You Can Learn Lots From Cats

British zoologist and ethologist Desmond Morris likes to watch animals, including humans.  His 1967 bestseller The Naked Ape shocked lots of people folks by its emphasis upon human animalistic behavior.  He wrote several bestselling books about felines, including Catwatching (New York: Crown Publishers, 1986) and Catlore (New York:  Crown Publishers, 1987) (several subsequent editions, too).

(Both of these titles are available at my library.

Check our Evergreen Indiana catalog.)

Morris carefully and clearly explains the entire ambit of feline behavior, and, for a human, he seems to have a pretty fair grasp on the whys and wherefores of kitty conduct.  You may browse the Catwatching table of contents (click here) for more details.  These books are a wealth of information, and, although they seem somewhat dated in terms of descriptions and language (the author was born in 1928, so he is "old school" for sure), they are excellent resources for understanding feline behavior.

One of Morris' observations is that kitties "chitter" when watching prey.  Tinkerbell (below) illustrates, and the video description cites Catlore as a bibliographical reference.

Morris briefly discusses why cats like to be stroked.  He gets all Freudian about it, likening it to a momma cat's grooming of her young with her tongue (sounds gross to people, but, hey, it's what we do).  I can tell you in much simpler terms why we like cheek-rubs, back-rubs, or general massages.  It feels good.  It is relaxing.  That's pretty much the whole story, as the photo below reveals.

Yours Truly -- "Purrrrr Purrrrr ..."

(That's the Lady With the Red Hair giving me a head scratch.)  That's pretty close to Heaven right there.  After a relaxing rub, it's back to browsing the shelves for more kitty books to talk about.

Hmmm ... Smells Like Hoosier Pride ...

More Yearbooks (Several From Mooresville High School)

Take it from me.  A good cheek-rub or head-scratch will do wonders for your disposition and will brighten anyone's day (even for Scowl-Face).  Try it and see.

Ready For My Post-Massage Iced Beverage, Please and Thanks,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Relaxation Guru News Beat

P.S.  Bet somebody out there figured I'd make a lame comment comparing Desmond Morris' surname to Morris the Cat of Nine Lives catfood TV commercial fame.  Get outta town already.  That's not even a clever pun.  Give me a little credit.  They don't even look alike.

Okay, there is a resemblance.  Kinda creepy, come to think of it.