Reviews for Cat Chat: Humor For Cat Lovers

The average rating for Cat Chat: Humor For Cat Lovers based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-01-11 00:00:00 Angelique Long I actually read it! Never much had interest in reading about breeds, since I am a proponent of the average house/barn cat. Granted, I go to zoo's, and I have issues with that as well. Anyhow, I was fascinated by the various breeds, and how many have been man-made by cross breeding in these last 50 years or so. Also a wee it repulsed. I have four generic house cats. I've no idea what breed they might be from or related to. This book spoke of the delightful personalities genetically created. Yet, my girls are considered 'mutts' by cat fanciers. They are just as sweet and lovablele. I also work for an animal rescue. I know of the oodles and oodles of kittens left homeless and defenselessss in the world. They all need homes, and we work to find them forever homes. It was hard to read about all of those breeds knowing people will spend oodles to have just one, when there are so many who cost so little, but reward just the same with a lifetime of love. Anyhow, I thank Rachel Hale for this book, the amazing photos, the history of numerous breeds. But I will stick to the feral kitties that are now forever loving for the rescue they each received. It only made my commitment to the Kalamazoo Animal Rescue stronger.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-07-21 00:00:00 Calvin Animashaun When I found The Cat's Pajamas in the bargain bin at my local bookstore I was pretty sure I had found a winner. Lots and lots of pictures of cats meant my pre-reading daughter would be able to wallow in cats to her heart's delight, buying me some precious time to sleep in or read a book of my own. This theory was only half-right. I did find a winner, but there is nothing quiet about my daughter's enjoyment of this book. "Mommyo, there's a cat in a bag, can you believe your eyes?" "Mommyo, there's a cat wearing glasses! That's so silly!" "Mommyo, that cat's purple!" (No, really, apparently British Shorthairs come in purple now. Well, lilac, if you want to get technical about it.) This book is clearly a big hit with my daughter, who has fallen asleep clutching it more than once. I like many things about it too. There are several breeds in here that I've never heard of, and Hale does a good job of succinctly describing the origins of those rarer (and/or newer) breeds. My main criticism of the book is that the subtitle, "101 of the World's Cutest Cats," sets an impossibly high bar for a book that doesn't include a single tortoiseshell cat. Also, with a few exceptions such as the silver shaded Chinchilla Persian on p. 150, the chocolate Mandalay on p. 66, and the cream Devon Rex on p 52, Hale's photos are simply extremely competent images of cats being cats. Here and there Hale shows her subjects doing something unexpected and adorable, but for the most part, her images lack the artistry of Anne Geddes or the humor of William Wegman. The cover photo actually is a pretty good example of what I mean. The photo is cute, but cat-wearing-bow is hardly a surprising or original concept. That said, my daughter (who has never heard of either Geddes or Wegman) clearly doesn't care. She just loves having a photo album of her beloved kittens. (Review originally published on my blog: Caterpickles--Scientific and Linguistic Engagement with a 4 year old mind, caterpickles.com)