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Starting from Scratch
The award-winning author of "Think Like a Cat" tells how to turn problem cats into purr- fect pets
Certified Animal Behavior Consultant Pam Johnson-Bennett, author of "Think Like a Cat," is back to help readers bring out their pet's inner pussycat regardless of the cat's age. Geared specifically for owners of adult cats, be they recently adopted or long time family pets, this book illustrates how it's never too late to correct behavior problems. With her trademark wit and common sense, Pam covers every aspect of a cat's lifestyle, behavior, and environment and gives cat owners specific techniques to help seemingly set-in-their-ways cats change for the better. Authoritative and entertaining, Starting from Scratch is the next best thing to a house call from the world's top feline behaviorist.
Certified Animal Behavior Consultant Pam Johnson-Bennett, author of "Think Like a Cat," is back to help readers bring out their pet's inner pussycat regardless of the cat's age. Geared specifically for owners of adult cats, be they recently adopted or long time family pets, this book illustrates how it's never too late to correct behavior problems. With her trademark wit and common sense, Pam covers every aspect of a cat's lifestyle, behavior, and environment and gives cat owners specific techniques to help seemingly set-in-their-ways cats change for the better. Authoritative and entertaining, Starting from Scratch is the next best thing to a house call from the world's top feline behaviorist.
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First published November 27, 2007
105 people are currently reading
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About the author
Pam Johnson-Bennett
25 books71 followersPam Johnson-Bennett is the host of the TV series "Psycho Kitty" which airs on the Discovery UK channel. She is the best-selling author of 7 books on cats and is considered a pioneer in the field of cat behavior consulting. Her ground-breaking book, Think Like a Cat, is considered the cat bible among owners, experts, and shelter personnel worldwide. She is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and a clinical member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants as well as being the Founder and former long-time Chair of the IAABC Cat Division. She has been the behavior expert for Friskies for over a decade and also served on the Advisory Boards of the American Humane Association and Tree House Humane Society. She is a frequent expert columnist for WebVet. She was formerly the behavior columnist for Cats Magazine, Cat Channel, Yahoo, ivillage, Catster and the Daily Cat.
In addition to career in cat behavior consulting, she has also co-authored a book about motherhood. About her non-cat book, she says: "My 8th book is a total departure from cat behavior and delves into the scary, messy, embarrassing and alien world of being a mother of two kids. "Cookies for Dinner" is where I and my co-author fess up about how your breasts basically become the fast-food take-out window at lunchtime and how, at some point, it's a rite of passage for mothers to end up at the supermarket check-out line while still in our pajamas. Oh, and then there's the time I was locked out of my house while wearing less-than flattering swimwear... but I digress."
In addition to career in cat behavior consulting, she has also co-authored a book about motherhood. About her non-cat book, she says: "My 8th book is a total departure from cat behavior and delves into the scary, messy, embarrassing and alien world of being a mother of two kids. "Cookies for Dinner" is where I and my co-author fess up about how your breasts basically become the fast-food take-out window at lunchtime and how, at some point, it's a rite of passage for mothers to end up at the supermarket check-out line while still in our pajamas. Oh, and then there's the time I was locked out of my house while wearing less-than flattering swimwear... but I digress."
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 24, 2009
This is probably one of the best books about cat behavior that I've ever read. Pam Johnson-Bennett's approach is both compassionate and practical, and errs on the side of the cat's mental health (although there were some sections in here about cats that seemed SO messed up I'm not sure I'd be able to put up with them . . . I got through it feeling like I had pretty well-adjusted cats after all).
Pam doesn't offer any quick fixes, which is disappointing at times, and it can feel as though actually following ALL her suggestions could be a full-time job. Still, although I only bought this book for a few chapters (scratching, counter-hopping, move adjustments, and intercat aggression), I was so impressed that I ended up reading it cover-to-cover because in doing so, I knew I'd learn a lot about cats. Although reading it this way made some of the sections feel repetitive (it's obviously written as a book in which "chapter hopping" is common), I'm sure I'll appreciate its comprehensiveness when I continue to refer to it in the future. A reference that should be on all cat-owners' bookshelves.
Pam doesn't offer any quick fixes, which is disappointing at times, and it can feel as though actually following ALL her suggestions could be a full-time job. Still, although I only bought this book for a few chapters (scratching, counter-hopping, move adjustments, and intercat aggression), I was so impressed that I ended up reading it cover-to-cover because in doing so, I knew I'd learn a lot about cats. Although reading it this way made some of the sections feel repetitive (it's obviously written as a book in which "chapter hopping" is common), I'm sure I'll appreciate its comprehensiveness when I continue to refer to it in the future. A reference that should be on all cat-owners' bookshelves.
April 12, 2015
I am an adoption and intake counselor at an animal shelter, and I read this for a class I just finished up. I found it very useful and think the knowledge I gained from this book will help me to help more owners keep their cats instead of surrendering them to a shelter. I also recommend Pam's website and books to people all the time.
August 8, 2021
Smart advice, and after seeing all the problems cats have, I feel that mine is not so bad!
March 10, 2022
I didn’t read a few of the chapters, but this book really helped with one of my cats behavioral problems. Definitely recommend.
May 19, 2010
I am a hardcore fan of this author. Cats can be retrained, but it takes thought, time, and patience to do so.
July 13, 2013
I don't want to brag, but I read this book. I recommend it for anyone who has a crazy cat.
May 12, 2020
A very comprehensive and compassionate look at how a cat's mind works and how to bring out the best in your furry friend. There were so many misconceptions that I had stored up in my mind about cats, and this book helped me rethink these ideas and showed me how wrong they were.
April 13, 2025
My adult cat is already pretty well-behaved, so the most important takeaway I got from this book what to know what "warning signs" I should look out for as he gets older!
A very useful resource that will remain in my bookshelf for future reference!
A very useful resource that will remain in my bookshelf for future reference!
May 28, 2018
There are some really solid tips on cat behavior in this book along with a lot of training tips.
December 25, 2019
The book had lots of good techniques and ideas. I adopted a previously abused cat that has a lot of trust issues. I was hoping to find more information on cats with those kind of special needs.
January 25, 2020
Good resource book to have on your shelf if you love cats :)
December 24, 2009
I've had cats in my life since I was three or four, and this May I adopted a beautiful stray tortie from a county shelter, and while I adore my cat, she does need more socializing than the previous cats in my life, so I took this book out of the library looking for tips.
There's some redundancy between the first chapter and some of the text in subsequent chapters. The first chapter gives a little more than an overview of some cat issues, so when later chapters go more on depth on those same issues, there is an echoing in the text.
Some people may be put off by what almost feels like product placement in the book. I'm assuming the author wasn't paid to endorse certain products, that she has founds these products useful, but she does promote a few of them repeatedly, particularly Feliway. To be fair, she does tell how to use items already found at home to help train cats, too.
I found information useful to my situation--better reading cat body language, determining whether my cat has enough mental stimulation, how to create more and better play areas in my home, and remembering that fingers should not be used as toys. Two items of future interest are how to introduce a new cat in the home and preparing cats for an infant's arrival.
Other readers should know that the book covers adulthood to the senior years, and all the issues that arise in each age period and in most cat situations. They don't have to read the majority of the book like I did. It's easy to skip over chapters irrelevant to your situation and page to the ones containing the information you need.
The author obviously loves cats. She states her book is a tool to prevent any cat from being abandoned as a problem animal. She sees the real problems as cats' signals being misread and negative behaviors accidentally being reinforced. She takes a stand on some issues (indoor versus outdoor) and leaves others up to the reader (cat lovers becoming involved with the cat avoidant). She can be persuasive. I might finally try to brush my cat's teeth using her training technique.
There's some redundancy between the first chapter and some of the text in subsequent chapters. The first chapter gives a little more than an overview of some cat issues, so when later chapters go more on depth on those same issues, there is an echoing in the text.
Some people may be put off by what almost feels like product placement in the book. I'm assuming the author wasn't paid to endorse certain products, that she has founds these products useful, but she does promote a few of them repeatedly, particularly Feliway. To be fair, she does tell how to use items already found at home to help train cats, too.
I found information useful to my situation--better reading cat body language, determining whether my cat has enough mental stimulation, how to create more and better play areas in my home, and remembering that fingers should not be used as toys. Two items of future interest are how to introduce a new cat in the home and preparing cats for an infant's arrival.
Other readers should know that the book covers adulthood to the senior years, and all the issues that arise in each age period and in most cat situations. They don't have to read the majority of the book like I did. It's easy to skip over chapters irrelevant to your situation and page to the ones containing the information you need.
The author obviously loves cats. She states her book is a tool to prevent any cat from being abandoned as a problem animal. She sees the real problems as cats' signals being misread and negative behaviors accidentally being reinforced. She takes a stand on some issues (indoor versus outdoor) and leaves others up to the reader (cat lovers becoming involved with the cat avoidant). She can be persuasive. I might finally try to brush my cat's teeth using her training technique.
May 4, 2012
I just finished this book. I am really impressed with the retraining techniques provided. I've begun a few of them with my cats already. Of course, they are slow retraining, which is part of my problem in the past - I always want to jump the gun. But it is encouraging to hear step by step what to do and that slow is the way to go. I really also appreciated the ''see it from the kitty's point of view'' sections. They help me understand why some things are so distasteful. My cat Meg was so timid and in the 13 years I had her, had so few bad behavior issues, that I didn't have to work on retraining her. But my two new kitties are not happy about nail cutting, they have eating issues, and the big one is Sylvie occasionally freaking out and attacking all of us. This is also the first time I've had two cats at once. So, I'm learning a lot! I highly recommend this book. I got it from the library, but I'm going to buy it.
February 7, 2008
As a cat socialization volunteer, I read this book hoping to collect more information on feline behavior for potential adoptive families who come to the facility with a variety of questions. In my case, the book didn't offer a lot of new or enlightening information. I absolutely agree that physical discipline of cats is not only damaging, but it doesn't work. But like humans, every feline personality is different. No two cats are alike. What works to remedy a behavior problem with one cat might not work for the next. The book offers a lot of good general information and I would recommend getting the book for first-time cat owners. Bottom line, my advice for feline behavioral problems is patience and creativity is key in realizing a resolution.
October 31, 2010
Ms. Johnson-Bennett describes a few essential concepts for shaping your cat's behavior:
Understand your cat's needs and therefore why she does something you don't like
Give your cat human-acceptable (and cat-preferable) alternatives to fulfill her needs
Reward your cat when she does something you like
Reading this book has already helped me to understand why my kitten was climbing my husband's chair (climbing is fun, and the chair back is up high) and to offer a better alternative (a cat tree, more fun for her and avoids damaging our furniture). It works!
Understand your cat's needs and therefore why she does something you don't like
Give your cat human-acceptable (and cat-preferable) alternatives to fulfill her needs
Reward your cat when she does something you like
Reading this book has already helped me to understand why my kitten was climbing my husband's chair (climbing is fun, and the chair back is up high) and to offer a better alternative (a cat tree, more fun for her and avoids damaging our furniture). It works!
June 10, 2008
This is a really interesting guide to how your cat "thinks" and what drives its behaviors. I'm learning some of the behavioral issues in our household are pretty complicated (we might need in person help to deal with the dynamics) - but I've already picked up a lot of tips we have implemented that are really helping some of our issues. I think this will be my new 'go to' book for cat behavior issues and understanding.
July 29, 2014
Pam Johnson-Bennett offers some really great tips for how to make life better for both you and your badly behaved cat. Retraining is a long process, so I don't know for sure how well some of her tips actually work, but I've already made some common-sense changes that seem to be working. It's worth a read even just to understand why your cat does some of the things he does!
December 8, 2024
Ms. Johnson-Bennett is a cat guru. I thought I knew a lot about cats, but when I adopted 2 cats who "only like each other"...who hate each other 35% of the time, she has helped immensely. Some things have worked like a dream for me, whereas other things I'm not interested in (clicker training). Either way, if you have terribly behaving cats, this is the book to help you out.
August 19, 2010
Working my way slowly through this one. I've already learned some good solutions for my problem cat.
Didn't actually read every last page of it since it didn't all apply to my cat, but I got some good suggestions about problems we were having.
Didn't actually read every last page of it since it didn't all apply to my cat, but I got some good suggestions about problems we were having.
July 17, 2010
Whether all the techniques work or not is still up for debate in my house, but this book definitely helped me understand how to train my cat to not attack me!
October 20, 2011
I've read several of this author's books and she has many good suggestions. The book can be redundant as she makes the same point over and over.
April 27, 2013
This lady knows her cat problems. It was good, a little bit repetitive if you've read her other books already, but still if you have serious cat behavior issues a great help.
September 10, 2013
Excellent resource. A few little tips and tricks with this book have already started improving my relationship with my cranky senior.
December 20, 2015
Very good cat behavior book. It does not talk down to the reader and gets to points very succinctly and clearly.
January 4, 2016
Excellent and comprehensive book on cat behavior and how to work with it.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews