A more technical book than you might imagine. I wish I could zone our house.

What is your cat trying to tell you when she purrs, chirp, growls or any other sounds she might make? This. two-pronged approach to decoding cat language. includes the scientific analysis of the phonetics befitting a linguist, plus the practical observations of a devoted cat lover. Besides covering language, she also discusses common behavioral issues and strategies for overcoming them. Helpful for all cat lovers.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

What makes The Secret Language of Cats stand out a little more from other books on the subject is that it takes a more scientific approach which I quite liked. While I have to admit, I did expect the book to be a bit more throwaway, I found Schötz's odd mixture of linguistics and stories relating to her love of cats palatable, as well as interesting.


With thanks to Netgalley and Harpercollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - I love cats but I’m not a phoneticist and there was absolutely no point in continuing with this book as much as the subject matter fascinates me. There was too much, it could mean this, or that, or none of them and is different for every cat so really this whole book is, “I don’t know but I’m going to tell you how I came to the conclusion of I don’t know, even though you won’t understand how I came to this conclusion”. It was just so full of contradictory messages and I get that the subject matter is difficult but then don’t spend the entire book going maybe it means this?! And luring us in with the title.

The Secret Language of Cats is an intelligent and well-researched take on cat communication. While some of the ideas contained in this book reinforced things I already knew (e.g., a cat growl is not a friendly sign!), I learned many new things and gained greater understanding of my cat who is a valued and integral member of our family.

The Secret Language of Cats is written in an approachable and easy-to-read style with the author being a fellow cat lover and frequently referencing her own cats’ behavior. Practical tips are contained herein as well, and overall, I found this an enjoyable and insightful read and one I plan to reference regularly.

Thank you to Harlequin/Hanover Square Press for the complimentary ARC. All opinions are my own.

My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com

I had high hopes that this book would provide some insight into cat communication, and perhaps some additional understanding of cat behaviour. I was disappointed that the book is focussed on the analysis of cat vocalisations - precisely what they sound like - with much less insight about what they mean. The research seems to be anecdotal based on a small number of cats that the author is familiar with, rather than based on broad studies. Overall I was disappointed and skimmed most of the book.

"Every cat develops a systems-together with their humans, as well as possibly with cats they are close to-that allows them to communicate in a unique and special way."

Well researched and on-going in-depth study into understanding how domestic cats communicate with humans. The study "Melody in Human-Cat Communications" (Meowsic) explore various sounds, situations in which they occur, variation and personal experiences with the aid of video and audio recordings.

The Secret Language of Cats was a far more complex that I imagined when I selected it. While the academic approach with thorough examples and outline of the linguistics, phonetics, and animal behavior aspects of the study are appreciated, I found it quite cumbersome to read and digest so much information. I think going online to the research study's Meowsic site would be much more helpful to hear the sounds described rather than attempting to read the sounds.

A very interesting read, especially for any cat owner, but be prepared for a more scholarly read than easy non-fiction about our beloved domestic cats.

Wow, you can really tell that Ms. Schotz is very passionate about her work in the study of cats and they way they communicate. She is a pure cat lover. I am a dog lover. Yet, when I was younger there was some cats that graced our family. A true cat lover will really appreciate this book. In fact, it would make the perfect gift for the cat lover in your life. Whereas, to be honest, because I am more of a dog lover, I did like this book but maybe not as much as I should have. So, you may ask why did I read this book. It is because I did find the premise of the book intriguing and wanted to check it out.

After reading this book, you can say that I became more educated as well as well versed in all of the different expressions of the vocabulary that cats use. Ms. Schotz explains her research in a very easy and understandable way. As I said previously, I learned a lot about cats that I never knew before. Although, as much as I did like the information in this book; I did find that it seemed to be lengthy and after a while, I found it hard to focus at times. Kind of skimming at times the book.