AGE OF CATS

Sub-titled 'From the Savannah to Your Sofa, the Secret Life and Evolutionary History of the Cat', this engaging and often funny guide explains the science clearly and with nuance. Losos is entertaining and anecdotal, learned and chatty as he surveys the evolutionary history, behavioural habits and potential future with a lovely cast list of felines both wild and domestic, large and small. The history of the cat family is brought right up to date with the emergence of new breeds and hybrids as we learn all about the domesticated house cat, the African wild cat from which it descended and still lurks within Fluffy. Why don't lions meow? Why does your cat leave a dead mouse at your feet? Why is a pet ocelot a bad idea? Losos unravels the secrets of the cat using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you'll be amazed where they roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat, really?) to forensic archaeology. He tells us the story of the cat's domestication (if you can call it that) and gives us a cat's-eye view of the world today. Along the way we also meet their wild cousins, whose behaviours are eerily similar to even the sweetest of our puddy tats at home. Finally he looks at the special bond between Felis catus and Homo sapiens. 390pp, illus.