Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Learning the Secret Language of Cats Book Review

Learning the Secret Language of Cats book


You're sitting at the computer and your cat comes up behind you and meows.  What does she want?  Or perhaps you walk into the living room to find your cat staring into space.  What's he thinking?  If you've ever wondered what your cat is trying to tell you, Learning the Secret Language of Cats: A Vet's Translation by Dr. Carol Teed can help.

Dr. Teed teaches readers how to decipher a cat's body language and verbal cues.  She also discusses important medical issues, such a Feline Leukemia, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, dental disease, and urinary tract issues.  Additionally, she talks about the risks and benefits of indoor and outdoor living for cats.

I really love that Dr. Teed uses her first-hand experiences as a veterinarian to illustrate the points she makes in her book.  She shares the lessons she's learned not only from her own cats but from her feline patients as well.  

Dr. Teed offers some very practical advice.  For instance, she discusses how important regular dental care is for cats and how dental health can affect the cat's overall medical condition.  She provides an interesting discussion about cat nutrition as well.  Unlike some cat books that read like technical manuals, this book has a conversational style, which I really appreciate.

I love that Dr. Teed is opinionated and passionate, and this is clear on every page of her book.  However, I did not agree with all of Dr. Teed's advice.  For example, though Dr. Teed warns readers of the risks of letting cats go outside, she also advocates for allowing cats go outside unsupervised.  She also mentions using shock collars and shock mats as ways to train cats not to engage in unwanted behaviors, such as hanging out on the counter.  To say that I disagree with these two practices is a serious understatement.  

Dr. Carol Teed


About the Author: Dr. Carol Teed graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College in 1990.  She spent most of her career in feline specialty practice where she became fluent in the mysterious language of cats.  While observing cats through their accelerated life cycle, she became fascinated by their ability to bring positive change to the lives of those they interact with.  She currently lives in rural Niagara, Ontario, Canada with her husband, four children, two dogs, and three cats.  She is working on her second book and always has a cat on her lap and two looking over her shoulder. 

You can connect with Dr. Teed through her website, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of Learning the Secret Language of Cats free of charge to review.  Receiving a copy of the book did not change my opinions in any way.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

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17 comments:

  1. I think everyone has their own thoughts on many of the behavioral issues regarding their pets - whether they be cats or dogs - and vets certainly have their share of advice. It's up to us to decide what's best in our household and it often will clash with "experts' opinions" !!! Good book review....

    Pam

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  2. I'd certainly love to get inside my cats' heads! I'd SO love to know what they are saying or thinking. I do agree with you though on the great outdoors and shock collar training. We live in the city, so the many dangers are very apparent. But even in a more rural area there would still be risks we're not comfortable with. We've been able to curtail our cats' curiosity of the counters by just being vigilant about not leaving things out they can't resist exploring. Recently Katie's been feeling more energetic and has started climbing way up on our fridge where we rather she wouldn't be. I just put down some aluminum foil on top of it and she's been keeping away. I've found with both cats that if I provide enough alternative climbing areas for them, they're very happy.

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  3. That is a book that I must get.

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  4. Good review. I also do not agree with using "shock" devices. I do understand using a vibrating collar to train a deaf animal when used as positive training.

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  5. Thank you bringing attention to this book. It seems very interesting and worth the read.

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  6. Those shock collars turn dogs into mush, at least the one time I made the error of using one...sigh...imagine what it would do to a kitty:(
    We have mixed feelings about the indoor/outdoor debate. Currently our kitties stay indoors.

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  7. This sounds like a very useful book! I know how hard it is for humans to understand us kitties.

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  8. I think most things about us shall remain secret!

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  9. Thank for your review. That book sounds very interesting ! Purrs

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  10. OMC So this be da book dat talks 'bout dat. Weez just can't magine a VET approvin' of those pawful fings. But guess even VETs can have and give bad, hurtful and hawmful advice. Weez fur sure know they ain't purrfect.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi and Lexi

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  11. We can't imagine putting a shock collar on a cat! There are so many ways to train cats with positive reinforcement that something like that shouldn't be necessary.

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  12. This sounds like an interesting book. We definitely don't agree with the use of shock mats and collars on any animals, though.

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  13. I didn't know it was possible to decode Cat! Thanks for sharing this. Also found it quite interesting to learn that Dr. Teed is from our neck of the woods!

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  14. I would love to know what my cat is thinking... Sounds interesting! Body language is so important when looking for signs of FLUTD. Thanks for sharing!

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  15. This sounds like a great book! I love to learn about the way cats think and how I can better understand them. It is amazing what we can learn from them when we learn how to listen.

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  16. If only I could understand my male cat. He is absolutely off the charts and I have never met a cat like him before!

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