What is Your Cat Thinking? Latest Book from Celebrated Animal Behaviour Expert Gets Inside the Feline Mind

Professor Daniel Mills’ new book invites the reader to take a look at the world through the eyes of a cat.

‘Being Your Cat: What’s Really Going On In Your Feline’s Mind’ sees Daniel partner with Celia Haddon, former Daily Telegraph pet columnist, author, international anthologist and University of Lincoln, UK alumnus.

In addition to selling well over 1 million copies of her own books, Celia is estimated to have answered over 100,000 agony aunt questions about pets over her career at the Daily Telegraph. She completed a Masters degree in Clinical Animal Behaviour at the University of Lincoln in 2018.

The book is designed to appeal to cat lovers and owners alike by encouraging the reader to inhabit the mind of a feline. The anatomical differences that affect the ‘Cat’s Eye View’ are first explained before walking through a range of other frequently overlooked factors that significantly shape a cat’s reality.

Through learning how your feline’s ancestors became pets to how their senses operate very differently to a human’s, readers can gain insight into everything from what toys their cats may enjoy to where to position their food bowls.

The thoroughly comprehensive book also offers informed responses to phenomena including why cats can appear fascinated by television screens and whether they experience emotions in a similar way to humans.

Professor Daniel Mills said: “It is important that scientists communicate their work and its practical implications to the general public. We see so many cases in our behaviour clinic, where the relationship can be improved by a better understanding of the pet’s perspective. A cat thinks like a cat and not a human and we hope this book will increase owners’ awareness of what this looks, sounds, feels and smells like. It was also a great opportunity for me personally to work with such an accomplished writer as Celia. We made a great team”. 

World renowned Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine at the University of Lincoln has led the development of what has become known as the “Psychobiological approach” to clinical animal behaviour at Lincoln. This approach integrates contemporary behavioural biology and psychology with neuroscience. Together, the authors combine their vast expertise to demonstrate how a human can begin to empathise with their cat.

Celia Haddon commented: “Like most cat lovers, I have always suspected that cats live in a mysterious world of their own. Studying at Lincoln gave me the evidence and insight to explore that feline world further. With Professor Daniel Mills, who taught me at Lincoln, together we combined good science from Lincoln and other universities together with simple human imagination, to help other cat lovers experience what it is like to be a cat.”

The research cites previous research as flawed due to them assessing cats as though they were humans and giving skewed results on investigations into intelligence.

The book seeks to improve cat wellbeing. Good intentioned human compassion can then be suitably directed to best benefit the feline; when equipped with better knowledge, cat owners can implement intelligent changes to help a cat’s domesticated existence to be as happy as possible.

‘Being Your Cat: What’s Really Going On In Your Feline’s Mind’ by Celia Haddon and Professor Daniel Mills FRCVS can be purchased here.