Cat Tales
“If you are reading this sentence,” begins Cat Tales: A History, “you probably have a cat nearby.” Cats are the most popular pet in America—more households have dogs than cats, but cat owners are more likely to have multiple cats—and yet they continue to fascinate with their mysterious, aloof ways. Author Jerry D. Moore is an anthropologist who did not set out to be an expert on felines. “A good way to learn about a subject is to write a book about it,” he explains. And learn he has. Cat Tales is teeming with interesting, well-sourced knowledge that never feels trite or, ahem, fluffy. A chapter called “Cave Cats” delves into the fascinating Chauvet Cave in France, which includes some of the oldest prehistoric paintings in the world (around 30,000 years old) and was only discovered by cave explorers in 1994. Its most notable gallery, known as the “Alcove of the Lions,” makes it clear that ancient people gave particularly careful attention to cats. “Other animals were painted on the walls of Chauvet Cave,” Moore explains, “but the cats were carefully observed and depicted.” But Cat Tales isn’t all awe and grandeur; it’s also a lot of fun and, at times, bewildering. The chapter “Charismatic Cats” examines the mystifying reasons why people defy safety to keep big cats and exotic animals in their homes. “Seafaring Cats” examines the history of cats kept as pets at sea, sometimes to deleterious effect. New Zealand, for example, has seen irreparable damage done to its native species as a result of the feral cats that were introduced from overseas. Illustrations are limited but pack a punch, as in an X-ray of a mummified cat inside an ancient Egyptian statue at the Louvre. Cat Tales is a smart primer that’s full of interesting stories and facts that will appeal to cat lovers as well as fans of cultural history.
Street Cats & Where to Find Them
Whether I’m touring a museum or scrolling through Instagram, I’ll always stop to look at images of cats. Street Cats & Where to Find Them: The Most Feline-Friendly Cities and Attractions Around the World makes following that impulse feel less like a whimsical pleasure and more like a cultural education. This collection of photography and travel tips is playfully written by Jeff Bogle, who takes readers along to 20 different locations, from well-known feline meccas like Tokyo and Istanbul to more unexpected spots like Reykjavik, Iceland. “What everyone says about Iceland is true,” writes Bogle, before continuing with: “Hold on, no one ever talks about cats in Iceland. But they should!” A photograph of a long-haired gray cloud of a cat sitting atop a stack of woolen Icelandic blankets looks at once regal and wizened. Each location entry ends with a cute grid that includes a cat cuddle rating (Reykjavik gets two paw prints, but both Lima, Peru, and the island of Cyprus have five). The grid works like a TL;DR version of the whole chapter, breaking down the locales by language, currency and closest airport, plus Bogle’s recommendations on where to stay and eat—and of course the best spots to find street cats. There are chapters explaining what a street cat actually is (it’s surprisingly nuanced) and how to safely interact with them. A section devoted entirely to cat cafes includes the 24-hour Taipei City cat cafe circuit in Taiwan and a spot in Bristol, England, called Bag of Nails Pub. There are also mentions of cat museums, cat festivals and other cat oddities, including the annual CatCon in Pasadena, California, which Bogle says is the biggest cat-themed pop culture event in the world. Street Cats & Where to Find Them is a fun reminder that wherever you travel in the world, cats are already there—as long as you know where to look.
Dogs Are a Woman’s Best Friend
I’ve always considered myself more of a cat person than a dog person, but I know a good book when I see one. Dogs Are a Woman’s Best Friend is just that. This illustrated collection of famous women with their dogs is both fact-filled and breezy—and great for readers of all ages. Writer and editor Frances Evans has compiled a list of crowd-pleasing celebs and their four-legged friends, but it’s illustrator Alissa Levy who really elevates the book to something unique and special, which is quite a feat for drawing pictures of such frequently photographed people. Her colorful illustration of astronaut Sally Ride floating weightlessly through space with her rough collie Tsigane is particularly stunning. Elsewhere in the volume are drawings and essays devoted to dog-loving celebrities from seemingly every walk of life, from Cleopatra to Oprah. Interspersed throughout these profiles are chapters that more broadly discuss dog facts and history, such as “10 Things You Can Learn From Dogs,” which includes life advice gleaned from canines, like “Be Loyal” and “Live in the Moment.” Dogs Are a Woman’s Best Friend also contains several discoveries, like primatologist Jane Goodall’s early relationship with a dog named Rusty, which might have influenced her fascination with animal behavior. “One day,” Evans writes, Rusty “reached out his paw to ‘shake’ Jane’s hand. This simple action sparked Jane’s lifelong fascination with how animals think and their relationships with humans.” This book celebrates famous women and their pets, but also the ways dogs can shape people’s lives.
