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  Can cats really be outwitted?
Jessie is... skeptical.
Outwitting Cats : Tips, Tricks and Techniques for Persuading the Felines in Your Life That What YOU Want Is Also What THEY Want by Wendy Christensen
The Lyons Press, paperback, 320 pages, ISBN 1592282407
Skeptics claim it's impossible to understand - much less train -- cats. Happily, TheCatSite's behavior columnist ("Herding Cats... at Home") Wendy Christensen knows they're wrong. Cats are intelligent, adaptable, independent, and often stubborn. But they're also extremely self-interested and opportunistic: always alert for a good deal. Outwitting a cat means persuading him that what you want is also what he wants.
"Never before has so much feline wisdom appeared in one place. Outwitting Cats is to most cat books what War and Peace is to Dick and Jane. Bastet herself might have written it. As the owner of four formerly destructive cats (three quite bad, one not so bad) I greeted Outwitting Cats with a certain skepticism but nevertheless put Christensen's advice to the test. The results were amazing. In very little time my four demons became sweet tempered pussies, my marriage was saved, and when I enter a room people no longer sniff the air and ask how many cats I have. All of us are living happily ever after, and we have Wendy Christensen to thank for this."
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Tribe of Tiger: Cats and Their Culture and The Hidden Life of Dogs;
Whatever your cat problem - fighting, finickiness, litter box avoidance, clinginess, counter-cruising, wall spraying, plant-chomping, sofa-scratching, or even a neighbor's cat digging up your garden or stalking chickadees at your feeders - you'll find answers here. Wendy Christensen tells you what works - and what doesn't. What to do right away - and what never to do. And she'll help you head off future problems by revealing how cats view their world, and ours.
"This book is the answer to the prayers of every cat owner--and every cat. But it's also fascinating reading even if you are unfortunate enough to lack a cat in your life at the moment. Wendy Christensen understands housecats like no other human I know. As a result, her brilliant Outwitting Cats is wise and funny, its advice comprehensive, humane, and marvelously effective."
Sy Montgomery, author of Spell of the Tiger; Search for the Golden Moon Bear; Journey of the Pink Dolphins; and Walking with the Great Apes
WENDY CHRISTENSEN, an award-winning writer and illustrator, has written extensively for Cat Fancy, Cats USA, Catnip, and many others. Her books include The Humane Society of the United States Complete Guide to Cat Care. Her illustrations appear in Daddy Day, Daughter Day, a children's book by TV's Larry King, and Why Cats Do That: A Collection of Curious Kitty Quirks. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, over 10,000 books, and nine cats.
"Christensen takes us into the mind and spirit of the cat as few writers can, leading us deep into the cat's world, helping us know our cat's thoughts and know his "inner wildcat." With a sure hand she lets us see ourselves through our cat's eyes, too, and teaches us how to charm him into the behavior we'd like. A delightful read, filled with all the facts you'll ever need to be a good cat "parent." A must for every cat lover."
Shirley Rousseau Murphy, author of The Catswold Portal and the best-selling Joe Grey cat mystery series
"No need for a cat at my house -- I do all the napping, laying around, and turning up my nose at perfectly good dinners. However, this book is a pretty good guide to outwitting me."
P.J. O'Rourke, best-selling commentator, columnist (The Atlantic, Rolling Stone), humorist and author of Peace Kills, Give War a Chance, Eat the Rich, All the Trouble in the World and Holidays in Hell
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