very smart book." – David Quammen, author of The Song of the Dodo and Breathless

relevant

since we currently have 12 cats currently (four newborn kittens), this book came in handy. I learned quite a bit and very much enjoyed it.

Good Read and informative

I am an owner of 2 cats who are related. It answers some of my questions.

interesting and fun

Losos offers a tasty mix of technology, anthropology, and anecdotes. His passion for both the work, and cats, comes across and makes this book both informative and fun

A Treatise on Felis Catis

This one hit me in a way I didn’t expect. I’ve always loved cats, but this book made me see them with new eyes. Not as pets. Not as something we manage. As their own creatures with their own quiet world.

What got me most were the moments that showed what cats do when we aren’t watching. The hidden life. The truth behind their instincts and the way they move like they’re following some ancient map inside them. It made me respect them even more.

I walked away from this book feeling closer to my own cats, like I finally understood the parts of them I’d been too human to notice. If you love cats, or even if you just want to understand them without the usual surface-level stuff, this book is worth hearing.

A delight for cat lovers of all stripes

I absolutely loved most of this book. The author is an engaging narrator. The book had just the right balance of “yeah I knew that” / "yeah I thought so" and “huh, I didn’t know that.” The author did a great job of explaining scientific concepts so that they would be easy for non-scientists to understand. He is delightfully enthusiastic about his subject matter. The wide variety of material is organized well. I really liked the way he explained the need for certain research, described the research methods abstractly, and then included fun anecdotes about how particular studies actually went. (The parts about studying cats outdoors using GPS collars and cat cams were particularly enjoyable.) I especially learned a lot in the section about creating new breeds of cat, and found out I had some misunderstandings about domestic cat–wild cat hybrid breeds. I'm glad to know more and feel a little less uncomfortable about them.

There were a couple of things I didn't love as much. The author had a habit of describing two sides of an ethical conflict about animal welfare and placing himself smack in the middle of the two camps with a smug "of course, I'm right" attitude. I also didn't like his enthusiasm for the idea of creating saber-toothed cats using CRISPR! Ew! But that's not a complaint about the quality of the book.

So Much Fun Here

So much I didn't know and so much clarity of what I thought I knew and found out more about. They're my favorite companions and I'm glad that cats are also the favorites of so many others and aren't just memes to spread on the internet. Well told, well researched and beautifully read.

Great book for any cat or evolutionary biology enthusiast!

Jonathan Losos has got a real passion for both cats and evolutionary biology and both come through in this book. His scientifically minded critical thinking approach to cats, his love and passion for them and the immense research carried out for the book as well as his great narration made this a really enjoyable and worthwhile book to listen to!

The need for so much more research and yet will we ruin the Felix cates as we know and love them.

I loved the tree as each that went into time travel and the validation that some cats just have to get out, I’d love to know how your fence worked. My cat has ruined my house, the leather bar stools screens books and all paper she can find. I would like to know more about declawed cats and their hunting habits. I had a red headed boy, declawed when I got him and he was the terror of the neighborhood. He lived to be about 23-26. The vet said he was the oldest cat he knew and he had access to the out doors. I hate that my sweet girl is such a good hunter with the claws I have left on. Thank you for the book, I’m learning new cat stuff every time I read more. I have your book on Audible and can relisten when I’m out running errands.

Educational and Engaging

I was expecting a regurgitation of the information from existing layperson books I’ve read or chipper magazine articles.

Instead, this book is well-based in existing science. It cites studies and research that prove some surprising things about cats. The author brings the science to a layperson’s level, without dumbing it down. He defines unusual words clearly, and without condescension.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the evolution of domestic cats as a species. He discusses the ethics of cat breeds and of using feral cats for research. Most of the studies he discusses in detail are based on owner surveys and radio collar tracking rather than lab science. I was impressed by the number of field studies from various locations around the world.

This is a great book for anyone curious about breed development and feline genetics. I would rather hear a little more about a few topics, but I was quite satisfied with the things I learned and the questions the author raised.

Kudos.

Sucks

This is one of those pop science books that pretends to be about cats but is really about scientists.