I have three cats and of course I want to know what they are saying. The author is a phonetician which is a study of the sounds of human language. She has applied this study to cats and what their sounds mean. Whether the cat is meowing for food, pain or to say hello. Different cat sounds like chirping, moaning and chattering are only a small amount of vocalizations that cats can produce.. I really enjoyed reading this book and maybe I can find out what my cats are saying. I received this book from Net Galley and Harlequin for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

I must say I was disappointed in this book. While I do understand the author's interest in analyzing and understanding the speech of cats, the book is neither fish nor fowl. With its charming stories of her cats and her personal motivation to understand them, it is not an academic book. However it is far too technical, especially in her field of phonetics for the lay reader.

After several chapters detailing different kinds of cat vocalizations you get to two chapters that are aimed more at the general reader. These are full of her own experience. You will find nothing earth-shattering here either.


There are far better books for cat owners.

My entire family is a cat family. We have 3 cats and a dog who may as well be a cat (she’s a small chihuahua with feline tendancies, likely bc of her 3 feline “siblings”) so I love reading cat books—fiction and non-fiction. I liked this book. My cats are always talking to us and this book let us know we aren’t just crazy cat people, but that there is actually science behind what our cats might be trying to say to us. I’m not sure all of the info in the book is applicable to me and maybe too informational for all cat lovers unless they’re really looking to figure out what’s going on with their cats. 3.5 Stars, but it’s about cats, so I rounded up!

As the mom to two feisty rescue cats, this book was quite informative. It also helped me figure out what my kitties were complaining about.

I will be honest. COVER LOVE led me to request this book! I am that girl. The one with cats upon cats and cat statues and cat books and cat trees in every room.

I have read more than one book on cat communication and The Secret Language of Cats is, by far, the most detailed and scientific. Most are pretty predictable with "This means your cat is happy/mad/sad". Susanne Scholtz digs deeper and delves as far into the feline psyche as I think is humanly possible. Her approach using scientific analysis combined with her own observations gives us, what I think, is the clearest picture we can get of what our fur babies are trying to tell us.

One of my cats is part siamese and if you have ever had one, you know they LOVE to talk! I love that now I have an inkling of what she wants and I know that as i continue observing her I will learn more.

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy! ( I will be purchasing a hard copy once it releases!)

As a cat enthusiast, and someone who has studied linguistics, I loved this book. The author, who is a phonologist, goes into a detailed descriptions and analyses of all the different sounds that cats make and what they mean, and uses examples from the cats that they live with. I learned a lot about cat communication from this book and now feel like I can understand my own cats even better than before.

”(Meow meow meow meow)
(meow meow meow meow)
(meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow)
(Meow meow meow meow)
(Meow meow meow meow)
(meow meow meow meow meow meow meow meow)
(meow meow meow)
(meow meow meow)
(meow meow meow meow meow meow)”

-- The Meow Mix Theme, lyrics by Shelley Palmer, music composed by Tom McFaul (Lucas / McFaul “jingle house”)

If you’re interested in translating what your cat has been desperately trying to tell you since you brought him / her home from wherever you bought / found / obtained him / her, this may give you some answers. Most of us can tell when the message is “feed me” or (if your cat is allowed outside) “let me out,” beyond that, most of us are lost and clueless.

”Even if I think that I understand a cat sound correctly and can imitate it somewhat accurately, I can never be 100 percent sure that I have interpreted it correctly, whether I am using it in the right context and how I might interpret it or even try to translate it into a human language.“

And, because you can never be too careful, she adds:

”Cats do not have a language that works like a human language.”

”In this book, I present what I have learned from my past studies and my current research project, ‘Melody in Human-Cat Communication’ (Meowsic). I summarize the various kinds of sounds, the situations in which they occur and the existing variations. I also recount my personal experiences in dealing and communicating with cats. Additionally, the book contains a quick introduction to phonetics, so that my linguistic descriptions can be better understood.”

”The scientific investigation of cat sounds is, in itself, nothing new. Charles Darwin wrote about cat sounds. He recognized six or seven different vocalization (or sound) types and was especially interested in purring because it is produced during both inhalation and exhalation.”

She includes a range of phonetically spelled out vocalizations, their potential meanings, but also includes other, more practical, tips to “read” and be aware of our cats feelings and needs.

My cat, Paisley, is of mixed ancestry, like most shelter kitties. According to my last, and now my current vets, she is at least part Maine Coon, a longhaired calico who weighs more than both my dogs weights put together. She spent the first years of her life with me in the Bay Area and now on the East Coast where she can look out on all the birds and squirrels and chipmunks she dreams of catching, most likely. I’m pretty sure I can read her thoughts on that front. Surprisingly, she proved very adept at “discouraging” countless mice from living in our house (or anywhere else, for that matter) until one night when a bat managed to get in somehow, and she started twitching and ran from the room, terrified. It was as though she thought the mice had sprouted wings now, and it was just too, too much for her to handle.

I would love to know what Paisley thinks (to a point, though I’m sure I’d grow tired of hearing her endless complaints about Roxy, or why I won’t just let the birds come inside…her demands to be fed now,etc.), but I was surprised how in depth this book was, so when I heard that this woman, Susanne Schötz, a professor at Lund University (Sweden), working on a long-standing research program in order to prove that cats do “use vocal communication—with each other and with their human caretakers,” I wanted to see what this was all about.

I can’t say if Schötz has uncovered and phonetically transcribed and recorded every cat sound, but this study is actually quite fascinating for those who wish to really delve deep into trying to translate the various versions of meows they get from their cats.

I found this to be interesting, although there is a bit of repetition in the first half, but I also found that her experience with cats that have shown up at her door, or she’s taken in, adopted, nursed back to health, rushed to the Vet’s office to show how devoted she is to not only her cats that live with her, but all cats. Clearly she has a big heart and a lot of love for cats, which comes through loud and clear.



Pub Date: 6 Nov 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Hanover Square Press / HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (US & Canada)

What is your cat trying to tell you when she purrs, chirp, growls or any other sounds she might make? This. two-pronged approach to decoding cat language. includes the scientific analysis of the phonetics befitting a linguist, plus the practical observations of a devoted cat lover. Besides covering language, she also discusses common behavioral issues and strategies for overcoming them. Helpful for all cat lovers.

This book is a bit different from what I expected, but I liked it. I don't have a cat of my own, but intend to pay close attention when visiting all my friends who have cats and see if I can understand them!

The author breaks the kitty communication code for the millions of us who live happily with feline companions. Now, we know precisely why our cats meow or growl or hiss or trill. A compelling and instructive read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for the early read. Opinions are fully mine.

#TheSecretLanguageOfCats #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. It has given me more insight into my cats. I now can figure out why they do what they do.

Fun and informative book! I was kind of hoping there was a chapter on cats who actually say human words in context! Mine calls me "ma" or "mami"(he was a kitten in a Spanish speaking neighborhood, so I assume he's heard some Spanish!), he says "Yeah!" very enthusiastically when you ask him if he wants something , and his ever popular "HELP!!" when getting a bath- even pronounces the "P"! He's a polyglot in Cat, English, Spanish, German, and a bit of Italian and French. Ah, well, I love cats and read any book I come across on them; always seeking more insight. This is a good book for those cat lovers who are looking to connect with their cats on a deeper level.

There is lots of interesting research and facts in this book. I would recommend the book for someone in the veterinarian field. I believe this book would be viewed as too technical for many readers.

Brilliant use of language and phonetics to describe cat sounds. I have had the pleasure of living with cats for most of my adult years. I have heard MANY sounds and agree with the author on what they mean. Now, Dusty, Bernadette and Holly grace me with their voices, antics and love. This book, while intense, is a 5 star winner for all cat fanciers!

Not quite what I thought it would be, but it did contain some interesting information. Cats definitely have their own language if we'll just take the time to listen.