I am currently owned by 2 cats that I adore. I collect cat books and am developing a reputation as a cat lady due to the way my boys dictate my life! This book fell into my hands a couple of weeks ago and I have been reading it on and off ever since. I expect it will be a bit before I actually finish it as I am savoring the flavor! But it is worth it in in my opinion as the book says soooo much about us cat lovers and out furry, four-legged children! It's spot on and I highly recommend it for cat lovers!
Finished the book! Had me laughing outloud! Cat lovers will enjoy every page!

This was such a cute book. I am a cat fanatic and loved the cute pictures and stories. I found myself laughing out loud at them. The pictures are full color and very nicely photographed. It would be a nice coffee table book to share with your other cat loving friends.

What a great book! It made me laugh, as I could easily identify with it and all it says! I, too, am owned currently by two great specimens: Misty and Mewsette.They truly believe they run the household. And they do! Everything is geared towards them. This book is easily understood and loved by any cat lover. It is one I will read more than once and not get tired of it. I highly recommend this book!

I didn't get to finish this title because I switched tablets after my initial download and it wouldn't come through on the new device.

I did enjoy the tongue in cheek humor. I was expecting more stories about kitty behavior and instead got the full religious treatment. Loved that spin on cat obsession. It was so true on so many levels (and it made the truth so hard to deny). I'm so glad this religion has finally been brought into the open. Now we all just need to embrace it. :)

I would love to finish it if I get the chance.

This is the bible for cat slaves. I can’t say “owners” because every feline lover knows that he/she is owned by the cat. We spend most of our free time serving the 4 paws master and hoping that we will be gratified with a bit of confirmation that we did the right thing. When we hear that purr we know that we finally found the right place in Universe.
This little book makes fun of our fanatical devotion and addiction to cats and kittens with adorable pictures included.
It should only be read by cat lovers and ignored by DICKS. In case you did not know, DICKS are people that do not recognize the superiority of cats and kittens.

As someone who is a devout cat lover (I currently have four!), I found this light, breezy, fun read a hoot! I wasn't raised Cat-holic (alas :-) ), but knew enough about the religion and rituals to appreciate what Lazarus does here! The pictures alone are enough to bring a smile to a cat lover's lips. This would make a gr8 gift for anyone obsessed with their feline overlords...or their Roman religious roots...or both!

A "purrrrrfect" book for those who are "owned" by cats. It manages to walk the line between humor and silliness very well and is beautifully illustrated.

Catskist divides the world into cat lovers (catakists) and those whose don't recognize the superiority of cats (DICKS). Proving amusing lists on signs your why your cat may be considered to be spoiled. also included Guideposts such as, "If you have money “left over” at the end of the month after paying your rent, utilities, and life insurance, you are not spending enough on your cat." strictly for cat lovers, but many amusing often trenchant comment on Catakism in general.

As the frontpage says, Catakism is a 'humorous purr-spective on humanity’s obsession with cats.

Catakism is defined as a) the deep and reverent belief in Cat as master, guru, mentor, sage, and ridiculous ball of cuteness and b) the devotional beliefs and rituals practised by Catakists. This book is chock-full of adorable cat pics and cheeky humour.

Catakism is divided into 9 chapters:
Book of Whiskers- 'As whiskers are a cat’s guide in life, the Book of Whiskers is the guide to the belief system known as Catakism.’ Amusing ‘Signs that you might be a Catakist’ section. At the end is the Catma: the ninefold path of Catakism.
Book of Knead- 'Cats knead us. We need cats.’ All about the false beliefs Catakists hold about what cats need from humans. (Answer? Absolutely nothing!)
Book of Surrender- discusses the moment of 'Cat-a-littic Conversion, when we the human convert to Catakism.
Book of Catitude- covers the attributes of catitude, and special cat skills such as the ability to teleport.
Book of Cat Posts- looks at the wide variety of kitty care, and kitty-themed, purr-aphenalia.
Book of Purrs- all about cat language, and how people talk to, for, and about cats.
Book of Hairballs- a humorous section on cat rituals, such as the harming up of the hairball, and cat-oriented rituals done by humans, like the futile calling of the cat’s name.
Book of the Mouse- looks at cats and computers, from the great internet cat park, to internet kitty stars, to apps for cats. Includes ways cat’s ’help’ humans working on computers.
Book of Litter- discusses litter boxes and 'boxes of litters’, or two definitions linked by cats.

I love the 'crazy cat people’ prayer at the beginning! There is much truth hidden in this humorous look at man’s relationship with Cat. A perfect coffetable read, or gift for the Catakists in your life.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A very entertaining read. If you love cats, this is a must read!

One would think that picking up this book is proof you are a Catakist. I can unequivocally say that this is not true. I am so not a Catakist.

Nope.

Not at all.

Well, okay, but I'm not a Crazy Cat Lady.

I mean.

Look, I don't take my cats to a Cat Show, and according to this book that makes me positively normal.

Also in my defense, I have a long list of friends to send this book to. So clearly, I am not alone in my religious beliefs.

Do you bow to the meow? Are you one of the 70 million people who devote time and income to grooming, feeding, coddling, photographing, praising, and “entertaining” Cats? Does your Facebook page have more photos of your Cat than of your siblings? Do you buy furniture for your Cat in hopes that one day, he’ll actually sit on it? If an anthropologist from outer space were to study our civilization objectively, would she not conclude that our devotion to Cat amounted to nothing less than a full-blown religion? Would she be wrong?

Catakism is mankind’s unending and near-fanatical devotion to Cat. In fact, a Catakist does not consider Cat a pet but rather a minor deity, no a MAJOR deity. In this furr-ociously funny gift book, author Jeff Lazarus tells how Catakism is a belief that recognizes felines as elevated beings worthy of mankind’s near-religious reverence and devotion. Catakists aren’t just fond of Cats – they extol them and plan their days/nights around the needs and wants of a Cat.

Filled with 40 photos of kitties perched and poised, Catakism is a whimsical, satirical celebration of the relationship between cats and humans patterned after a religious doctrine. Catakism will resonate with cat lovers from all walks of life and every litter. Each of the nine chapters reveal additional proof that humans have a deep need to revere and bow to their house cat. Devotees of Catakism will see themselves exemplified in the same system of rituals, practices and behaviors personified by other devoted orders the world over.

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OMG! This book is hilarious! As any cat owners/lovers know cats rule the roost wherever they go. In our house the cat is definitely the boss (or thinks she is!) this is a purr-fect book for any cat people out there. You will certainly recognise some of the descriptions, this truly is laugh-out-loud funny.

If you are looking for a little light-hearted read then this is the ideal choice for all the cat worshippers!

The book is only available in PDF format, presumably due to the array of pictures that litter (ha!) the pages of kitties doing wonderful things. It wouldn't be the same without the pictures as they add a lot to the book and as a consequence having it in mobi format for Kindle wouldn't be the same.

I would like to thank Jeff Lazarus/Darcie Rowan PR/Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Being a devotee to my cat - and even using my cat's name as my very own - of course I appreciated this book about cats! Written with humor and insight, as our secret obsession with our cats is exposed page after page, I laughed throughout as I saw myself and my obsession with my cat written about and now see I'm not alone! The photos are beautiful, the book is beautiful and every "Catakism" devotee needs this book for their own! I just ordered a hard copy of this book for myself! Absolutely recommend!
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy!

Great last minute gift for cat fans!

Catakism is the faith of all humans who bow to their cat rulers. All cat owners, not just crazy cat ladies, will see much that is familiar in this pun-filled book. Broken down into chapters like The Book of Knead and The Book of Cat Posts, Catakism explains why cats are cool and how we are compelled to serve them.

While not laugh-out-loud funny, there are many parts readers will be driven to share with other cat owners at home, at work and on the Internet. The puns get to be a bit much by the end but the cat photographs are funny and gorgeous. While ostensively a book worshipping cats, the author does highlight some of the silliness of cat ownership. Some examples are extensive purr-aphernia and "kitty litter cakes" (Google it!). Overall, this is a great gift for cat lovers and those living with them. 4 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I received an e-book copy of this book thanks to NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Ha this book was cute. It was a quick read but for the right (cat) person it would be a a hoot. Lots of times I said "Umm yes," "yep" and "ya that's my kitty" while reading. Definitely a fun read

I chose the book thinking it would be at least a somewhat-intellectual study of our fascination with cats in this internet era, but quickly realized it was to be filled with humor pointed inward (i.e. satirical). To its credit, it is a clever book that has a spectrum of humor ranging from groan-worthy to honestly hilarious. It's greatest strength is explaining away the irrational behavior we as pet owners (cat owners, in this instance) incorporate day-to-day, and, as the title suggests, the structure is outlined in a way that would present said behaviors as a religion of sorts. The book's presentation is very easy on the eyes, with cat pictures a-plenty, as one would hope a book called Catakism would hold.

I'm really not a cat person, but the book held my interest and for a feline owner I think it would make a suitable coffee table read, at the very least. I wouldn't expect a reader to truly learn much of anything from the book, but, unless you're me, you probably know nearly instantly whether or not you're the right audience for this one.

For starters, I am owned by a cat – to presume to be a cat “owner” you must have found an unusual breed of cat, or have one of those rare cats who believe it is a dog.

My cat, or rather the cat that owns me is named Paisley, which suits her as she is either a combination of a Maine Coon cat and whatever combination gave her the uniquely calico colouring she has. I had a cat almost identical to her, whom I found in a small pine tree when I was expecting my first child, and I had sworn that if I ever found another cat that looked like her, I would bring her home. I wasn’t looking for myself, but for my mother who was looking for a companion to keep her company after my father died. And then I saw her picture and contacted the rescue group who had her, and shortly after, she came to live with me, long enough ago that my Golden Retriever was still with us. She would curl up on Bailey’s golden belly and sleep. Now, she outweighs both my dogs together (then again, Halle weighs in at 5 lbs on a fat day.)

I wanted to check out this book because my daughter-in-law (well, one of them) is a cat lover. They have had a recent turnover in their home of cats when one of their two passed fairly quickly and unexpectedly – and quite young. Now there are two newer kitties.

So this seemed from the title alone to be a perfect gift for her, but I figured I should check it out first. It contains ten “chapters” – The Book of Whiskers, The Book of Knead, The Book of Surrender, The Book of Catitude, The Book of Cat Posts, The Book of Purrs, The Book of Hair Balls, The Book of the Mouse, and The Book of Litter. There’s “name dropping” of some of those cats who have achieve notoriety, such as Grumpy Cat, there’s product recommendations, there are web sites and so on and on and on. I’m afraid to keep the pages open too long lest Paisley discover that there is a site called Meowbify which takes a website, any website and adds cat pictures and videos to it, turning it into a cat site.

There is a lot of information in here that I am amazed by – as in “do we really need this?” – but they are more humorous than serious, it’s also a very well done book on the charms of owning, excuse me, being owned by a cat, and some beautifully done photography.

There’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek humour to this, such as the opening prayer, the definition of catakism, the Doctrine of Bow to the Meow, giving you guideline questions to make sure you are “among the faithful.”


Published 24 November 2017

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Darcie Rown PR and Skyhorse Publishing

I'm a confirmed cat lover so I was pleased to receive a complimentary copy of this book. Overall, this was a fun, enjoyable and rather quick read. There were some parts that made me chuckle and some parts that were "just okay" for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher..

I am a cat owner, a cat worshipper, and I laughed a lot reading this book. You read some phrases and think "Oh, so true".
Strongly advised to cat people with sense of humour.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Darcie Rowan PR