Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Decoding Cats: Inside the Feline Mind  By  cover art

Decoding Cats: Inside the Feline Mind

By: Kristyn Vitale, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Kristyn Vitale
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $16.00

Buy for $16.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

About the Creator and Performer

Kristyn Vitale is a researcher and educator in the field of animal behavior. Her main research interests focus on cat social cognition, cat behavior, and the human-cat bond. She is specifically interested in the impact of human behavior on the social behavior of cats. After graduating from Kent State University, Dr. Vitale received a Master’s in Environmental Science from Miami University and a PhD in Animal Science from Oregon State University. She is currently an Instructor in Animal Behavior and Cognition in the Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences at Oregon State. Dr. Vitale’s research into cat behavior has been published in academic journals such as Current Biology, Animal Cognition, and the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. She is also an active public speaker, whose work has been featured in numerous popular media outlets, including National Geographic, The Washington Post, Scientific American, and The New York Times.

What listeners say about Decoding Cats: Inside the Feline Mind

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    274
  • 4 Stars
    88
  • 3 Stars
    61
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    256
  • 4 Stars
    77
  • 3 Stars
    30
  • 2 Stars
    9
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    241
  • 4 Stars
    77
  • 3 Stars
    45
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • RJ
  • 07-02-23

Exceptional!

Dr. Kristyn Vitale at Oregon State University presents a course on cat behavior and human interaction via ten lectures. The Dr. will discuss and educate on stereotypes, training, and differences between wild and domestic. Such as the Feliss lineage, African, and the significance to humans. Free roaming, feral, and domestic. The history of, and the domestication process. The Farm Fox Experiment, vocalizations, colorizations; piebald versus blending with the environment, maturity, litter, and body proportions. It’s an excellent read and well worth your time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Informative

Easy to understand. Good suggestions to increase enjoyment of your cat and interactions with it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great insight into cat behavior

Interesting info on history and study of cat behaviors and some sample training routines for listeners to try. Some reviewers might not have listened to the entire audiobook if they didn’t find the tips for adjusting their cats behavior.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • BC
  • 04-19-21

Great Info

Although I don’t currently have any cats, I didn’t have at least two over all of my life until 4 years ago. After 47 years with cats around a lot of this info rings true. Cats are wonderful animals and seemingly get a bad rap, but it seems things are changing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Interesting but lacking

I was very intrigued by the title. Understanding pets is a good thing. Apart for a few examples, the book contains insights into cat behavior. The examples used are good and interesting, but I expected more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Cat Owner for over 50 years

I have been “Owned” by my furry Feline Companions for more than 50 years. There were things that I already knew about cats, but there were quite a number of New things that I did not!! It was a very enjoyable book and performance 🐾🐾🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛👍👍💜💕❤️❣️

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Learned a lot about cats!

I have always been a cat lover since I was young, looking to learn as much as I can about them. This book taught me a lot about cats that I didnt know about and was well worth the listen to.

The narrator makes the content understandable and enjoyable. Would recommend for the cat lovers who want to learn more about their furry friends.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting but not quite what I wanted

Lots of scientific information but not enough practical information. For instance, why a cat might suddenly bite and how to avoid that, bathroom problems, how to bathe your cat, what to look for when buying a cat, should an indoor cat get the same vaccinations as an outdoor cat, etc.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting

Ive always had cats and didn't expect to learn so much information. It was very informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Decoding cats

I was surprisingly pleased with this book on Audible. I somewhat surfed the first 4-5 chapters since they were filled with more technical details than I was looking to learn at this point. Someday I may return to them so I better understand cat hearing, sight and tactile feelings. The most helpful were later chapters on training, behavior changes and social interaction. The author was well studied and informative. Unlike other ignorant authors that state that cats can’t be trained, she presents methods of training to employ. Of course, she is correct – we readily trained a rescued outdoor cat to go through a pet door in our garage and use a litter box there with treats. We also halter trained him (still working on the leash) and are working on “sit” and “high 5”. I have trained birds, dogs and horses . . . why wouldn’t a cat be trainable if a mouse is? Ms Vitale is a true cat lover, advocate and researcher. Her information can help those with a narrow view of their cat’s potential and total relationship. Would recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful