CATS: All About Them

Besides being a fuller treatment and more generously photo-illustrated, this differs from Zim's entry (p. 639, J-115) in being more pet-oriented, less concerned with the natural history of cats in the wild. Though the book ends with a rundown on tigers, lions, and other members of the family, the Silversteins' behavior observations are based on domestic cats, and the book includes a survey of the popular breeds and advice on selecting and caring for cat pets. Breeding, pregnancy and birth, and kitten development are covered with the Silversteins' usual competence; as in their similar books on gerbils, guinea pigs, and hamsters, there is a chapter on cats in research labs; and like Zim, but in somewhat more detail, they include an interesting survey of eats in human history. Whatever the topic, the Silversteins' treatment is informed and readable, and their well-chosen specifics are unobtrusive evidence of their sure familiarity.