Introduction

Whew! So much has happened since Think Like a Cat first came out over eleven years ago. Over the years I’ve received so many letters, e-mails, and phone calls from readers who now have a better understanding of why their cats do the things they do. Owners developed better skills for solving behavior problems and were able to prevent future problems. It’s amazing how easy it is to solve a behavior problem just by shifting your view and developing a think like a cat perspective.

In the last decade, there have been many advancements in veterinary medicine, behavior modification, cat-related products, and nutrition. So it was time to update and expand Think Like a Cat. This new version will get you up to speed on the latest information you need to raise a well-adjusted, happy, and healthy cat. Even if you already own the original version, you’ll find this new book is packed with many more insights, tips, and techniques.

I’ve written this book so that a new cat owner can have the tools to provide what a cat needs right away. I don’t want you to waste a minute misunderstanding what your cat is trying to communicate, or damaging the relationship by using ineffective training methods. The title of this book truly describes the way I approach training. By understanding your cat’s motivations, needs, and communication, you can so easily enjoy a close, wonderful relationship. Even if you’re not a cat novice, I’ll bet there are many ways you could improve your relationship. Perhaps you’ve been dealing with a behavior problem and have long since resigned yourself to just accepting it. This book may offer solutions that you didn’t think were possible. I want to change the way you look at your cat. I also want to change the way you look at your cat’s environment. Instead of seeing it from the vantage point of an adult human, I want you to look through your cat’s eyes. What does the world look like when you’re ten inches off the ground?

This book will enable you to solve problems by focusing on the good behavior you do want rather than the bad behavior you don’t want. Shifting your approach from negative to positive puts you in the mindset of being a successful problem-solver as opposed to a frustrated pet owner. It becomes an easy and logical progression: think about the behavior you want from your cat, and the route necessary to get him there.

My introduction to cats came as it does for many people—accidentally. Growing up in a family of dog lovers, I thought dogs were the greatest pets in the world and cats were, well, cats. I believed all the myths I’d heard about them and while I certainly found them to be beautiful, I’d just as soon have a dog.

Then, one Christmas Eve many years ago, my life became forever changed. I was spending the holidays at my parents’ home. It was bitter cold and snowy and I was doing some last-minute shopping. I passed a teenage girl standing in front of a church. On the steps beside her was a cardboard box. A handmade sign read FREE KITTENS. Surely this girl wouldn’t have kittens outside on a day like this, I thought. I peered over the top of the box, and there inside were indeed two tiny kittens. With just a towel lining the box, the kittens were huddled together, trying to stay warm.

Furious at the lack of compassion and responsibility of this teenager (and the parents who most likely sent her out to do this), I impulsively offered to take the kittens, opened my jacket, and placed them inside my sweater. They felt like two little ice cubes. I doubted they’d even live long enough for me to get them home.

In the car, I turned up the heat full blast and hurried home (quite sure that when I arrived, my parents would probably be less than thrilled at the unexpected addition to their holiday celebration). Luckily, my family’s love and compassion for any animals in need outweighed any hint of disapproval concerning what I’d impulsively done.

The quiet Christmas holiday we’d planned became a mad dash of specific responsibilities. My mother began to search for the long-lost heating pad while my father made a makeshift litter pan from a cardboard box and filled it with sand. My sister and I were busy in the kitchen, handling the job of feeding the kittens (we didn’t know it at the time, but they were six weeks old).

Once warm and with full tummies, the little kittens curled up in the winter coat I’d tossed on the floor when I’d burst into the house. We all stood around watching as they settled in. Even my parents’ two dogs quietly watched the sleeping kittens. As my mother’s Christmas cookie dough sat unbaked on the kitchen counter, and the gifts I’d bought that day sat unwrapped in the trunk of the car, two tiny, cold, malnourished, flea-infested, frightened, dirty, unhealthy kittens did something remarkable . . . they survived.

Those two kittens survived despite being taken away from their mother much too young, exposed to extremely cold temperatures, and adopted by someone who knew nothing about cats.

Having those two lives totally dependent upon me made me aware of how little I knew about cats, and that what I did know wasn’t even remotely accurate. Lucy and Ethel (not very original names, I’m embarrassed to admit) endured my well-meaning but often fumbling attempts at care with such grace, tolerance, and love.

Lucy died at the age of three from a congenital heart condition—ironically, on Christmas Day. Ethel, who had the same congenital defect, lived much longer before finally succumbing. Those two cats not only brought such love and happiness into my life, they also inspired me to embark on a career that I (and certainly my family) never could have imagined.

If you’re a longtime cat owner, there will certainly be basic information in this book that will seem old hat to you, but I urge you not to rush past subjects you may think don’t apply to your situation. While you may not need to learn how to pick out a veterinarian or how to set up a litter box, by looking at your cat’s life through his eyes and employing a think like a cat approach, you’ll solve behavior problems, prevent potential ones, and avoid owner pitfalls. Yes, even experienced owners often can’t see the feline forest for the trees.

If you’re about to become a cat owner for the first time, congratulations. You are soon to enter into a relationship in which you are unconditionally loved, endlessly forgiven for your mistakes, never judged, and constantly entertained. A cat can make the stresses of your day disappear just by curling up in your lap at night. When you’ve been working too hard, a cat will walk across your papers to let you know it’s time for a break. A cat will show his gratitude for the simplest act, such as scratching him under the chin, by serenading you with his deep, rich purr. A cat will still adore you on those days when you look your worst. A cat is a patient listener, even when you’re telling a story for the third time. A cat is the most dependable alarm clock you’ll ever have. A cat will show you how to enjoy life.

Get ready, you’re about to learn how to think like a cat.