83 books like The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats

By Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson,

Here are 83 books that The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats fans have personally recommended if you like The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Trainable Cat: A Practical Guide to Making Life Happier for You and Your Cat

Celia Haddon Author Of A Cat's Guide to Humans: From A to Z

From my list on cat behaviour, which should be read by vets.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer and journalist who went back to study cats after my retirement. I realized I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew. I was out of date and overconfident that experience could beat knowledge. I needed knowledge as well as experience. So I took a degree and a masters. These books will help anybody who wants to improve their knowledge of cats. Rescuers, pet owners, and behaviour people: we need to stay up to date and learn more if we want to help cats lead happy lives.

Celia's book list on cat behaviour, which should be read by vets

Celia Haddon Why did Celia love this book?

Yes, cats can be trained. Training your cat is fun for you and it is fun for your cat. This is the best training manual you can ever buy and it also tells you a lot about cats. Have a go. You won’t regret it! I train my cats, even though I am a very amateur trainer, as you can see from my YouTube channel! They purr while they do it. 

By Sarah Ellis, John Bradshaw,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Trainable Cat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The idea of training rarely crosses cat owners' minds, and we often assume that cats can't and don't need to be trained. But in The Trainable Cat, bestselling anthrozoologist John Bradshaw and cat expert Sarah Ellis show that not only can cats be trained, but they absolutely must be in order to strengthen the bond between pet and owner, reduce their anxiety, and maximize their happiness. Twenty-first-century urban life can be taxing for cats who historically have been wild and solitary hunters, hostile to change and turmoil. Cats today are forced to live within the confines of cramped city apartments,…


Book cover of For the Love of Cats: The Complete Guide to Selecting, Training, and Caring for Your Rescue Cat

Belinda Alexandra Author Of The Divine Feline: A Chic Cat Lady's Guide to Woman's Best Friend

From my list on for cat lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Belinda Alexandra is the author of nine bestselling novels and a non-fiction book on the relationship between women and cats, The Divine Feline: A chic cat lady’s guide to woman’s best friend. An ardent cat-lover and rescuer, she is a patron of the World League for the Protection of Animals in Australia and lives in Sydney with her three black cats – Valentino, Versace, and Gucci.

Belinda's book list on for cat lovers

Belinda Alexandra Why did Belinda love this book?

With millions of cats around the world living on the streets or ending up being euthanized in pounds and shelters, simply because they are unwanted, the plight of the rescue cat has come to public attention. Many more people are choosing to ‘Adopt not shop’ and save lives in the process. This is a wonderful book for anyone starting out on the cat adoption journey. It covers everything you need to know about bringing a cat companion into your home and taking responsible care of it. It also includes lots of lovely rescue cat stories. I would give this as a gift to anyone considering adopting a cat and it would also make a great coffee table book for vet surgery waiting areas.

By Tom Colvin, Carol Griglione, Mick McAulife

Why should I read it?

1 author picked For the Love of Cats as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The perfect read before you bring your rescue pet home, For the Love of Cats is a witty and informative book on all things feline-related. Featuring over 250 stunning pictures of cute cats, this resource illustrates the many facets of their personality, provides tips on training, and explains the best ways to care for a rescue cat. Know how to give them the life they've always wanted as you flip through the pages of this books that's as adorable as it is enlightening!


Book cover of Trim: The Story Of A Brave, Seafaring Cat

Belinda Alexandra Author Of The Divine Feline: A Chic Cat Lady's Guide to Woman's Best Friend

From my list on for cat lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Belinda Alexandra is the author of nine bestselling novels and a non-fiction book on the relationship between women and cats, The Divine Feline: A chic cat lady’s guide to woman’s best friend. An ardent cat-lover and rescuer, she is a patron of the World League for the Protection of Animals in Australia and lives in Sydney with her three black cats – Valentino, Versace, and Gucci.

Belinda's book list on for cat lovers

Belinda Alexandra Why did Belinda love this book?

Trim was the ultimate ‘adventure cat’. Matthew Flinders was the ultimate navigator and cartographer. Together they circumnavigated the globe 1799-1804 and shared many daring and dangerous sea voyages. If you love both history and cats, I can highly recommend this book which celebrates the bond between a remarkable man and his equally remarkable feline companion.

By Matthew Flinders,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trim as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

the story of a brave, seafaring cat who, in the company of Matthew Flinders, circumnavigated the globe in the years 1799-1804. to the memory of trim, the best and most illustrious of his Race, the most affectionate of friends, faithful of servants, and best of creatures. He made a tour of the Globe, and a voyage to Australia, which he circumnavigated; and was ever the delight and pleasure of his fellow voyagers. Returning to Europe in 1803, he was shipwrecked in the Great Equinoxial Ocean; this danger escaped, he sought refuge and assistance at the Isle of France, where he…


Book cover of Honourable Cat

Belinda Alexandra Author Of The Divine Feline: A Chic Cat Lady's Guide to Woman's Best Friend

From my list on for cat lovers.

Why am I passionate about this?

Belinda Alexandra is the author of nine bestselling novels and a non-fiction book on the relationship between women and cats, The Divine Feline: A chic cat lady’s guide to woman’s best friend. An ardent cat-lover and rescuer, she is a patron of the World League for the Protection of Animals in Australia and lives in Sydney with her three black cats – Valentino, Versace, and Gucci.

Belinda's book list on for cat lovers

Belinda Alexandra Why did Belinda love this book?

This is a book of poetry that will warm any cat lover’s heart – even those that would not normally read a book of poetry. The verses are deliciously insightful and will have many cat-lovers smiling at themselves and their relationships with their cats. It’s a lovely collection of cat lore, logic, and observations.

By Paul Gallico,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Honourable Cat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A foray into cats' behaviour and habits by Paul Gallico.


Book cover of When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals

Ginjer L. Clarke Author Of Animal Allies: Creatures Working Together

From my list on nonfiction about fascinating animal behavior.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m secretly eight years old inside. I love fascinating animal and science stuff, especially cool, weird, and gross facts. Readers of my children’s books see this passion in action. My best-selling and award-winning nonfiction animal books have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide since 2000. I focus particularly on reaching reluctant, struggling, and English-language-learning readers by packing my books with lots of action and high-interest topics to keep them turning pages. I’m recommending these top-five narrative nonfiction animal books for adults because these authors have influenced my research and thinking—and because they’re terrific stories!

Ginjer's book list on nonfiction about fascinating animal behavior

Ginjer L. Clarke Why did Ginjer love this book?

Elephants are my favorite animals—for their size and beauty, innate intelligence, and matriarchal structure.

Do you love them too? If so, or even if you just want to know more about these utterly unique creatures and many more, you’ll want to read this insightful book. Jeffrey Moussaieff Mason was a forerunner in writing about socioemotional studies of animal behavior for lay readers.

This was the first nonfiction book I read years ago on this topic, and it remains the one that changed my worldview and approach to animal research, appreciation, and understanding.

By Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Susan McCarthy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked When Elephants Weep as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For more than 100 years, scientists have denied that animals experience emotions, yet this remarkable and groundbreaking book proves what animal-lovers have known to be true: wolves, tigers, giraffes, elephants and many other creatures exhibit all kinds of feelings - hope, fear, shame, love, compassion. From Ola, the irritable whale, to Toto, the chimpanzee who nursed his owner back to health, this book collects together for the first time a vast range of case histories which show the extraordinary complexity of the animal world, and the tumult of emotions that govern it.


Book cover of Enter the Animal: Cross-species Perspectives on Grief and Spirituality

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson Author Of The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional World of Farm Animals

From my list on animal emotions.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was once a psychoanalyst, but I found that it was almost impossible to understand another human being. Animals were easier: they could not be hypocritical, they could not lie, they could not deceive. Whoever heard of an animal with an unconscious anger problem? If they were angry they showed it, if they loved they showed it. After I got fired from the Freud Archives (that’s a whole other story) I decided I wanted to read ten good books about animal emotions. This was in 1981. But it turns out there were no books on this topic I could read, except Darwin, 1872! So I decided to write my own. 

Jeffrey's book list on animal emotions

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson Why did Jeffrey love this book?

Normally the word "spirituality" in a book title would have me running for the door. Dr. Pribac is so smart, so insightful, and so different in her way of approaching everything, that I was struck with wonder. Warning: A full-throated endorsement of veganism (to my delight).

Normally I do not like academic books about animals. But this book is an exception. The author is different than ordinary academics. For one thing, she really adores her subject. For another, she writes with heart. She is also whip-smart, so just about every sentence is worth reading twice or even three times. I truly believe she will revolutionize the field with her next books. Anyone interested in animals should keep an eye on for this author.  

By Teya Brooks Pribac,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Enter the Animal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Enter the Animal, Teya Brooks Pribac examines academic and popular discourse on animals' experiences of grief and spirituality, which are rooted in our intrinsic capacity and propensity for connections and relations, and highlights important ethical implications of humans' treatment of other species.Praise for Enter the Animal'This path-breaking book engages a surprising range of sources to shed extraordinary clarity on aspects of animal subjectivity that make other species every bit our equal. I could not stop reading.'- Cynthia Willett, author of Interspecies Ethics'Enter the Animal is a fascinating journey into the hearts and minds of nonhuman animals and our shared…


Book cover of Feline Stress and Health: Managing Negative Emotions to Improve Feline Health and Wellbeing

Celia Haddon Author Of A Cat's Guide to Humans: From A to Z

From my list on cat behaviour, which should be read by vets.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer and journalist who went back to study cats after my retirement. I realized I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew. I was out of date and overconfident that experience could beat knowledge. I needed knowledge as well as experience. So I took a degree and a masters. These books will help anybody who wants to improve their knowledge of cats. Rescuers, pet owners, and behaviour people: we need to stay up to date and learn more if we want to help cats lead happy lives.

Celia's book list on cat behaviour, which should be read by vets

Celia Haddon Why did Celia love this book?

Cats can be very stressed and unhappy without cat rescuers knowing it. This book will help you be a better rescuer. Cats don’t always show their emotions in a way that we can see. This is a serious book from International Cat Care, the best website for cat rescuers.  If you have a passion for rescuing cats, read it. Many cat rescuers need their knowledge updated and this is a good book.

Book cover of Practical Feline Behaviour: Understanding Cat Behaviour and Improving Welfare

Celia Haddon Author Of A Cat's Guide to Humans: From A to Z

From my list on cat behaviour, which should be read by vets.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a writer and journalist who went back to study cats after my retirement. I realized I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew. I was out of date and overconfident that experience could beat knowledge. I needed knowledge as well as experience. So I took a degree and a masters. These books will help anybody who wants to improve their knowledge of cats. Rescuers, pet owners, and behaviour people: we need to stay up to date and learn more if we want to help cats lead happy lives.

Celia's book list on cat behaviour, which should be read by vets

Celia Haddon Why did Celia love this book?

Cats often don’t get enough space in books about pet behaviour. This is the easiest-to-read scientific book about cats that you will ever need. Students, make sure it is in your university library. It cuts the information into easy chunks and yet keeps all the references that you might need to follow up. Trudi is a top cat behaviourist in the UK with a background as a veterinary nurse, so she really, really understands what makes cats tick.

By Trudi Atkinson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Practical Feline Behaviour as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Practical Feline Behaviour contains all the relevant information that a veterinary nurse or technician needs to understand and handle the behaviour and welfare of house cats, and to offer safe and practical advice to clients. There have been ground-breaking advances in our understanding of feline behaviour in recent years and, to protect the welfare of cats, it is increasingly important that anyone involved with their care, especially those in a professional capacity, keep up to date with these developments. This approachable and down-to-earth text describes the internal and external influences on feline behaviour; on communication, learning, social behaviour, the relationship…


Book cover of The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival

Amra Pajalić Author Of Sabiha's Dilemma

From my list on YA fiction that represent marginalised communities.

Why am I passionate about this?

I spent my adolescence reading young adult novels that featured characters who were nothing like me, and yearned to read about characters who shared my struggle in mediating my community’s cultural expectations as a first-generation Australia. This is the inspiration for writing own voices stories as these are the books I wished I’d been able to read. I draw on my Bosnian-Muslim cultural heritage to write own voices stories for young people, who like me, are searching to mediate their identity and take pride in their diverse culture. Own voices books are an opportunity to learn and celebrate culture and diversity, and to show young people that they are not alone in the world.

Amra's book list on YA fiction that represent marginalised communities

Amra Pajalić Why did Amra love this book?

As I am of Bosnian heritage, I always love reading books about my culture.

The name Amra is very common in Bosnia and yet is very uncommon everywhere else, so it was a particular thrill for me to read a book by another Amra. This memoir is about Amra's experiences living under siege in Bihac during the Balkan War of 1992-1995 which gives an amazing insight into the hardship and heartbreak of war.

Maci, the cat that Amra and her family adopted who arrived at their town as a refugee, was such a beautiful soul and helped give Amra hope and fight for life, when it seemed that none was to be found.

The writing was beautiful and evocative. I keep seeing Maci in my mind's eye. I also have to say that the cover was absolutely stunning, and I loved the use of the image in the novel to…

By Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Laura L. Sullivan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cat I Never Named as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

It is 1992 and Bihac, Amra's hometown, is a multicultural city with Muslims, Croats, and Serbs. But when tensions escalate, the Serbs turn on their Bosnian neighbors. The Serbs control the army, and now they have peaceful Bihac surrounded. Soon Amra and her family are dealing with starvation and the threat of brutal violence; school, friendships, and the attentions from a new boy have to take a back seat to finding food and the tragic fallout from rising bigotry and ethnic hatred. Through it all, a stray cat, Maci, serves as a guardian spirit to the entire family.


Book cover of It's Me

Chrissie Krebs Author Of Bizard the Bear Wizard

From my list on graphic reads for young reluctant readers.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I was obsessed with comics, whether it was Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, or the Far Side, I would devour every one I could get my hands on. I discovered the joy of observing two storylines – the one the writing was telling me and one that the pictures were telling me. As I became a teacher, I realized the importance of pictures and stories working together to keep students engaged. The resurgence of graphic novels has now been a focus for me in my pedagogy practices as well as my pathway as an author-illustrator. 

Chrissie's book list on graphic reads for young reluctant readers

Chrissie Krebs Why did Chrissie love this book?

Catwad is a book by the hilarious Jim Benton, the comic style of Catwad is silly and at times, outrageous which is just what you need to keep kids interested.

The comic is broken down into short and sweet chapters that are only a few pages long which is great for those that have trouble focusing for long periods of time. Benton’s character expressions are so animated and funny, kids can pick up what is going on even before they read the words.

By Jim Benton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It's Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

From New York Times best-selling author Jim Benton, meet Catwad! He's blue, he's a bit of a grouch, and his best friend is a dim-witted cat named Blurmp who can see the bright side of anything. From pizza and computers, to love and happiness, this crabby tabby has a funny take on just about everything, and he's not afraid to share it. This collection of short comic stories will make even the grumpiest of grouches crack up, and is not to be missed!


Book cover of The Trainable Cat: A Practical Guide to Making Life Happier for You and Your Cat
Book cover of For the Love of Cats: The Complete Guide to Selecting, Training, and Caring for Your Rescue Cat
Book cover of Trim: The Story Of A Brave, Seafaring Cat

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Interested in cats, emotions, and Ethology?

Cats 207 books
Emotions 167 books
Ethology 35 books