The Cat Whisperer

October 22, 2012
Pet-owners despairing of getting their cats to behave will find new hope in this comprehensive guide from a feline behavior expert, who, over two decades, has spent an incredible 33,000-plus hours “observing cats and investigating clients’ reports.” This book more than meets Nagelschneider’s goal of guiding owners to the strategies for behavioral and environmental change needed to address issues such as urination outside the litter box and aggressiveness. One of her main points, which sounds obvious once she’s pointed it out, is that in “almost all cases in which the issue is behavioral rather than medical, in origin, the behavior that most needs to be changed is the owner’s.” Nagelschneider, founder of the Cat Behavior Clinic, divides the problems into seven categories and lays out her C.A.T. Plan (Cease the unwanted cat behavior; Attract the cat to a desirable behavior or location; Transform the territory), making her case logically and clearly. Parents may be amused at her advice to treat cats or kittens that meow at night according to Dr. Ferber’s controversial sleep training method. Agent: Michelle Brower, Wendy Sherman Associates.

February 15, 2013
As one of the nation's leading cat behaviorists, Nagelschneider provides excellent information on feline behavior and the effects of changes in the feline environment. She wrote the book that she felt cat owners need, as well as the one she always wanted to read. Starting with the basic tenet of no punishment, no reprimand, the author then defines her C.A.T. plan: Cease the unwanted behavior (make the behavior or its location less attractive); Attract the cat to a desirable behavior, location, or time (redirecting the behavior); and Transform the territory (change specific physical properties). One of her main pieces of advice for any training or retraining of cats is to go very slowly, at the cat's preferred pace. Using the author's methods, readers learn how to successfully introduce (or reintroduce) cats, curb feline aggression, retrain cats who eliminate outside their litter boxes, reduce excessive meowing, stop destructive behaviors (like scratching furniture), and curb compulsive behaviors. Full of think like a cat advice, Nagelschneider's work will make for happier human-feline households.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)