The Lion in the Living Room

July 25, 2016
Debut author Tucker, a writer for Smithsonian and a cat lover, avoids cute cat tales while using the science and history of Felis catus to explore cats’ relationship to people. Beginning with a visit to the La Brea Tar Pits, Tucker gives a clear and comprehensible tour of the evolution of the cat. The earliest tamed cats, less domestic recruits than opportunistic invaders, may have just been the boldest of their breed, taking advantage of the food around human encampments. They were not friendly as much as fearless in approaching humans, a trait passed down to their descendants. Tucker neatly moves to the next question: Why did people keep cats around? Environmentally, cats are a disaster. A multitude of places around the world struggle with the chaos cats have caused by overbreeding and killing native creatures. Yet cats remain beloved, possibly because of how much they resemble human young—“fictive kin” in the terms of evolutionary psychologists. How do people react to their fictive kin? Tucker’s informative interviews with werewolf cat breeders, cat lobbyists, and Internet star Little Bub’s owner round out a thoughtful look at the illogical human love of felines.

The intriguing history of how house cats found their way onto our hearths and into our hearts.In her debut, Smithsonian correspondent Tucker takes readers back into prehistory to examine the qualities of such killer cats as saber-tooth tigers and their ilk. Today, big cats are rapidly vanishing, but domesticated cats are thriving. By some estimates, in the United States alone, the tally of pet cats is approaching 100 million. Tucker, a devoted cat lover and owner, brings dozens of points of view about cats through her interviews with archaeologists, veterinarians, biologists, animal ecologists, and research scientists; her time spent observing cat fanciers at pet shows; and her encounters with wildlife refuge managers, animal rights activists, and cat breeders. Cat lovers may be dismayed to learn some of the negatives the author reveals--e.g., the link between cats and serious mental and physical conditions, the threat they pose to birds and other endangered animal populations--and cat owners may be alarmed to read of the vicious behavior of some ordinary house cats. Tucker relates one incident in which cat owners barricaded themselves inside their bedroom and called 911 to be rescued from their fierce little pet. The author also reports the work of hybrid breeders, who are producing some very strange-looking animals. Illustrations would have enhanced this lively and informative book, but readers curious to know what the rare Lykoi, also known as the werewolf cat, looks like can find ample photographs online. As many readers already know, cat videos have taken over the internet, and Tucker explores this phenomenon, visiting such current stars as Lil Bub. Read this entertaining book and you will be convinced that house cats are "the most transformative invaders the world has ever seen"--except for humans, of course. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from August 1, 2016

Enormously successful from an evolutionary perspective, cats occupy a unique niche in human society and in the popular imagination. Six hundred million cats thrive in our homes, on city streets, and even in the wild. Cats have served as cultural icons and objects of fascination and adoration. Tucker, a contributor to Smithsonian magazine, explores humans' relationship to cats with humor. Effortlessly interweaving research, anecdote, and analysis, she delves into the evolution and domestication of the house cat, the ecological consequences of the worldwide spread of the species, the mysterious and terrifying toxoplasma gondii parasite, and the complexities of the current landscape, including animal rights politics, cat fancier culture, the changing nature of pet ownership, and, of course, Internet popularity. VERDICT Eminently readable and gently funny, Tucker's blend of pop science and social commentary will appeal to cat lovers as well as a broad general audience with an interest in natural history.--Lindsay Morton, P. L. of Science, San Francisco

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