Read this first
If a cat is new to you, begin here. This section covers what is worth knowing before one walks through your door: how cats came to live alongside people, how they talk and how to listen, which cat to choose and what to look for, what in a home is dangerous to them, and which things — the litter box, the scratching post, the carrier — to buy before they are needed.
- The History of Cats Cats were domesticated in the Valley of the Nile around 4000 BC. The first written account of it comes from Herodotus in the fifth century BC.
- How to understand a cat Cats are wrongly thought aloof — they simply do not care what you want from them. On the bond that forms between a person and a cat.
- How cats communicate Cats speak with posture, movement, voice and smell. The language is universal: a cat from Greece understands a cat from Canada, and none of them has an accent.
- How to handle a cat Respect is the basis of good relations with a cat: when to fondle it, when to leave it alone, and how to touch and pick it up properly.
- The five senses of a cat A cat's sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch: its eyesight is six times keener than a human's, and it is built for hunting in the half-dark.
- Which cat to choose Tom or queen, long-haired or short-haired, kitten or adult: the obvious things to weigh up, and why neutering narrows the difference between the sexes.
- How to choose a kitten or an adult cat What to look for when choosing a kitten: why the first three or four months with its mother matter, and how to tell it is used to household life.
- Dangers Curiosity really does kill the cat: the hazards an ordinary home hides, and the precautions that make it safe for your friend.
- Toxic Plants and Your Cat A list of house and garden plants poisonous to cats, with lilies singled out as especially dangerous. Keep these out of a home with a cat.
- Non-Toxic Plants and Your Cat A list of plants not reported to harm animals, so they can safely share a home with a cat. The companion list to the poisonous plants.
- Carriers for cats A carrier is one of the best safety measures for a cat travelling by car, plane, bus, taxi or train. How to choose a container that suits yours.
- Scratching posts The cat picks its own scratching post. What kinds there are, what they are covered with, and how to get a cat to use one.
- The litter box The litter box and its filler decide whether you will be hunting for wet patches. What size the box should be and what to put in it.
- Toilet training your cat Toilet training a cat instead of a litter box: why it appeals in a city flat, and the steps that get the cat to accept it.