Cat Counsellor Vicky Halls Bantam Press, 272pp, £14.99 ISBN 0593055640
Vicky Halls deals with a variety of feline problems, all of which she has experienced in her professional life. Although, as a cat counsellor, she admits that hers is a "bizarre way to earn a living", there is no doubt that she is in demand. Aggressive cats, dependent cats, antisocial cats, scaredy cats: all are dealt with here, but not all the tales have happy endings.
Some of the beasties Halls describes sound terrifying, flying at complete strangers with flailing claws for no apparent reason. And when you get to the bit about furry companions routinely relieving themselves on pillows while their owners try to get a bit of kip, you could be put off ever getting another cat. Luckily, it seems there's always a rational explanation for such behaviour, with overzealous owners often being the source of the problem.
Halls seems to be able to get into the minds of her "patients", although sadly she can't always come up with an ideal solution. Having litter trays strategically positioned all around the house might not be everyone's idea of a happy compromise. While some will see this book as a magical portal into their cat's mind, others will simply be made paranoid about every one of their moggy's idiosyncrasies. Either way, you will never look at your cat in the same way again.
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