Book

The Cat Whisperer:

Why Cats Do What They Do—and How to Get Them to Do What You Want

Cat Behaviorist and Author: Mieshelle Nagelschneider (with co-writer Cameron Powell).

Pet-owners despairing of getting their cats to behave will find new hope in this comprehensive guide from a feline behavior expert, who, over two decades, has spent an incredible 33,000-plus hours “observing cats and investigating clients’ reports.” This book more than meets Nagelschneider’s goal of guiding owners to the strategies for behavioral and environmental change needed to address issues such as urination outside the litter box and aggressiveness. One of her main points, which sounds obvious once she’s pointed it out, is that in “almost all cases in which the issue is behavioral rather than medical, in origin, the behavior that most needs to be changed is the owner’s.” Nagelschneider, founder of the Cat Behavior Clinic, divides the problems into seven categories and lays out her C.A.T. Plan (Cease the unwanted cat behavior; Attract the cat to a desirable behavior or location; Transform the territory), making her case logically and clearly. Parents may be amused at her advice to treat cats or kittens that meow at night according to Dr. Ferber’s controversial sleep training method. Agent: Michelle Brower, Wendy Sherman Associates. (Mar.)