If you have ever petted a cat, then you know technique is everything. Stroke a cat too forcefully and your subject will shrink from your touch, too lightly and your subject will barely acknowledge your attentions. At last, Know Your Cat's Purr Points takes the guesswork out of pleasuring your pet. This lighthearted guide to the art of cat massage identifies the precise locations of the classic "purr points" and the best ways to activate them. With the aid of humorous instructions and delightful illustrations, learn such techniques as the Inter-Whisker Sidestep, Knuckle Dusters, the Flamenco Guitar, and the Full Fluff, the application of which is said to take both subject and applicant to a new level of contentment. Each technique is rated on both the "Purr Register" for visual response, and the "Purrometer" for auditory effect ranging from a moped to a dump truck, which leaves few, if any, practitioners sitting.

Although not serious, but based on a real acupuncture guide book, this illustrated guide to the ways in which cats respond to being stroked, tickled and squeezed in the right places, should bring smiles of recognition to anyone who enjoys coaxing a purr out of their cat.

Cats aren't a typical choice for animal-assisted psychotherapy, but Timmy and Marnia are anything but typical. Research has found that petting a cat can lower blood pressure and a cat's purr is thought to help heal body tissues and bones. But not just any cat can be a therapy cat, after all, such animals need to be friendly with strangers and willing to be touched, petted and held by unfamiliar people. They have to be tolerant ofloud voices and angry shouting, emotional distress, and sudden movements. It's a tall order for any animal,but a particular challenge for a cat. In Purr Therapy, psychotherapist and cat lover Dr. Kathleen McCoy shows how two very special cats rose to this challenge, how they helped wounded souls to heal and how they taught even her lessons in mindfulness, joyful living, and compassion. She also shows readers how animal-assisted psychotherapy works and gives them an intimate and moving inside look at how Timmy and Marina worked with patients, how their double role as animal companions and cotherapists changed lives, and how, after their untimely deaths, the grief shared by those who knew and loved them led to even more growth and healing. It's no surprise that there is a tidal wave of cat fanciers growing: even the internet prefers cats. No dog site has reached the proportions of the most popular cat sites—case in point: the mega-star Grumpy Cat who has over 2 ½ million followers! More than an internet trend, this very active market is exploding through cat video contests and festivals that are claiming the passions of millions who will benefit from—and love—Purr Therapy.

Cats have been popular household pets for thousands of years, and their numbers only continue to rise. Today there are three cats for every dog on the planet, and yet cats remain more mysterious, even to their most adoring owners. Unlike dogs, cats evolved as solitary hunters, and, while many have learned to live alongside humans and even feel affection for us, they still don’t quite “get us” the way dogs do, and perhaps they never will. But cats have rich emotional lives that we need to respect and understand if they are to thrive in our company. In Cat Sense, renowned anthrozoologist John Bradshaw takes us further into the mind of the domestic cat than ever before, using cutting-edge scientific research to dispel the myths and explain the true nature of our feline friends. Tracing the cat’s evolution from lone predator to domesticated companion, Bradshaw shows that although cats and humans have been living together for at least eight thousand years, cats remain independent, predatory, and wary of contact with their own kind, qualities that often clash with our modern lifestyles. Cats still have three out of four paws firmly planted in the wild, and within only a few generations can easily revert back to the independent way of life that was the exclusive preserve of their predecessors some 10,000 years ago. Cats are astonishingly flexible, and given the right environment they can adapt to a life of domesticity with their owners—but to continue do so, they will increasingly need our help. If we’re to live in harmony with our cats, Bradshaw explains, we first need to understand their inherited quirks: understanding their body language, keeping their environments—however small—sufficiently interesting, and becoming more proactive in managing both their natural hunting instincts and their relationships with other cats. A must-read for any cat lover, Cat Sense offers humane, penetrating insights about the domestic cat that challenge our most basic assumptions and promise to dramatically improve our pets’ lives—and ours.

Only Cats Purr offers simple analogies and colorful illustrations to help explain autism to any audience. It draws a correlation to the differences between cats and dogs and the differences between autistic and typical children. Autism is a neurological disorder that never presents the same way. A child affected by autism may look like a typical child making it even more difficult to recognize or understand. This is why it is important to be familiar with autism indicators especially in social situations. This book helps to bridge the divide between an autistic child being different and an autistic child being accepted for who they are. Children and adults alike will enjoy the engaging dialogue as they decide what kind of dog they are and how this relates to the "cat" or autistic child in their life. It suggests using their differences as clues and dialing into their super power of empathy to befriend and reach a child with autism. In the back is a list of the corresponding cat characteristics that draw a parallel to autistic indicators included in the book. Only Cats Purr is one step in creating more understanding and empathy in a world where autism is incredibly prevalent. This book would be a useful tool in classrooms and at home to provide a new perspective in the special needs community. Awareness creates acceptance and in acceptance we find appreciation. Being different isn't bad. It can be easy to love someone who is the same as you. It is an adventure to love someone who is different.

Did you know that cats learn to purr when they are only a few days old? Read this book to learn more about how and why cats purr.