Secrets of the Cat: Its Lore, Legend, and Lives

“Smart, bright, well-written....A book about cats as good as this one is rare.”
—Smithsonian

“May be the most elegantly written, witty, perceptive statement about felines ever published.”
—Philadelphia Inquirer

In Secrets of the Cat, author Barbara Holland engagingly explores the lore, legend, and lives of humanity’s much beloved furry companion, the often inscrutable feline. An essential book for every cat lover—and for anyone wishing to understand cat lovers—Secrets of the Cat includes a new introduction by the author.

What is really going on behind thoseluminous feline eyes?

Affectionate yet aloof, intelligentand inquisitive yet dangerouslycareless, the more-or-lessdomesticated house catintrigues us as no other animal can.Now Barbara Holland offers cat loversa fascinating, funny, and refreshinglycandid look at their feline companions:their history, lore, and secrets, and theircomplicated relations with people andwith each other.

Secrets of the Cat is a livelyappreciation of cats as we know andlove them, with witty analysis and freshobservations about felines both high andlow. Here are Winston Churchill’s gingertom, who attended cabinet meetings;Teddy Roosevelt’s cat, Slippers, whocame to dinner; and even the author’sown George II, who was bitten by amouse and adopted by a blue jay. BarbaraHolland’s warm, vivid speculations oncats’ lives and times—on their social,psychic, and mythological legacy, and theirimpenetrable mysteries—will give readersa delightful cat’s-eye view of the world.

“Charming....Will soften the heart of even a certified ailurophobe.” - Publishers Weekly

“Perhaps the best aspect of the book, combined with Holland’s style, is the appropriately low-grade temperature of the cat/human philosophizing—nicely situated between Sartre and Wild Kingdom.” - Trenton NJ Times

“An absolutely wonderful and sometimes hilarious and always soulful book.” - Mademoiselle

“Smart, bright, well-written....A book about cats as good as this one is rare.” - Smithsonian

“May be the most elegantly written, witty, perceptive statement about felines ever published.” - Philadelphia Inquirer