Stephen Budiansky has taken all the latest scientific and psychological research done on cats to date and simmered it down into this compact little volume for the lay reader. It explores everything from the origin of the purr to the origin of the black-cat mythos, from why cats meow to why they can be stand-offish or even bite the hand that feeds them. I now understand why my cats will head-butt me to offer affection (there are scent-marking organs in the forehead--who knew?), as well as why and how each of my cats ended up with their very different temperaments. From biology to sociology, mythology to psychology, this slim book covers it all.While Budiansky's work is always informative and very complete, it's only occasionally entertaining which, I suspect, is more a result of my expectations as a reader on this subject than any of the author's fault. Would I recommend it? Most certainly, especially to those of you who are cat owners.