I was intrigued by the concept of the Object Lessons series, which I had not heard of previously. Obviously, I was quite excited to read Cat, though unsure what to expect. I absolutely loved van Laer's writing. Despite (maybe) crying and/or cursing her during the particularly sad and tragic bits, I feel like van Laer perfectly captured the cat-person relationship, and the mysterious (and marvelous) creature that is the cat. I also appreciated her meditations on pet loss and a child-free life. Cat people will enjoy this.

Cat is Van Laer's personal and academic exploration of cats, some of which can resonate with the reader.
It is not your usual book on cats - it is not a mini guide, not a history book, not a summary.
It is a meditation on cats. Though, I wish there were content warnings.

I’m not sure what I expected from this one but it wasn’t this.

A short book but littered with tales of animal cruelty, neglect and murder. Also very heavily focused on the author and various life events. I would have liked far more stories or interesting information about cats. Overall a very disappointing read.

Thanks to Bloomsbury Academic and NetGalley for the ARC.

A beautifully written book about cats by an absolute cat lover. Much of what the author was saying resonated with me, being a cat obsessive myself, and I throughly enjoyed this. My only frown was towards the end when cat cruelty was discussed. It burst my bubble. Remove it altogether, we don’t need to read about these things.

The Object Lessons books are " a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things." But within that remit, the authors have a lot of flexibility. Most of the time they are a history of engineering, popularization or development of the named object. Other times, the named object is more so a framing device for the author to spin off into oddly tangential journeys of self discovery (see Hotel). In other words, results can sometimes be mixed. Fortunately, Cat by Rebecca van Laer, balances the personal with the informational.

Through 9 chapters, van Laer frames the narrative with her own life, begining from chapter 1 with the family moving to a larger house, not for a dog and kids, but so the cats (Gus and Toby) can have better windows to enjoy. While sharing her own life story, the prominent role cats have played in it, van Laer also looks back to the domestication of cats, or perhaps the domestication of humans for the pleasure of cats. Chapters explored pop culture, the life cycle of cats, the results of research studies and many other cat related topics.

Recommended to readers of the Object Lessons Series, Cat enthusiasts or readers of contemporary life.

I've been trying to find books about cats for a while and have noticed how most of them tend to be quite sad. So when I saw this one up to be requested, I wondered if it'd fall into that sad themes category as well. And the answer is yes but also no. In the same way cats are complex, we cat lovers are as well. And that's reflected in these books.
And the thing that is important to mention early on in the review, for those who won't finish reading it, is trigger warnings. As a fan of horror, I've watched so many movies in which people are murdered in the most horrible ways one can imagine. But harm a dog or a cat and, even if it's clearly fiction, and people walk out of that movie. We see those animals as vulnerable and can't see or read about them being hurt. I'm not someone who looks at trigger warnings (but I appreciate when they're posted for others who do need to check that before reading) and yet if I hear there's a depiction of animal abuse, I'm not reading that book. So I feel I need to point out this book includes mentions of cats dying and being hurt. Not in an exploitative way, though. But it was hard to read anyway so it's worth mentioning. Reading about the grief of losing a cat when you've been through that before is not easy.
This is a short book but not one to read in one sitting, in my opinion. While reading, I often stopped to think about what I just read or to reread a particular section. It's written in a way that encourages us to think, to truly absorb the conclusions the author reaches and compare them to how we see those same things. There's a lot in this book that can start conversations with fellow animal lovers. I really enjoyed the cats vs dogs section. My friend group is divided between cat lovers and dog lovers. And while the cat lovers like dogs too (me being the exception but just because I'm afraid of dogs), the dog lovers tend to dislike cats. It's definitely worth looking at the why and the author makes good points that can explain this dynamic. We look at personality traits that can play a big part in the choice, for example. We often limit it to dog lovers being people who don't accept rejection easily or, taking things a bit further, who struggle with the concept of consent. There is a superiority complex that cat lovers have but I had never seen it pointed out the way this author did. Obviously, this doesn't apply to every single person who has a cat or a dog but it explains a very real and obvious dynamic too well. Some might feel ashamed of realising that, but I embrace it. I've always been aware of my superiority complex.
There is some information in this book about cats that I found very interesting. I was a history major for a minute and learned about how humans domesticated animals, But it was a brief mention and we focused mostly on wolves/dogs. So learning about the feline side of this process was fun. Plus all the information about the behaviour of cats, which is always fascinating. They're such a mystery but also so simple at the same time.
Since this book talks about society and its relationship with cats, not mentioning the "crazy cat lady" stereotype would have been a crime. I enjoyed how it was linked to a woman's choice to have children. Why do we see a cat as a "replacement" for a child? What does that mean? Is it normal to say your cat is your son or daughter? Even if it's as a joke. Now that more and more women (me included) decide not to have children, this is a great topic. The author focused more on her own personal choice, which is fine since this book is also marketed as a memoir. But I'd have loved for that topic to be expanded a bit more.
I adored the few photos we got of the author's cats. One of them looked so much like my cat Maddie. And I overall enjoyed the themes covered in the book.
It's mostly cat lovers who will look at the cover and title and want to read the book. But I think everyone can benefit from reading it and thinking about these themes.

Object Lessons is such a cool series concept and this book was a quick, entertaining little memoir/non-fic hybrid!

I loved how van Laer used her own story to shape her reflections on capitalism, job culture, living childfree, and the ethics of 'ownership' while giving us history and context on the cat:human relationship through domesticity. I could relate so well to van Laer as a fellow burned out, childfree human. Her writing invited me into her world and, despite the short length, I felt like I knew her and her cats so well by the end. I was really surprised at the range of emotions I felt while reading this book!

There are a few grisly descriptions of animal death and cruelty, but because I went into this expecting a non-fic, it didn't feel as gratuitous as it can when included in memoirs. It's hard to quantify, but it just hit different: van Laer celebrates cats but doesn't shy away from the unpleasant parts of pet guardianship the harmful role of cats in problems like ecosystem destruction. The good, the bad, and the ugly - I thought van Laer's approach was balanced: capturing the full picture without sensationalism.

This was a great way to spend an afternoon. When I finished my first read through, I started again. Occasionally, I re-read books, but I've never read anything again straight after finishing! This was just so unlike anything I've ever read before and a really worthwhile read! 😻

A lovely book which will enchant cat lovers and intrigue those who are yet to experience the joy of knowing a cat. The author dips in and out of personal experiences and historical reflections to create a true homage to cats. It’s a short read, but really well written and thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Cat lovers will enjoy this short book. There's a bit of history and philosophy to it and of course, stories about the author's cats. I love that she adopts adult cats instead of kittens. And I can relate to not wanting children. I much prefer my dogs and cat.

A meditation on a life with cats as one's partner or child instead of a human partner or child. This is a book for cat lovers who will understand the intensity of the love and devotion to a cat, along with the grief of losing a cat or fear of its disappearance or death. Interspersed are factual reflections on how cats came to be domesticated, their past as feral, and how their personalities have changed as they have changed from necessities in the enviornment to beloved household members.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

Welcome to Rebecca’s world of cats. She demystifies the myths of cats that lead to mistreatment and feral cat colonies. Removing the stigma that cats are mean with personal stories about her own cats. The readers navigate grief with Rebecca through pet loss and raising more cats. This cat lady is not an angry lady sitting in a bath robe, but a woman who has fallen in love with the way cats interact with the world with affection.

Think about the way we interact with animals and cats. Our relationship with pets are sometimes taken for granted. Rebecca looks at people objectively based in how they miscategorize cats. She also comments on how people tend to and take cat allergies more aggressively than dog allergies.

These little tidbits of information with personal stories was profound within these short pages. The only thing I wanted more of was more historical facts related to domesticating cats. Purrfectly delectable read here. Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury Academic for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!