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THE INTELLIGENT CAT by Grace & Angela Sayer Pond

THE INTELLIGENT CAT

By

Pub Date: Oct. 12th, 1978
Publisher: Dial

The title suggests pregnant insights into the feline mind at work; but this is really a fairly standard general cat-care guide with little that can't be found in Pond's previous books. There is some discussion of brain and nerve functions, but it amounts to nothing much more than a watered-down account of the mammalian brain and autonomic nervous system, equally apposite to the kangaroo. A brief chapter on ""Testing Your Cat's IQ"" alternates between half-hearted suggestions for ""tests"" with food or catnip toys (accompanied by sensible remarks on why the cat may or may not perform as expected) and deprecating whimsy (a cat that scores badly may be ""performing its own series of tests on you""). Otherwise, Pond and Sayer run efficiently through the usual subjects: various breeds, behavior during mating and kittening, the care of kittens and aged cats. A good enough guide; but those really interested in the animal's intelligence and behavior will have to go to Muriel Beadle's splendid The Cat (1977) or Michael Fox's Understanding Your Cat (1974).