Last year I featured a review of DOG SCIENCE UNLEASHED, using my own dog for the series of fun and revealing experiments. This new companion title is devoted to our feline friends. I currently don’t have a cat, but the fascinating series of experiments made me want to reconsider. Here’s the background from National Geographic KIDS:

Cat Science Unleashed: Fun Activities to Do With Your Feline FriendCat Science Unleashedcontains 22 safe and cat-friendly activities that let you work alongside your cat to discover how your amazing feline friend thinks, moves, drinks, stays warm, gets clean, cools off, and more.   Step-by-step instructions, clear and interesting scientific explanations, and cool photographs shot specifically for this book reveal how catnip affects your kitty, how she can see so well in the dark, why she always lands on all fours and techniques for testing her vitals and tracking her fitness.  Also includes a behind-the-scenes look at current feline research. 

The experiments are conducted by a panel of 11 kid testers and their own cats. Arranged in four themed chapters. it made for interesting reading despite not doing the experiments myself.

Chapter One, FIT FELINES, covers the amazing agility of cats and all things for their health.. There are tests of balance, a check of vital signs, and tracking your cat’s fitness routine.

Chapter Two, SENSATIONAL SENSES, explores hearing, sight, taste, and smell. You even get to make a terrific toy for your kitty.

Chapter Three, PURRFECT PREDATORS, looks at their territorial instincts and memory.  There’s also a fascinating experiment as to how hunger affects play.

Chapter Four wraps the study up with CLEVER KITTIES, a look at inside the minds of cats. Teach your cat a secret code, discover their unique traits, and check if they are right or left pawed.

Each chapter ends with an “in the LAB” feature. My favorite was on Vincent, a cat fitted with prosthetic legs, made possible through the dedication of Mary Sarah Bergh of the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine.

A Glossary and a page of resources round out the impressive effort.

If you have a cat or are about to get one, get to know your friend on a whole different level with your own copy of CAT SCIENCE UNLEASHED.