Kurzbeschreibung
Cats are increasingly popular pets. By turns a mysterious, independent hunter and a purring lapful of fur, the cat has fascinated human beings for centuries. But what is it really like to be a cat? In Cat Sense, Akif Pirincci and Rolf Degen take us right inside the feline mind.
Did the people of ancient Egypt domesticate the cat - or did the cat domesticate humans first? Can cats see in colour? How exactly do they purr? What does their food taste like to them? What makes a kitten a timid cat or a bold one in adult life? And what about cats who make long journeys to return to their old homes? Do they have a sixth sense to help them?
The authors answer these questions and many more. Their book incorporates the findings of the very latest research into cat behaviour and the world of the feline senses.
And there's a running commentary to each chapter by Francis, the feline hero and narrator of Akif Pirincci's two best-selling crime novels, Felidae and Felidae on the Road. Francis, of course, knows better than any mere human ... but even he has to admit that there's a lot of good cat sense in what Akif Pirincci and Rolf Degen can tell us about him and his species.
Did the people of ancient Egypt domesticate the cat - or did the cat domesticate humans first? Can cats see in colour? How exactly do they purr? What does their food taste like to them? What makes a kitten a timid cat or a bold one in adult life? And what about cats who make long journeys to return to their old homes? Do they have a sixth sense to help them?
The authors answer these questions and many more. Their book incorporates the findings of the very latest research into cat behaviour and the world of the feline senses.
And there's a running commentary to each chapter by Francis, the feline hero and narrator of Akif Pirincci's two best-selling crime novels, Felidae and Felidae on the Road. Francis, of course, knows better than any mere human ... but even he has to admit that there's a lot of good cat sense in what Akif Pirincci and Rolf Degen can tell us about him and his species.
Synopsis
Taking the cat's senses in turn - sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch - the authors describe what science can tell us about the way the senses function in practice, interspersing their accounts with illuminating or entertaining cat anecdotes. There are stories of cat odysseys, taken over vast distances to find lost owners; and of the types of personality differences to be found in cats, and differences in intelligence and learning abilities. An American psychologist has suggested that blue eyes indicate shyness and brown eyes an extrovert character, just as they are meant to do in humans. Francis, the cat hero of Felidae, also makes his presence felt as he puts the cats-eye view at first hand.
