The nine emotional lives of cats - Jeffrey Masson

Many people believe that cats do not have an emotional life, that they are cold and indifferent. Jeffrey Masson, author of several bestselling books about animal emotions, includingWhen Elephants WeepandDogs Never Lie About Love, is convinced that, on the contrary, cats are almost pure emotion.

Masson lives by the sea in New Zealand with five cats, and in this fascinating, immensely readable book he reports on his close observations of their emotional lives. These he divides into nine categories - Narcissism, Love, Contentment, Attachment, Jealousy, Fear, Anger, Curiosity and Playfulness - and to each of which he devotes a chapter. Masson's bond with his cats is extraordinary - they accompany him every night on his evening walk along the shore - and he believes that with no other animal is it easier and more enchanting to cross the species barrier.