As anyone who shares a home with a cat will know, all cats are people watchers. As we go about our daily lives, our cat is watching, and perhaps understanding, us in a way we cannot comprehend. Now, in this warm and fascinating book by an acknowledged cat expert, we can turn the tables on our cats and look at the world from their perspective.

In an irresistible blend of biology, psychology and personal experience, we get a cat's-eye view of how cats hunt (and learn that if mice ran in circles, cats would be unlikely to pounce), eavesdrop on cat conversation (ninc consonants, five vowels. two diphthongs and one triph- thong), and follow cats' alleged psi• trailing (their reported remarkable ability to find their way home, even after being transported miles away).

We uncover the secrets of catmint, penetrate the mystery of cats' iridescent eyes, learn why curiosity killed the cat, and understand how cats manipulate their environment (and us). In the pro- cess we are introduced to a fascinating group of felines: Squid, a Siamese-gone- wrong, who has mastered the art of dematerialisation; '10m, a black cat who seems to remember the future; and Sumay, the mysteriously named kitten who grows up before our eyes.

Written with humour, affection and deep imight, and illustrated with delectable photographs and drawings, A Cat is Watching will give all cat lovers a new understanding of their pets, and will persuade those less kindly disposed to feel a deeper respect for an animal they tend to despise.