This was a very helpful guide to owning a cat. The visuals and simple explanations made it easy to understand. I had just adopted a cat when I first read this last year, so I used the some of the tips with my new cat!

I really enjoyed this book as a new cat owner. As well as information and tips, the author ties in the history of cats and what the latest scientific studies are revealing which is right up my street. Thanks to the publisher and @netgalley for the chance to read it #netgalley #netgalleyreads #howtoraiseahappycat #sophiecollins #cats #catbookstagram #catbook #catowner

Cats are fascinating creatures but we don't always understand the reasons behind certain of their behaviours. This book explains what cats like, how they sense and respond to the world around them, and also how to care for and stimulate them to ensure they lead happy and fulfilled lives.

I particularly liked the way the book was laid out so that there were sections explaining cats' senses, diet, play, feline health and stages of a cat's life. There were some really cute illustrations as well.

If cats are happy, they will generally let you know, but it is also important to be aware of the triggers for the behaviours we may not like so much and how to avoid these from presenting.

Anyone who already has a cat may well know a lot of what is in this book, but there is still much to learn.

As someone who is thinking of getting a pet cat (or cats) in the near future, I would be happy to have a copy of this book to hand for reference.

I received a digital ARC of this book via Quarto Publishing Group - Ivy Press, in return for an honest appraisal.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto for the ARC of this!

A cute, simple how-to be a good cat owner’s manual, this was easy to finish in one day. I didn’t feel like it had much I hadn’t heard before as a cat owner with anxiety and willingness to hyper focus on how to be a good owner 😂 but I could see how it would be helpful for a child/adult getting their first cat with no prior knowledge. The illustrations were adorable! I was surprised to see the way that indoor/outdoor cats were discussed - the author seemed pretty in favor, and I ended up taking off a star for that knowing how much safer an indoor life is.

Cat lovers have a new book to “purr-use” on what is surely their favorite topic: “How To Raise a Happy Cat.” In six chapters, author Sophie Collins addresses such fascinating feline facts as how the world looks, smells, sounds and feels to a cat; the kind of attention cats like, especially when and where they like to be petted and how they let you know; environmental preferences; the ways cats like to spend their time (it’s more than just napping!); and the new science behind their behavior, to name just a few of the many interesting topics. Games cats play and their favorite types of toys comprise more important details on living with cats. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Ivy Press and Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

This has to be one of my favorite books of the year. Thank you Sophie Collins for such an enjoyable read on all things cats! The amount of research that went into this made for a very accurate description on the human-cat relationship.

I look forward to keeping this on the shelves at our libraries and recommending it to all of our cat enthusiasts.

As a new cat dad, I was eager to read this book and I was not disappointed. Very readable and accessible and at times quite funny. I will defiinitely be ordering this book for my library.

This book was actually really cute and filled with some interesting facts. I did want a lot more though. really wanted to give this book a higher rating.

As a cat owner, wanting the best for my pets is a top tier requirement when taking in and implementing any changes to their routine, lifestyle and health, this book handles these subjects and more with great care and detail with well thought out tips and rather lovely illustrations.
It was informative on so many things that cat owners can face when trying to have a happy healthy Cat , I loved how easy, useful and helpful it was to use and so far it is going down well with my 4 at home.

I am a first-time cat parent, about 8 weeks into having a cat. This book was great for learning a lot about cats as a beginner. My husband has had cats his whole life and did not find as much value in this book. So just like the dog version, this is ideal for beginners.

A great resource book for cat owners and cat lovers. Lots of information about how to understand your feline better.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think both adults and older children who are current or prospective cat owners will enjoy this book. The format is attractive and appealing. And while some advice or direction is subjective, most of the information is sound and helpful. The well-done illustrations are delightful I think this would be an appreciated gift for a new cat owner.

When I first saw this book I thought it would be more of a study about cat behaviors; why cats do what the do. Instead it is a well formatted book on having a cat in your house. It had so much clear information that was also useful. I already knew some of this information but it still gave me a lot of ideas. I especially liked the chapters about creating toys and playing with my cat. For the first time owner this book would be essential. It was a excellent resource.

I wish I had access to this book when I adopted my first cat! Sophie Collins has very helpful tips for giving your cat a happy and content life - from making your house cat-friendly to recipes for home-baked cat treats you can find lot of information here. At times I would have liked more information as for example a listing of poisonous plants. All in all a great read for cat lovers with delightful illustrations throughout.

As a long time lover of cats and slave to two cats currently, this was an incredibly interesting, informative read. I absolutely knew some of what it included, but there were definitely some pieces of information I did not have. I am so glad I was able to read this!

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

This book was a lovely book. The art it in was so cute, and the tips for raising a cat were good. It was a quick read and I'm sure my cat will appreciate the tips I got from it.

My one grip is that I wish the book was actually a bit longer. For example, they mention there are multiple breeds of cats and they have different temperaments. But it doesn't give many examples and this would have been a great opportunity for more art of the cats. It's mostly surface level stuff for most chapters. I would have given this book 5 stars if it when a little deeper throughout.

cute little book!! something that i loved about this book that no page was just overwhelmed with text blocks!!

This book is a great guide with tons of useful information for cat owners or people interested in cats. Even as an experienced cat owner I learned lots of new things! I would recommend this to anyone who wants to become a better cat owner.

This book was lovely - well-researched content, the drawings really made it a pleasure to read, and I can tell the author knows cats! Would recommend to new and existing cat parents.

Some highlights:
- The first chapter that talks about the biology of cats can really help new folks learn how to live with what is essentially a ild animal :)
- The enrichment/play chapter has a ton of great ideas, including many simple DYI toys. Cats do get bored of toys & this book provided a wide variety of options.
- Major points for discussion puzzle feeders (in the food chapter), which unfortunately are not as popular as I'd wish. They are a fantastic way to slow down eating, nurture cats hunting instincts, and also see how smart cats are. It takes some patience but even the more .... "one brain cell" cats can learn!
- Throughout the book, the author encourages us to respect cats, their instinct and autonomy -- an important message, that combined with the advice to "make sure you're the world export on your own cat" can ensure that we can have an amazing relationship with our wild aliens.

The only extra bit i would have liked to see is a slightly lengthier section on "How to know something's wrong" -- some illustration of body language would have worked there.

This is a very intersting book, but I had to DNF it. The content is very detailed about cats, from it origins to it likes and dislikes. I thought that since I really like cats, but I don’t have any yet, it would be a good reading, but it wasn’t.

The book looks like a magazine, the content is very slow and to much detailed that it become repetite at some points, e.g when explaining every scientific topic and then “translating” it to the common reader. Maybe I would give another chance in the future when available in another format, because I don’t think the digital format is the perfect format to read it. Also, the ilustrations are very cute.

Anyway, thank you Netgalley and Ivy Press for the ARC.