Journal Entry 1 by -Steppenwolf- from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada on Saturday, January 07, 2006

I got this cute little book to do my first bookring since there are so many cat lovers on Bookcrossing :)

If anyone has questions please reply to my PaperbackPal username instead of this one, thanks

Please keep the book for 1 month or less. If you have the book much longer than 1 month I will send a friendly reminder but I do understand that life interferes with postal trips and finances :) I promise I won't bite your head off if your a few days late :)
When you have finished your turn with the book please PM the person who is next on the list to get their address so that that person can opt out if they want to. Some people may have already read the book or have too large a TBR pile when it's their turn so they decide to pass on their turn. If you have already PMed them and you have lost their address you may get it from me as I'll have the address's as a back up. This would save you having to PM them twice. The book will be mailed to the first person January 13/06.

The participants in order of mailing are:

starting out from PaperbackPal (host) -Vancouver, British Columbia Canada
summerbreeze -Surrey, British Columbia Canada (can ship anywhere)
peace-filled -Sechelt, British Columbia Canada
BigKat -Bremerton, Washington USA
Staxman -Seattle, Washington USA
Erishkigal -Salt Lake City, Utah USA (can ship anywhere)
MandalaGal -Placitas, New Mexico USA
glory-to-glory -Crystal Springs, Mississippi USA
mysteryfan03 -Moberly, Missouri USA (can ship anywhere)
MRJIGGS -Manchester, Missouri USA (can ship anywhere)
froogie -Newark, Ohio USA (will receive a pretty bookstring as a gift for the extra expense of mailing overseas)
ScottishHoosier -Westhill, Scotland United Kingdom (can ship within Europe)
Elsita -Almada, Almada Portugal (can ship within Europe)
deadendmind -Pendeli, Attica Greece (to be kept or wild released)

Hope you enjoy the book :)

From Publishers Weekly
Prevailing wisdom holds that cats are aloof, smug, quintessentially distant-especially when compared to dogs-but Masson, in his latest exploration of feelings in the animal world, argues otherwise: "cats," he says, "are almost pure emotion." He establishes nine basics (narcissism, love, contentment, attachment, jealousy, fear, anger, curiosity and playfulness) and, in nine casual and sometimes digressive chapters, suggests when and why cats feel each of them and how we humans might better understand our pets as a result. In the tradition of his bestselling Dogs Never Lie About Love, Masson's exploration is a warm fuzzy to the feline world: in observing the antics of his five cats (Miki, Moko, Yossie, Megalamandira and Minnalouche), Masson's tone never fails to convey his wonder for "these perfect beings who briefly and softly grace my life." He draws desultorily on history, scientific research and correspondence with cat experts and owners, but most of his book is dedicated to a highly subjective study of his beloved five, who live with him in a New Zealand paradise. Though Masson strains to establish evidence for cats' sophisticated emotional landscape (and in doing so exposes himself to accusations of anthropomorphism), cats are still mysterious creatures, and even a former psychoanalyst such as he must occasionally admit (though with a certain kind of glee) that he cannot entirely figure them out. One thing's for sure: because cats, unlike humans and dogs, have never been pack animals, much of what comes naturally to us-guilt, apology, even rage-is absent in cats. In the end, this appealing book seems as much a portrait of Masson as it is of his enchanting cats.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. 

Journal Entry 2 by bc-del-20080226 on Monday, January 16, 2006

Finally I got to a computer to register this book. Paperbackpal, it was great to meet you in person and learn about a whole new culter in Vancouver. I am going to take my husband to the coffee shop some day so he can experience it too. Anyway, I am looking forward to reading this book, and compare it to my two cats and see how close it is to them :) 

Journal Entry 3 by bc-del-20080226 on Thursday, February 02, 2006

You know sometimes a cat is just a cat. I found the author tended to ramble and lead off on a different topic then the chapter he started with. Also, it felt like he would be writing something profound, lost his train of thought and began writing about wild cats and compare his cats to them to explain their behavior. WHich is why I say, sometimes a cat is just a cat.

I have had many cats in my life, 9 to be exact...and just when I think I have something about a cat down pack, one of them will baffle me and change the standards. Currently I have two cats, and they do not behave at all like the rest of the cats that I had. I felt sad at the end of the book when the author doesn't have the same relationship with his cats. I know what he is talking about with the youthful cat that lives with other people. I have a youthful cat that would love to be with kids...but he had a chance once in his life, and he chose me. Only because I battled with him, wrestled with him, fed him, and cuddled him. I may be too busy now, don't wrestle at times, but I am his home. He is not wild nor did he come from a wild ancestory and he is not isolated either.

So that is where I disagree with the author. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to a first time cat owner either. But overall, it was still an interesting read.

Now to get in touch with the temporary new owner :) 

Journal Entry 4 by peace-filled from Sechelt, British Columbia Canada on Wednesday, February 15, 2006

This book just arrived today and I look forward to reading it. 

Journal Entry 5 by peace-filled from Sechelt, British Columbia Canada on Tuesday, February 28, 2006

I really enjoyed this little book. It is great for cat lovers. We only have 1 cat now - Mischief, a 13yr old diabetic cat. I have found that each cat has his own personality. We got our 2 kittens from the SPCA. Mischief is grey tabby and Mr Tibbs was an orange tabby with a little white. Mr Tibbs (or tibbies, as I usally called him)was my favorite. Up until then I had only had orange cats. Tibbies used to follow me around and spend time on the bed and slober with enjoyment and snore! Unfortunately, he got cancer of the bowel and had to be put down 2&1/2 yrs ago. These 2 were strangers to each other when we got them, but instantly became friends; Mischief adopted hubby and Tibbs was attached to me. 

Journal Entry 6 by peace-filled from Sechelt, British Columbia Canada on Wednesday, March 01, 2006

I'm now sending the book on to BigKat. I hope she enjoys it. Wow, this book is travelling around the world in the book ring. 

Journal Entry 7 by BigKat from Bremerton, Washington USA on Friday, March 03, 2006

Arrived safely today 3/3/2006 along with a charming postcard which will serve wonderfully as a bookmark. Great timing as I'd just finished the book I was reading and hadn't started anything else. With luck it will be on it's way to the next stop early next week. 

Journal Entry 8 by BigKat from Bremerton, Washington USA on Saturday, March 04, 2006

I finished this one this morning. I must admit I was rather disappointed in the book. My biggest problem with it is a personal quibble. I'm trained as an academic and Masson's constant switching between a pseudo-academic style and first person journal entry type writing grated on me. One style or the other but not both, please. The other area in which I was disappointed was in the depths of his knowledge. I felt like I know as much about the emotional lives of cats as he does and more in many cases. I grew up in the country on a small farm. There was nearly always a cat colony in the barn. Due to a high rate of attrition (coyotes, owls, hawks, cars, trains, poison, etc.) we didn't spay or neuter our cats. The behavior I observed between mother cats was that there was usually one or two that were good mothers and several others that were just mothers in the sense that they gave birth and provided milk. The good mothers would raise all the kittens and the reproductive mothers would drop by when they got uncomfortable and nurse kittens but otherwise went on their merry way. I never saw it as a shared arrangement where all the females contributed but as some cats just being more responsible than others.

Much of what Masson had to say was interesting, some of it provided a new perspective but other times his ideas utterly failed to address behaviors I see in my own cats. I've always filled the role of the dominant cat in the house. For example, when I want to sit in a space, Katzenjammer (the top feline)and Meowzart will move for me. I believe this is out of deference just as Meowzart defers to Katzenjammer when Jammers wants a particular seat. Still, I enjoyed Masson's speculations about how much of their wild roots still influence their domestic behaviors.

Book goes in the mail to Staxman Tuesday 3/7/2006 

Journal Entry 9 by Staxman from Seattle, Washington USA on Friday, March 10, 2006

Just got this in the mail, and I'm looking forward to reading it. 

Journal Entry 10 by Staxman from Seattle, Washington USA on Sunday, April 02, 2006

I liked this but didn't love it. The switch in writing styles didn't bother me the way it did BigKat. I enjoyed reading the book but thought it was all a bit inconclusive--Masson's speculations sound reasonable, but I don't know how you'd prove or disprove them. How can you tell what's really going in a cat's mind?

Of course, getting a handle on humans isn't a slam-dunk either, and the fact that they can speak may or may not give you better data. Sometimes speak = dissemble. But that's another discussion.

Mailed to Erishkigal April 3, 2006. 

Journal Entry 11 by Erishkigal from Salt Lake City, Utah USA on Saturday, April 08, 2006

came in today's mail- My first reaction on pulling it out off the envelope was to the cover-- such adorable kittens! But aren't they all. Looking forward to the read. 

Journal Entry 12 by Erishkigal from Salt Lake City, Utah USA on Saturday, April 29, 2006

I quite enjoyed this book, tho I took it as one man's experiences with his group of cats rather than as a definative explanation of cat behavior. Which may be all any of us really can do Like others before in the ring, over the years I've had may cats....and many varied personalities and behaviors. Sometimes i'd be reading along smiling at behaviors I'd often seen, or something that brought up memories of a long-ago friend....I don't think I found any behaviors surprising-- I did envy him walking with his cats. I often have, when living in the country; perhaps it's something more cats would do, given the opportunity. Now, alas, i'm city-dwelling and my cats are indoor cats.

I've been trying for the past week to get to the PO and send this on it's way to Mandalagal-- I will get there, and send it it off this week, "come hell or high water"

Thanks, booksjunky/ParebackPal for sharing this sweet book! 

Journal Entry 13 by glory-to-glory from Crystal Springs, Mississippi USA on Saturday, July 08, 2006

Received last week - thank you.

Plan to read and get back out within a week. 

Journal Entry 14 by glory-to-glory from Crystal Springs, Mississippi USA on Saturday, July 15, 2006

I am passing this book onto MRJIGGS.

Mysteryfan03 was actually next on the list but she had already gotten a copy from another source.

I actually didn't read the book.

I am caring for my mother with cancer right now and can't seem to settle into a good book except those to do with my faith. 

Journal Entry 15 by MRJIGGS from St. Louis, Missouri USA on Monday, July 31, 2006

I've had the book for several days. It may have been a mistake to start reading it BEFORE 'catching' it ;D

Thanks for including me in the ring. I absolutely adore cats. There is a sweet 14-year-old cat that needs a home right now, and hubby says I can't get another (we have three at the moment). Sigh. I've asked the owners to keep me updated, but I haven't heard back.

Our current cats are Windstar, Samsel aka Sammy, and Mr. Jiggs. Two females and one male - and the girls have to run away from Mr. Jiggs, who JUST wants to PLAY! LOL 

Journal Entry 16 by MRJIGGS at on Thursday, August 17, 2006

RELEASE NOTES:

I enjoyed this book immensely. Thanks for sharing, PaperBackPal!!!
It's ready to go to the next BCer in line... 

Journal Entry 17 by MRJIGGS at Controlled Releases in -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, swap etc, Missouri USA on Saturday, June 02, 2007

Released 4 yrs ago (6/2/2007 UTC) at Controlled Releases in -- Mail or by hand-rings, RABCK, meetings, swap etc, Missouri USA

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

set as controlled release; Freecycle
I couldn't get any response from the next person, so I released the book into the "wild" through Freecycle!