Research in Human-Animal Interaction
Mery, F. (1978)
New York, Grosset & Dunlap.
The cat is one of the most familiar and appealing yet enigmatic and mysterious of all animals. Loved, even, venerated, but very often feared, that cat has an engrossing history. This volume, one of the most comprehensive studies ever written, examines the role of the cat in civilization, culture and the arts from the origins of mankind to the present day. The derivation of the domestic cat is investigated first through wild cats, and the relation of these feral creatures to the tame cats of the ancient world. All the aspects of felines behaviour are discussed in this perspective analysis. The scientific guise of the cat - anatomy, physiology- are thoroughly covered as is the cat in the annals of medicine. te various breeds of cats - the exotic Siamese, Khmer and Burmese, the many and multi-coloured variaties of the regal Persian, the short-hairsm the blues, the tailless Manx, the affectionate Abyssinian, the rair hairless and Rex-coated cats- are all here with detailed descriptions of their separate characteristics and qualities. As a figure of magic, the cat has been prominent througout history; in Egypt it was ennobled as the cat-headed goddess Bastet; in the East, the souls of dead cats were enshrined by the Japanese; in Europe the cat became the emblem of black magic, the familiar witches. The cat has always been an inspiration.