For millennia, cats have been celebrated as secretive, mysterious companions, content to live alongside, yet apart from humans. But science is beginning to reveal that their cool exterior actually conceals hidden depths of emotion and affection—for us, and for each other.
On this episode of Locus Focus we discuss what are our cats actually thinking, feeling, and understanding and what are they trying to communicate to us. We talk with Thomas McNamee, author of THE INNER LIFE OF CATS: The Science and Secrets of Our Mysterious Feline Companions, who interweaves the latest research about animal behavior with the engaging tale of his evolving relationship with his beloved cat Augusta, to illuminate what drives cats to do the enigmatic, often maddening things they do – and what compels humans to love them.
Thomas McNamee is the recipient of a 2016 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship. He is the author of The Grizzly Bear, Nature First: Keeping Our Wild Places and Wild Creatures Wild, and The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone, among many other books. His writing has been published in national publications such as The New Yorker, Life, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. He lives in San Francisco.
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