The British Museum Book of Cats - Softcover

"Cat lovers will, no doubt, find this fascinating... an ideal book to dip into". -RSPCA

"Anyone who is interested in cats will love [this] book... lavishly illustrated and packed with details about cats in art and nature, past and present, repute and disrepute". -Animal World

"This beautifully illustrated book provides a unique combination of a biological history of the domestic cat with a careful selection of some of the best and most interesting pictures of cats to be found in the historical collections of the British Museum and Natural History Museum as well as with photographs of many living breeds" -Cat World

"Ideally suited to a cat lover... a learned and fascinating zoological study on the genus down the ages". -East Anglian Daily Times

"Traces the domestication of the cat from earliest times; the product of a lifetime's research into domesticated animals and an authoritative zoological study, this is a must for all those interested in cats". ---The Cat

Sometimes a friendly fireside companion, more often elusive and independent, the cat possesses an enigmatic appeal and unfathomable mystery, which have inspired writers poets, artists and craftsmen alike from the illuminations of the Lindisfarne Gospels to Rudyard Kipling. The illustrations in this survey of the development of the cat and its special relationship with people over 7,000 years are drawn mainly from the collections of the British and Natural History Museums, both rich in cat imagery from many cultures and civilizations. This book looks at the different roles cats have played in human life and also describes the various modern pedigree breeds - from short-haired tabby to long-haired Persian - which have evolved from the original wild cat.