This is a really helpful book for cat owners. I learned so much more about cats and look forward to trying out some tips on my two cats!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I currently have two cats, but I have had a total of five cats in my life, and I learned a lot with this book. If you love your cats, this book is worth the read to learn the ways in which your fabulous feline friends communicate with you, and what they need from you in return. This book will be one I refer back to as my cats age.

After reading this book I plan to buy a cat tree for my cats to enjoy higher views in my home (something I never considered), and I look forward to utilizing the tips I learned on how to create a positive relationship between my cats and their carrier.

This book is great! I love the personal anecdotes about cats, as well as the pictures throughout the book. They drew me in and made me want to keep reading.

More seriously, there is a lot of helpful information about cats and their behavior. It is discussed throughout the book but then information is put in tables throughout the book, so it is very easy to reference and understand. I found this book helpful and will reference it when my cats are acting strangely.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I got the ARC of this book thanks to the publisher who allowed me to read it through NetGalley. I've read a lot of books about cats and cat care. They all have their merits, but this one, Decoding Your Cat, is the most relevant book on the subject. It is important to note though, that it is not the book for absolute beginners in cat care. There are no user-friendly pictures of what kind of dishes one has to buy and such. There are however a lot of descriptive paragraphs on to what extent you need to dedicate yourself to your pet, and why the food, litter boxes, scratching posts and other environmental enrichment are important for the well-being of your pet. It does not go into details about medical illnesses that should be taken care of by veterinarians. It does however go into detail what you can do to make your pet life more comfortable while he/she is going through any medical or age-related issues.

There are so many things one forgets but that answer for behavioral issues one can unwittingly encounter with their pet. Each chapter, covered by an educated expert on the subject, answers to one or more behavioral issues, such as why do they develop compulsive disorders, bite, scratch, vocalize, hide, jump or toilet on forbidden surfaces, attack other pets or humans, etc. Each chapter busts some myths and blunders you might have had about cats, and offers useful advice on caring for cats of any age, starting from understanding the genetic background and upbringing of each cat, and choosing a right cat personality for yourself, going to decorating your home up, introducing, training and living peacefully with one or more pets, to vet visits, health checks, and supervision of health disorders and discomforts, especially for senior and invalid cats.

This book is such a wealth of information you'll probably return to reading once in a while, even though you'll likely learn all its content by heart once you read it. For your younger family members, I would recommend to buy a picture-friendly companion book about cat care, for simplicity sake, but this one, Decoding Your Cat, is a book every mature and serious cat guardian should have.

I requested this book on Netgalley because I love cats, and I was curious to know how it's possible to "educate" cats. I know my cat's a jerk and I wanted to understand why he was the way he was. Turns out my cat almost died while I was reading the book, so he now doesn't do the bad stuff he did before anymore, but I still kept reading out of curiosity.

There are A LOT of information in the book ! I'm surprised there are so many behaviors cats can develop ! While I didn't read every chapter extremely thoroughly, I read most of the information, and it's very detailed and complete !

We get an explanation of what the behavior is, why it develops, and how to help prevent it. In addition to that we get kitty pictures, and that was of course a hit for me !

I really think it's a guide every cat owner should have, especially in hardback or paperback because every time your cat acts a little different, you can look up pretty quickly what's going on, what it is due to, etc. Since it's a professionnal book, you can also be rather certain the information found in it is valid. No vet forum to confuse you even more !

"Decoding Your Cat" is a detailed guide to caring for and understanding your pet cat. Each chapter provides a wealth of information about interpreting your cat's body language, meows, and other cues in order to give them the best care possible. Each chapter provides a very helpful summary at the end that reiterates what's the reader has learned on that particular topic. This book would be great for any cat owner or prospective cat owner and a great addition to any library.

Did I mention I have a new kitten? So I have to read books about cats now! This one came up for review on NetGalley so I thought I’d give it a go.
Decoding Your Cat is a wide-ranging book including chapters on welcoming your new cat, training them, taming ferals and living with an aging cat. Being still at the baby stage, I skimmed through some of these, but I have definitely learnt about cat behaviour, to the extent that I’ve started to explain it to others. Why does he lie on his back, expose his belly and then bite you when you stroke him there? Now I understand.
It’s written by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists - each chapter is written by a different person and, although each follows the same structure, there are some small but interesting variations of views and also some repetition (the issue of cats on kitchen counters kept springing up). Additionally, as a UK reader there were some cultural differences: declawing is illegal and keeping cats entirely indoors is uncommon and often done through necessity rather than choice.
This book is interesting, easy to read and can be returned to at different stages of your cat’s life.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc.

I admit that I am a fretful cat and dog mommy, so I was anxious to read this to find out if my cats' behaviors were "normal" or not. The authors cover a wide range of behavioral issues and how to correct them. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for advice on how to manage behaviors you find with your cat.

This is a great resource for beginner cat-owners. As someone who has had cats for most of my life, I found the information to be fairly basic and redundant. Though I will admit that their were a few sections that provided insight into some recently developed behaviors my cats are exhibiting.

Cats are so much fun! They are independent and easy to get along, easy to take care of and very entertaining! It turns out there is a whole big world of cat psychology that we do not understand. That is why many cats are given up. This book explains quite a bit how to read and understand your feline. There are many stories in it, as well as terminology explained. It is great for cats owners as well as vets, and people who work at pet stores and shelters. It is very educational!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Decoding Your Cat which I read and reviewed.
This book was very interesting and informative about cats and their behaviors. I learned a lot about cats and their behaviors and why they the things they do. I also enjoyed the cute stories about people’s pets throughout the book. I found myself thinking yeah my cat has done that.
This is a great book for cat owners and lovers to just learn more about those crazy animals we love but struggle to understand.
I am giving this book four out of five stars.

Decoding Your Cat is a reference guide to cat behavior and health written under the auspices of the ACVB. Due out 21st July from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, it's 448 pages (ebook edition), and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a lavishly illustrated and well structured book of essay chapters written by experts in behavioral science. The topics are wide ranging and include identifying and interpreting body language, non-vocal signals, and interpreting and modifying undesirable behaviors. Training is a two-way street and the contributors do a good job of explaining how we, as pet owners, can also change our own behavior and expectations to help our feline companions succeed.

Terminology and concepts are well defined in text sidebars as they appear in the chapters. Illustrative photographs also show postures and behaviors along with definitions and explanations. The concepts are factual and science based. The early eARC of the book which I received for review purposes did not contain the table of contents or index, but these will obviously be included in the release copy.

This would make a superlative reference for pet owners as well as in a more professional setting (for veterinarians, students of animal behavior and similar professions). Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A great book, highly informative and interesting. Being the owner of two cats it helped to improve my knowledge of their behavior and how to be a better cat owner.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Too many anecdotes here for me really. Quite a bit of the information included is just common sense vs technical details. I feel like I didn't learn anything by reading this.

I read this book thinking I might add another cat to our 1 cat household. After I read about how to introduce one cat to another, I concluded my cat wants to be solo cat. I saved us all a lot of grief by commixing to terms with this.

This book is great for cat owners, particularly those who are new to feline friends.

Having adopted a cat from the pound, this book was extremely helpful to me in understand different aspects of my fur-babies personality and why she exhibits some of the behaviours she does.

It also assisted me in understanding what I can do to be the best pet-parent I can be.

The book is written in an easy to access manner, without needless jargon that makes you feel like you need a veterinary interpreter to tell you exactly what the book means.

It is also comforting when a book like this is released and is contemporary, when I first adopted my cat I visited the library for books on cat behaviours. Majority of the books were published in the late 90's and felt stagnant and outdated.

As a first time cat owner, this book answered SO many questions. This book was so informative and helped a lot with understanding why my cat acts the way she does.

The book is an easy read with practical tips that are easy to apply. I’ll definitely be referring to over time as I slowly morph into a cat lady.

Thanks NetGalley & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An informative book to have on hand for reference. Growing up, we had cats and kittens all the time and I've had a cat most of my adult life. Therefore, I thought I knew a lot about their behavior. And while some of this material seemed obvious, there were all kinds of "aha" moments and information I had never heard or observed. It's presented clearly and written for anyone who has, or wants to get, a cat. It's also altered my behavior. Now when my indoor cat starts howling and eyeing the curtain rods from his perch in the evening, instead of putting him in another part of the house, I get off my lazy butt and play with him. He's then asleep in no time!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I love cats and could oh so relate to the stories in this book. I thought it was pretty concise and would make a terrific book for someone thinking of getting a cat, or having a new cat. It would make a great gift for someone who has gotten a kitten!

Really.learnt alot about my catbehaviour from this book.

It's informative and a must have book for any cat owner or vet.

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC