Experts from a range of fields provide the latest authoritative accounts of domestic cat behaviour and their interaction with humans.

The most commonly kept domestic animal in the developed world, the cat has been a part of human life for thousands of years. Cats have been both worshipped and persecuted over this long period - either loved or hated for their enigmatic self-reliance and the subject of numerous myths and fables. Highlighting startling discoveries made over the last ten years, this new edition features contributions from experts in a wide range of fields, providing authoritative accounts of the behaviour of cats and how they interact with people. Thoroughly revised and updated to include information on the basic features of cat development and social life, the history of their relations with humans, health and welfare problems, and the breeding of cats for sale and for show. It is intended for all those, whether specialist or general reader, who love or are simply intrigued by these fascinating animals.

Autorentext
Dennis C. Turner is Director of the Institute for Applied Ethology and Animal Psychology, Switzerland, a private faculty member of the University of Zurich (Vetsuisse Faculty) and Invited Professor at the Educational Research Center for Anthrozoology (ERCAZ), Azabu University, Japan. He has published extensively on domestic cats and is well known for his activities in international organizations concerning human-animal relationships, animal-assisted therapy and animal welfare. Patrick Bateson FRS is Emeritus Professor of Ethology at the University of Cambridge. He is President of the Zoological Society of London and former Vice-President of the Royal Society. He is also co-author of Play, Playfulness, Creativity and Innovation (Cambridge University Press, 2013), Plasticity, Robustness, Development and Evolution (Cambridge University Press, 2011) and Measuring Behaviour (Cambridge University Press, 3rd edition, 2007).

Zusammenfassung
Highlighting startling discoveries made over the last ten years, this new edition provides authoritative accounts of the behaviour of domestic cats and their interactions with humans. It is a definitive resource for veterinarians, breeders of cats and students of behavioural biology and psychology, as well as the non-specialist general reader.

Inhalt
List of contributors; Part I. Introduction: 1. Why the cat? Dennis C. Turner and Patrick Bateson; Part II. From Kitten to Adulthood: 2. Behavioural development in the cat Patrick Bateson; 3. Normal and problematic reproductive behaviour in the domestic cat Benjamin L. Hart and Lynette A. Hart; 4. Communication in the domestic cat: within and between species Sarah L. Brown and John W. S. Bradshaw; Part III. Social Life and Ecology: 5. Social organization and behavioural ecology of free-ranging domestic cats Dennis C. Turner; 6. Social behaviour of domestic cats in the human home Penny L. Bernstein and Erika Friedmann; Part IV. Cats and People: 7. Domestication and history of the cat James A. Serpell; 8. Cultural differences in human-cat relations Dennis C. Turner, Eva Waiblinger and Barbara Fehlbaum; 9. Human and cat personalities: building the bond from both sides Kurt Kotrschal, Jon Day, Sandra McCune and Manuela Wedl; Part V. Cat Breeding and Cat Welfare: 10. Feline welfare issues Irene Rochlitz; 11. Breed and gender behaviour differences: relation to the ancient history and origin of the domestic cat Benjamin L. Hart, Lynette A. Hart and Leslie A. Lyons; 12. Showing cats Anne Gregory, Steve Crow and Hilary Dean; 13. Individual and environmental effects on health and welfare J. L. Stella and C. A. T. Buffington; 14. Feline behavioural problems and solutions Benjamin L. Hart and Lynette A. Hart; Part VI. The Future: 15. Cat population management Elly Hiby, Harry Eckman and Ian MacFarlaine; 16. Postscript: questions and some answers Patrick Bateson and Dennis C. Turner; References; Index.